Dear UMich students, break into the stock market

A variety of negative connotations likely come to mind when college students think of the stock market. One of the most common is that it’s little more than a high-risk casino exclusively for rich people: the province of Gordon Gekko -like arbitrageurs where money changes hands without creating long-term societal value or the place where the elderly lose their life savings to scams, fraud and simple market volatility. It’s no wonder that fear of losing money and lack of confidence are prominent factors keeping students out of the market.

To most college students, the stock market is something to avoid rather than engage with. But, this perception does considerable harm to these students and young people more generally. It also obscures what the market really is: one of the most