An Investing Game to Teach About Faith and Finance?

Now that the school year has started back up, it's also time to get back into volunteering with my boys at Encounter. Each Sunday evening, we meet for Small Group (social distancing required, of course) and we learn about our faith. This is their second year of Confirmation classes and it's exciting to see them grow in their relationships with our Lord. With the COVID-19 restrictions still in place, we now only have 4 boys in the group and our games are limited. I decided that since we have about 10 minutes each week to do something fun, I would create a game for them that helps them learn about faith, generosity, and finances.

I intend to go through scripture with them to teach them about their faith and finances, and alongside that, we will play an investing game. I have more than enough scripture passages to cover faith and finances (thanks to writing this blog and the Faith and Money Matters Course) and I decided to invent a game that had real stakes to them - real money.

Since there are 4 boys, I decided to set aside $250 for each of them in my personal investment account to buy stocks of their choosing. Here's how the game works: 

1. They can choose multiple stocks or a single stock and I will purchase them in my account and keep track of them

2. We will keep a leaderboard each week

3. The game ends in the last meeting of Encounter next year

4. The winner will get a special prize

5. If their investments have appreciated in value by the time we end the game, half of the gains will go to each of them, and half will go to the charity of their choice (or simply to the church)

6. I will match their donation 

7. If their choices depreciate in value (go into the red), no harm no foul

While $250 and 6-7 months are not a lot to work with in the real world of investing (and their gains will likely be small), I think this will be a great game to play with them. They have the freedom to choose their stocks, but also have the burden of doing the research themselves. I've asked them to be diligent and prudent in their choices, so I pray they will actually take some time to research some companies they're interested in. I use Charles Schwab, so they are allowed to buy "slices" of stocks (if a single stock costs $300, I would be able to purchase a piece of one stock for $5 or even $250 if needed as long as they are in the S&P 500). I will have to figure out how things will work if we run into the other issues.

I believe that there can be a lot of good that comes of this. My hope is that each week, we will go over scripture about faith and finance and it'll lay a strong foundation on how they should think about money. Maybe it'll spark conversation in their families about finances! With the game, I want them to know that real money is on the line, that money can be gained and lost, and that it's great if they succeed, and that it's okay if they fail. I am not too worried about losing $1,000 if it comes down to it; I will happily lose that money if they learn a lot about faith and finances in the months to come. 

Lastly, I want them to feel the joy of giving - as part of the rules, each of them will get half of the gains and half of it will go to charity or the church. I want them to be grateful for the gifts but also be willing to give some of it away and also feel good about doing it. Heck, maybe they'll even surprise me by giving it all away. I'll be sure to keep this blog updated on the results!

I'm excited!

Mr. K

P.S. I may include a twist before Christmas (about halfway through the game) and infuse into their accounts another $250 so as they learn more, they will be able to have more freedom to choose different routes. What do you think?