Creating Future Investors and Finance Fest with Jose Molina and Rodrigo Lopez

What happens when you give a team of high school students a $100,000 virtual portfolio and six months to manage it? Elizabeth Crawford and Rodrigo Lopez sit down with Jose Molina, a math teacher at Saint Mary’s Hall in San Antonio who also leads Sendero’s summer Financial Literacy Bootcamp, to talk about Finance Fest, a statewide stock market simulation for high school teams.

Jose explains what inspired him to bring investing into the classroom, why he believes financial literacy belongs before graduation, and what students actually do over a season that runs from October through March. He talks about what the strongest teams tend to have in common, why running the competition at their own schools teaches students more than a handed-down curriculum, and what a faculty sponsor really needs to do (less than most teachers expect). He also shares a favorite student moment, what has surprised him about how today’s students think about money, and the one lesson he hopes they still remember ten years from now.

Registration for our 5th Annual Finance Fest has closed, but if you’re a teacher, parent, business leader, or student who wants to bring Finance Fest to your school, visit sendero.com/financefest to learn more. 6th Annual Finance Fest registration will open in 2027.

Disclaimer: Finance Fest is an educational competition. All trading is simulated, and no money is invested. This episode is for informational and educational purposes only and is not investment advice.