When I first opened my X.Com account in January, it was for an education tool to teach a couple of my grandkids about banking, credit, and investing. We've had hours of fun with it, and even grandma has learned a thing or two. Just recently, we found a site that's been educational as well as fun. It's called Trader Rewards (No, I'm not an affiliate). It's a mock trading site in which you buy and sell real stocks with the $100,000 hypothetical cash you are given. You compete against other players, and those with the best daily, monthly, and annual gains win cash prizes. The kids and I spent the whole evening diversifying our portfolios and pouring through analyst research. We had so much fun together without spending any real money, and the kids, as well as the old lady, learned so much useful financial information. Give it a try, just for the hell of it. It beats playing solitaire or Free Cell, and it costs nothing. The site is at www.traderrewards.com.
RE: Want to Learn About Invest Dorris excellent idea. When I was in highschool we did this as seniors. It was competeing against other seniors in teams of four. My team took first place in the state and won a trip to NYC to goto wallstreet, which we forfeited due to an unforseen death of a team member, however it is a great way to learn when you aren't dealing with real money. I found it alot easier to take risks that way. As I begin investing what little I have now, I know I am doing it in a much more informed way than I would be if I hadn't had that experience.
