Cabrera Capital Announces $10,000 grant to EconomicsPennsylvania
Philadelphia students participate in the Stock Market Game™
February 22, 2010 – EconomicsPennsylvania, a not for profit K – 12 economic education organization, and Cabrera Capital Markets, LLC have partnered to provide Philadelphia high school students with an opportunity to learn financial skills in the online simulation The Stock Market Game of Pennsylvania.
An exciting, real-world simulation, The Stock Market Game of Pennsylvania enables students to discover the risks and rewards involved in financial decision-making, the sources and uses of capital, and the institutional foundations of the American economic system. With the goal of assembling the top-performing portfolio over a 10-week period using a virtual cash account of $100,000, the students participating in the Stock Market Game program learn essential life skills such as critical thinking, decision making, independent research, saving, investing and economics. At the same time, basic academic skills such as mathematics, language arts and social studies are reinforced.
“The Stock Market Game made such a positive impact on my life that I am honored to be in a position to give back to the program and to students throughout Pennsylvania,” Mr. Cabrera said. “The program provides a creative and engaging experience for students while actively demonstrating the importance of saving and the power of investing. I still use lessons learned from the competition in my investment business on a daily basis.”
Vincent Pasceri’s accounting class at Edison High School is playing the game. “Playing the Stock Market Game has afforded my students the opportunity to develop strategies and analytical skills for managing their school financial portfolios. Hopefully the skills they have acquired will guide them when they have to manage their own financials,” said Pasceri. Victor Lopez, a 12th grade student in Pasceri’s class added, “The Stock Market Game is the closest thing to reality of the stock market without using your own money. It has helped me to understand the way the stock market works and how people make decisions about money.”
Using internet research tools to evaluate and select stocks and a live trading simulation to create their portfolios, students work together in teams, practicing leadership, organization, negotiation and cooperation as they compete to build the strongest portfolio. “The stock market made me realize that becoming an investor is more complex than it appears”, said Lopez.
Fritz M. Heinemann, EconomicsPennsylvania President and CEO, praised the generosity of Cabrera Capital Markets and acknowledged their gift as an example of outstanding corporate citizenship and commitment to excellence in education for students of all ages. “Young people must be encouraged and taught to make reasonable and sound decisions based on prudent judgments and rational thinking,” Heinemann said. “If our children are going to play a leading role within the economy of tomorrow, we must teach them powerful economic lessons today.”
Over 9,000 Philadelphia students participate in the Stock Market Game as part of the core curriculum. Key to the program’s success and growth has been the support teachers receive from the Temple University Center for Economic Education, which provides teacher training and curriculum materials to help teachers create meaningful learning experiences for their students.
About Economics Pennsylvania
Economics Pennsylvania is the single largest statewide organization providing comprehensive curricula for public, private and parochial schools in cooperation with school administrators and faculty. Their mission is to promote economic literacy through education in order to help prepare students to become productive members of the workforce, responsible voting citizens, prudent savers and investors, knowledgeable consumers and lifelong decision makers equipped to make effective choices in an ever changing environment. Additional information may be obtained by visiting www.economicspa.org.
About Cabrera Capital Markets
Cabrera Capital Markets, LLC is an investment bank and a full service institutional brokerage firm with eight offices throughout the country. Cabrera provides a range of services worldwide to a substantial and diversified client base that includes financial institutions, unions, governments, corporations, hedge funds and foundations/endowments. Cabrera is a member of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB), the Chicago Stock Exchange (CHX) and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC). Cabrera is also a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and member of the US Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a) program. For more information on Cabrera Capital Markets, please call (215) 246-3417.