The Investors Club is one of the dozens of clubs and organizations offered at St.Pius X. Moderated by economics teacher Mr.Phil Cook, it started around 12 years ago. Last year’s seniors got the club up and running again and now, with around 60 members involved, seniors Will Freeman and Kiki Diaz have stepped up to the leadership role.

“My uncle actually taught me when I was in third grade. I bought a little bit of Apple stock and got, like, super addicted to it, and then kind of just learned from there” shared Freeman. 

Last year, the club spent the first half of the year learning about how to invest and teaching new members how it works. Then, they applied for a grant through the Archdiocese of Atlanta and received $10,000 to put towards improvements and investments within the St. Pius community.

Freeman explained that the Archdiocese gave a set of rules for how the $10,000 is distributed and used. “40% is going to go towards stocks and ETFs, so your everyday stocks and 60% is going to go towards savings bonds to have some steady, risk-free growth” 

An ETF is short for an exchange-traded fund, a type of investment that tracks an index, sector, commodity, or other asset and trades on an exchange like a stock. They are typically cheaper than other stocks and an easy way to grow your personal wealth base.

Mr. Cook described an ETF as “a popular way for investors to buy into multiple different stocks in a variety of companies.  Like a mutual fund, an ETF diversifies the investing experience because you’re not buying into just one company or just one type of financial investment.”

The club meets one to two mornings a week in Mr.Cooks room and welcomes anyone interested and eager to learn. They plan to apply for another grant from the archdiocese. The investors club has big plans for this year and are excited for what is to come.