Stock Market Game™ FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Stock Market Game?
Small student teams, made up of 2-4 students, compete for awards by investing $100,000 in an online, virtual portfolio.
The adult advisor/teacher registers the student teams. Student teams are provided online access to their own online investment portfolio.
Students research and apply their investment ideas in a real-world market environment.
Three Game Sessions for each year, Click here to see the dates.
When does The Stock Market Game start?
The Stock Market Game™ is conducted during the school year. There are three different game sessions during the school year: Fall, Spring and Year-Long.
Click here to see the dates.
What are the rules of the Virginia Stock Market Game?
In addition to the national rules, Virginia’s rules include:Building the right team ensures your students remain eligible for regional and state-level prizes!
Team Size: Teams must consist of 2 to 4 students.
Awards Eligibility: Teams with only 1 student, or teams with more than 4 students, will be moved to a special region. They can still participate fully in the learning experience, but they will not be eligible for end-of-competition awards.
One Team Per Student: To keep the playing field level, students may only participate on one team per game session. If a student is found on multiple rosters, both teams will unfortunately have to be disqualified from the competitive rankings.
Portfolio & Diversification Rules
The 20% Equity Rule: To encourage diversification, no single position can make up more than 20% of the total portfolio equity for a team. The system monitors this automatically, but you can read more about how the Equity Rule works here.
New for the 2026-27 School Year: To mirror real-world asset allocation, every portfolio must include at least one mutual fund, one bond, and one index fund.
To better understand the Virginia rules download this document or contact programs@vcee.org
How will SMG fit into my class?
The Stock Market Game is a project-based learning opportunity that surpasses subject area boundaries. Students master skills in not only mathematics, social sciences, and economics, but also language arts, civics, and more.
Click on this graphic organizer that shows skills students attain by participating in The Stock Market Game.
When can I register teams?
How much does it cost to participate in The Stock Market Game™ in Virginia?
Registration Fee Per Student Team
Participation is 100% FREE for all Virginia student teams. Thanks to the support of generous funders, there are no registration fees for Virginia students.NOTE:
Advisors may register a minimum of two students or up to a total of four students per team. Students may only participate on one team per Game Session (Fall, Spring and Yearlong).
Can teachers or adults register a trading portfolio for themselves?
• Monitoring Your Class: You do not need a trading account to manage your students! You have full visibility into all student team portfolios, trades, and performance directly through your Teacher Resource Center.
• Practice & Professional Development: Want to get a feel for the platform? Teachers can join our free 3-week promotional drop-in games designed specifically for educators to practice trading and explore features risk-free.
• Adult & Community Play: Any adult who wants to run a personal portfolio or form a community team can do so for a $10 registration fee. Adult teams participate in a dedicated, non-competitive division so official leaderboards, prizes, and rankings remain reserved strictly for student competitors.
Is there a Stock Market Game App?
Yes, students have access to the Stock Market Game app to manage their portfolios.
The mobile app works in conjunction with student team portfolios, engaging students in meaningful second-screen experiences. Sync with standard SMG portfolios’ current Account Summary, Pending Transactions, Transaction Notes, and market news information. Allow teams to look up ticker symbols and enter trades.
It can be downloaded from either the Apple App Store or via Google Play for Androids.
Teacher Training
Our FREE teacher workshops help you learn how to play the game and how to to integrate this flexible, hands-on program into your Math, English, Social Studies and Economics & Personal Finance curriculum.
Visit https://vcee.org/workshops/ and search Stock Market Game to register for our workshops
For in-service training, contact smg@vcu.edu
What are the Virginia Stock Market Game Awards?
• Teams will compete within their individual Virginia superintendent region as well as at the state level.
• We love celebrating student success! At the state level, we will recognize the first, second, and third place winners regardless of school level. If an elementary, middle, or high school team does not place in the overall top three, we will still recognize the top team for that specific school level.
• These honors apply across all three game sessions. Winners, including our outstanding InvestWrite writers, will be celebrated at our May awards program.
Parents
Any adult working with or intending to work with students of grades 4 through 12 can register to participate. This includes parents/guardians, mentors, non-profit organizations, etc. Interested students under the age of 18 should contact their teacher or other adult designees to assist with registration. NOTE: See “When can I register teams?” above
Students can work at their own pace, independent of formal facilitated instruction with the assistance of our Stock Market Game Student Activity Packet coupled with our online student webinars. These resources will ensure that students can successfully engage with the program in a manner that is simple, activity-based, and fun. However, SMG registration must be completed and submitted by an adult. Single-person teams are not eligible for awards.
NOTE:
Students may only participate on one team per Game Session (Fall, Spring and Yearlong).
Does research say The Stock Market Game™ positively impacts academic performance?
Yes, a rigorous, randomized, controlled study by Learning Point Associates, a nonprofit education agency, found that students who participated in The Stock Market Game™ program scored significantly higher on mathematics and financial literacy tests than their peers who did not. Improvements in academic performance were achieved regardless of the classroom implementation of the Stock Market Game™ basic or advance. The study was conducted in 600 classrooms, with half of the classrooms playing in the Stock Market Game™ and half not playing.
Learning Point Associates also conducted a nationwide survey of nearly 5,000 teachers who taught with the Stock Market Game. The teachers reported that the program motivated them to better plan for their own future and to engage in financial planning, research, and use of investment products and services.
Link to download PDF Summary
Link to download PDF of the Full Study
Our Sponsors:
- Ameriprise Financial
- Atlantic Union Bank
- Mr. Edwin E. Blanks
- Capital One
- CAF America
- CFA Society Virginia
- Dixon, Hubard, Feinour & Brown, Inc.
- Chuck and Suzanne Gallagher
- Mr. Dave Hillgrove
- Meta
- Mid-Atlantic Security Traders Association Foundation
- SIFMA Foundation & SIFMA Member Firms
- Your Economic Success
Take the first step towards economic and personal finance empowerment -
sign up for the VCEE newsletter now!
Yes, I'd like to Help