A local 5th grader is among the winners to be honored this weekend at the Utah Treasurer’s Investment Challenge awards banquet. The Utah Treasurer’s Investment Challenge is a 10-week simulation of Wall Street investing that provides a framework for Utah students to learn about the U.S. economy and financial markets. During the game, students invest a hypothetical $100,000 dollars in common stocks and diversified investment funds traded on major exchanges. Teams are ranked based on the ending value of their investment portfolios. 10-year-old Paxon Massey of Vernal finished 2nd place in the State in the Elementary School Division. Paxon is a dually enrolled 5th grade student who has classes at both Discovery Elementary and at home. His mom Whitney Massey served as his Advisor during the competition. “Ever since Paxon was little he was always looking for ways to earn money,” shares Whitney. “When my husband read about this investment challenge he knew it would be something that Paxon would be passionate about. We decided to include it in our homeschool curriculum. Throughout the challenge, Paxon saw his money fluctuate going up and down, but his strategy was to be patient, ride the ups and downs, and it paid off.” Paxon was able to generate a 1.05% net return during the challenge while the overall market was down nearly 1.5% during the same time period. So what did Paxon take away from this valuable learning experience? Well, in his own words: “I learned that there are lots of different ways to make money, and the sooner you start investing the better.”
