BI > OCTOBER 2005

Education Is a Crucial Component

Keep Programs Fresh and Fun

Q. I have been in an investment club for 11 years and truly enjoy it. I have learned so much, but there is always more to learn. In fact, I am in charge of the education for this month. Do you have any ideas?

I think we have gone over the complete handbook three or four times.

Cheryl Denney

Mutual Funs Investment Club, Cloudcroft, N.M.

A. I'm so glad your club recognizes the importance of education. People join a club for several reasons -- to learn, to enjoy and to profit. To keep them as active members, you must continue to meet these needs. You can accomplish all these goals by including an educational component in every meeting.

The educational component obviously addresses the club members' desire to learn. But what may be less obvious is that a club's education program can also provide fun and profit. A change in meeting location, media or topics can bring a club's education program alive.

Meeting Locations

Consider taking a tour of a company whose stock your club owns. You can check the company's website to see whether one is offered. If it isn't, a call to the company's investor relations representative might result in a private tour. Attending a company's annual meeting also can provide great education. Do your homework before you go on a tour or to an annual meeting so that you can ask informed questions.

Another way to do homework is to hold your meeting at a new location. For example, if your club owns shares in Applebee's, you could hold your meeting there and make observations such as whether the restaurant is busy and how you're treated by the staff. This trip may reinforce your club's purchase, or it may provide a signal that something is wrong.

BetterInvesting offers many classes and events throughout the year. These are offered at the local, regional and national level. To find events being offered in your area, check "Regional Notices" at the back of the magazine or the Chapter of the website. Chapters teach classes covering all aspects of BetterInvesting tools and software and often offer special events just for clubs. Many chapters even have classes they will bring right to your club. Inquire at your chapter about their offerings.

Media

Videos offer another education avenue for your club. BetterInvesting offers several educational videos for sale, and many larger libraries offer extensive business video collections. Consider watching 15 to 30 minutes of the video and then discussing what you watched.

You can also occasionally turn your investment club into a book club. Angele McQuade's "Book Value" column can be a great source of ideas.

Get serious about education by playing games. Some game ideas include:

• "Name That Company," which would include companies your club owns, has on its watch list or has studied in the past.


• At Compufest 2005 an investment-themed Jeopardy-like game made its debut. It's available above under "Related Files".


• Board games with money themes. Amazon.com has several money-themed games for sale, including Wall Street Spin and Stock Rush.

Topics

Clubs can benefit from the outstanding basic and advanced educational programs put together by BetterInvesting's Mid-Michigan Chapter. The programs consist of lesson plans to go with Bonnie Biafore's Stock Selection Handbook. The chapter's Ken and Natalie Kavula -- both former teachers -- designed the program. It contains 24 lessons for the basic program and 19 lessons for the advanced program to help you get the most out of the Stock Selection Handbook. For more information visit the Mid-Michigan Chapter website.

Club educational opportunities abound, if you just know where to look. By rotating the educational responsibility to a different member each month, you'll empower all your members and avoid burnout. When applied, these suggestions should satisfy club members' need to learn, enjoy and profit.

Ask Colleen your club question by writing to colleen@ColleenMulder-Seward.com. Colleen holds an M.B.A. from Wayne State University. Since 2000 she has served on the board of directors for BetterInvesting's Southeastern Michigan Chapter.