When junior James Vournakis expressed interest in exploring the world of finance, his parents allowed him to open a brokerage account. According to Vournakis, the account helped spark his interest in finance and led to the creation of the Stock Market Club. 

“I was talking to Marcus (the co-president of the Stock Market Club) about it,” said Vournakis, “his parents and my parents agreed that we could open brokerage accounts to play around with our own money and to test out.”

Junior co-president Marcus Hosfield said that he helped introduce Vournakis to the world of finance.

“I took Personal Finance last year and I learned a lot about the stock market and investing,” Hosfield said. “I told James about it, and he found it really interesting.”

According to club adviser Scott Miller, the prospect of students learning about finance is something that will prepare them for the future.

“It’s great the students are getting interested,” Miller said. “The sooner you can learn about investing for retirement, the better.”

Vournakis said that as co-president of the club, he is looking forward to educating his peers about the stock market, even those who aren’t as passionate as he is.

“I feel like each member of the club will learn more about finance and money management,” Vournakis said. “(It) would definitely help a lot of students, even if they aren’t super curious about investing in the stock market.”

Hosfield said that he hopes the club will encourage students to look for more financial opportunities later on in life.

“(The club) is beneficial to people that want to find a way to make money later in life, and grow their money, rather than just a savings account,” Hosfield said.

According to Miller, the club is in good hands with Vournakis as one of the co-presidents.

“He’s really taken responsibility with organization and planning,” Miller said. “He’s really driven and playing a big role.”

According to Vournakis, if you are interested in joining the Stock Market club, email James Vournakis at [email protected].