How The Program Works
College students volunteer their time to teach high school students about investing and give them real money to invest
1. Recruiting
College student volunteers enroll local high school students
We select high school students from underserved areas based on a combination of need and demonstrated interest in economics and investing
Students commit to complete an 8-week course and to graduate high school
2. Teaching
Volunteers deliver interactive lessons about investing
Topics include
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What is a stock?
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Compounding interest
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Volatility and diversification
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Mutual funds and ETFs
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Dollar-cost averaging
3. Investing
Students choose their investments using real funds provided by donors
Generous donors provide funds to FGI for our students to invest
Beginning in the third session, students are granted $50/week. They allocate their funds across a set of mutual funds, in order to ensure a diverse portfolio
Vesting
How The Students Access Their Investments
Students learn the notion of "vesting," whereby they earn the right to withdraw funds by meeting three criteria:
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Complete the FGI program (attending at least 6 sessions)
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Graduate high school
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Turn 18 years of age
Once they meet all three criteria, volunteers work with students to create their own investment accounts and transfer to them all of their investments.
A Typical FGI Session
A typical FGI session consists of the following:
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Volunteers and students discuss the past week’s financial news
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Volunteers break into groups of 4 students each, and teach a new concept, like compounding interest or dollar-cost averaging
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Students are granted $20 to invest beginning in week 4 (finishing the program with $100 invested in total)
"The FGI program gave us legitimate resources and counseling. Not only did it teach me about the stock market, but it also gave examples about patience and being faithful to people."
- Sainey, Philadelphia Student