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Simulate the purchase of a stock portfolio with a set amount of money, and evaluate its worth over time considering gains, losses and selling, taking into account any associated fees.
General Information
Subject Area: Mathematics (B.E.S.T.)
Grade: 912
Strand: Financial Literacy
Standard: Describe the advantages and disadvantages of financial and investment plans, including insurances.
Date Adopted or Revised: 08/20
Status: State Board Approved
Benchmark Instructional Guide
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Purpose and Instructional Strategies
In Math for Data and Financial Literacy, students create their own portfolios and calculate their profits and losses (MTR.5.1, MTR.7.1).- Students should work with real-life scenarios that simulates the creation of a stock portfolio within their budget. Considerations that a simulation includes are guidelines on how to monitor their portfolio and when to sell, buy or trade within a given timeline; use of technology to calculate gains, losses and any fees based on sales; and monitor portfolio based on given time frame.
- Instruction includes how to calculate stock profit using technology and the formulas below.
- Total Buy Price = shares × buy price + commissions
- Total Sell Price = shares × sell price + commission
- Total Profit or Loss = Total Buy Price – Total Sell price
- Students should be able to explain why they made their selections and what they would alter during another simulation.
Common Misconceptions or Errors
- Students may not make the best decisions when diversifying simulated portfolio.
- Students may incorrectly calculate their gains and/or losses based on when the stock is bought or traded.
- Students may buy or sell their stock and/or bond at a time that is not beneficial.
- Students may not include dividends when it is offered by the company. Remind students to research this as part of their development of their portfolio.
Instructional Tasks
Instructional Task 1 (MTR.5.1, MTR.7.1)- Billy has saved up $30,000 to create a portfolio. Identify stocks and/or bonds to help diversify his portfolio. Then monitor the portfolio over a 6-week period, determine when it is a good time to sell or buy more, and determine his profits and/or losses and the end of the time period. Use technology to monitor the portfolio and explain what strategies were effective and ineffective.
Instructional Items
Instructional Item 1- Jan purchased 150 shares for $1,018.50 in a video game stock 5 years ago. Share price (5 years ago): $6.79
Share price (today): $354.44
- How much is Jan’s profit after the 5 years if she sells the 100 shares?
a. $35,444.00
b. $34,765.00
c. $52,147.50
d. $53,166.00
Related Courses
This benchmark is part of these courses.
1200388: Mathematics for Data and Financial Literacy Honors (Specifically in versions: 2022 and beyond (current))
1200384: Mathematics for Data and Financial Literacy (Specifically in versions: 2022 and beyond (current))
7912120: Access Mathematics for Data and Financial Literacy (Specifically in versions: 2022 - 2023, 2023 and beyond (current))
2102371: Personal Finance and Money Management (Specifically in versions: 2023 and beyond (current))
2102373: Personal Finance and Money Management Honors (Specifically in versions: 2023 and beyond (current))
2102375: Personal Finance and Money Management for Credit Recovery (Specifically in versions: 2024 and beyond (current))
Related Access Points
Alternate version of this benchmark for students with significant cognitive disabilities.
MA.912.FL.4.AP.6: Simulate the buying and selling of a single stock and identify its worth over time.
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