WELCOME TO MARKET MINDS
Market Minds is a student-led community built to help you understand real-world money skills, make confident decisions, and connect with peers.
📸 ACTIVITY 1: THE OFFICIAL CHAPTER PHOTO
Be ready to take a group photo!
Anyone who showed up today gets officially stamped as a founding member of this year's community.
🔎 ACTIVITY 2: HUMAN MARKET SCAVENGER HUNT
Financial literacy is about people and choices, not just numbers. You have 7 minutes to walk around the room and find someone who matches the descriptions below. You must get their name and their answer!
- The Global Thinker: Speaks more than one language (What are they?).
- The Critic: Has a controversial opinion on a popular brand (e.g., "Apple is overrated").
- The Investor: Has actually bought a stock or cryptocurrency before.
- The Hustler: Has a part-time job or runs a side hustle.
- The Planner: Has a specific goal or item they are saving up for right now.
- The Creator: Has sold something they owned or made (e.g., on Depop, eBay, or at a garage sale).
- The Deal Hunter: Loves finding a bargain, thrifting, or using discounts.
FACILITATOR RESOURCE
🖨️ DOWNLOAD & PRINT ACTIVITY SHEETOpens a printable Google Doc template for your chapter.
🌍 ACTIVITY 3: THE CORE PITCH & OUR IMPACT
We are a state-registered nonprofit organization (with our 501(c)(3) status currently pending) dedicated to expanding youth financial literacy. Here is what we are working on:
Partnering in the Community
We actively work with the Youth Roots Youth Center, the West Broadway Youth Organization, and the Newburyport Middle Schools to teach foundational financial skills to younger students.
Publishing Content
Our team produces a Gen Z-focused financial newsletter to make economic headlines make sense.
Looking for Leaders
Want to do more than just attend meetings? We are looking for motivated underclassmen to eventually take over local chapter leadership, as well as students interested in joining our national nonprofit team. National involvement is completely optional!
📈 ACTIVITY 4: STOCK-PICKING CHALLENGE PREVIEW
THE BIANNUAL CHALLENGE
The Concept
An interactive simulation where you learn how the stock market works and how prices change.
The Prize
We are offering real cash prizes to the top performers at the end of the competition.
The Catch
We don't just reward luck. To be eligible for the cash prize, you must write a brief "Strategy Pitch" explaining your reasoning and long-term strategy behind your picks.
Next Steps: Show up next week for the official launch!
CAPITAL ALLOCATION
Estimated Time: 35 Minutes
PHASE 1: THE WARM-UP
Icebreaker Question
"What is the smartest $50 you have ever spent, and what is the dumbest?"
PHASE 2: REAL-WORLD DILEMMA
CHOOSE YOUR ALLOCATION: $200 CASH
CONSUMPTION
Buy a limited-edition jacket or a pair of sneakers today.
MICRO-CAPITAL
Buy a domain name, basic software, or inventory to launch a service.
At what exact point does spending money stop being an expense and start becoming an investment in yourself?
PHASE 3: CORE CONCEPTS
Click on a guiding word below to reveal the definition for the room.
Small amounts of money, typically between $50 and $300, used to acquire assets or business tools rather than standard consumer goods.
A decision where the potential downside is small and firmly capped, but the potential upside is massive and open-ended.
Consumption takes money out of your pocket forever. Assets actively put money back into your pocket or build concrete future value.
PHASE 4: ROOM CHALLENGE
THE $100 MICRO-BUSINESS PITCH
Form teams of 3 to 4. You have 8 minutes to plan a local business or service that requires under $100 to start. Once the timer ends, each team will take turns presenting their pitch to the room.
Purchasing a $60 used lawnmower and a $10 box of flyers to start a neighborhood landscaping service.
YOUR PITCH MUST ANSWER:
- What exact tool, software, or asset did you buy with your $100?
- Who is the very first target customer you will approach?
- What is your specific plan to hit your first $200 in revenue?
THE BIG TAKEAWAY
Money is not just something you spend to buy things. It is a tool you allocate to create freedom and leverage.
PHASE 5: COMMUNITY CONNECTION
POST-MEETING HANGOUT
Stick around for 10 minutes! Turn to someone near you and ask them what specific micro-project or skill they want to test this year. Building wealth is a team sport.
TIME CURRENCY
Estimated Time: 35 Minutes
PHASE 1: THE WARM-UP
Icebreaker Question
"If you could instantly buy back 5 hours of your week, which specific hours would you eliminate?"
PHASE 2: REAL-WORLD DILEMMA
THE TIME TRADE-OFF MATRIX
IMMEDIATE CASH
Work 15 hours per week at a minimum wage job ($15/hr = $225/week).
SKILL COMPOUNDING
Work 5 hours per week, and spend 10 hours mastering a high-income skill.
When is trading your time for immediate minimum wage cash a trap, and when is it genuinely necessary?
PHASE 3: CORE CONCEPTS
Click on a guiding word below to reveal the definition for the room.
The real cost of any choice is the value of the next best alternative you gave up.
Using your youth and low financial overhead to learn high-value skills before you have adult bills to pay.
Skills learned at age 16 or 17 pay professional dividends for decades. Time invested now is worth more than time invested later.
PHASE 4: ROOM CHALLENGE
THE TIME AUDIT
Form pairs. You have 8 minutes to interview each other about your schedules last week. You will present a 2-slide summary for your partner to the room.
YOUR PITCH MUST ANSWER:
- Identify the 3 biggest "Time Leaks" in your partner's schedule.
- If they reclaimed 4 hours next week, what specific skill or project should they spend it on?
THE BIG TAKEAWAY
You are richer in time right now than you will ever be again. Treat your hours with the same respect as cash.
PHASE 5: COMMUNITY CONNECTION
POST-MEETING HANGOUT
Don't rush out just yet. Grab a snack and chat with someone about the biggest "time leak" you discovered today. Sometimes saying it out loud makes it easier to fix.
MARKETING DEFENSE
Estimated Time: 35 Minutes
PHASE 1: THE WARM-UP
Icebreaker Question
"What is one item you bought purely because you saw it go viral on social media?"
PHASE 2: REAL-WORLD DILEMMA
THE $15 SHIRT VS. THE $250 LOGO
$15 PLAIN TEE
- Material: 100% Cotton
- Utility: Keeps you clothed and comfortable.
$250 DESIGNER TEE
- Material: 100% Cotton
- Utility: Signals status and group membership.
Are you actually buying a higher quality product, or are you buying admission into a social group?
PHASE 3: CORE CONCEPTS
Click on a guiding word below to reveal the definition for the room.
Digital design tricks engineered to make you spend money without thinking (1-click buying, Apple Pay, countdown timers, fake scarcity).
Spending money to appear wealthy to others, which actively prevents you from accumulating real wealth in the background.
Understanding that free apps make money by selling your attention to advertisers. If you aren't paying for the product, you are the product.
PHASE 4: ROOM CHALLENGE
THE VIRAL BRAND TEARDOWN
Form teams of 3. You have 8 minutes to pick a viral brand (Stanley, Gymshark, Labubu, etc.) and deconstruct their marketing playbook to present to the room.
YOUR PITCH MUST ANSWER:
- What insecurity or status goal are they targeting in young people?
- What artificial scarcity trick do they use (drops, limited stock)?
- How can a smart consumer enjoy this product without falling for the hype?
THE BIG TAKEAWAY
Financial literacy is mental defense. Do not let corporate algorithms dictate your bank balance.
PHASE 5: COMMUNITY CONNECTION
POST-MEETING HANGOUT
Hang out for a few minutes. Check in with the people at your table. What is one hype brand you all agree is actually worth the money, and one that is a total trap?
GEN Z JOB MARKET
Estimated Time: 35 Minutes
PHASE 1: THE WARM-UP
Icebreaker Question
"What is a modern job or career that didn't exist 10 years ago that you think is genuinely cool?"
PHASE 2: REAL-WORLD DILEMMA
THE CORPORATE PIPELINE VS. THE PORTFOLIO CAREER
CORPORATE LADDER
Get a degree, join one single corporate company, and climb the ladder for 40 years.
SKILL PORTFOLIO
Combine specialized skills, freelancing, multiple income streams, and digital assets.
Is true job security found in relying on a single employer, or in having skills that multiple people will gladly pay you for?
PHASE 3: CORE CONCEPTS
Click on a guiding word below to reveal the definition for the room.
Combining two or three average skills to create a unique, highly valuable combination that is hard to replace.
Skills that directly generate revenue or solve major business problems, such as sales, copywriting, data analysis, or coding. They do not necessarily require a 4-year degree.
Code, content, or media that works for you 24 hours a day without requiring extra labor cost on your part.
PHASE 4: ROOM CHALLENGE
THE SKILL STACK BUILDER
Pair up. You have 8 minutes to look at your partner's current interests and help them design a 2-skill stack pitch to present to the room.
YOUR PITCH MUST ANSWER:
- What is their core passion? (Fashion, Sports, Gaming, Photography, etc.)
- What technical or business skill could they learn to pair with it? (Data, Video Editing, Sales, etc.)
- What is the specific micro-service they could offer local businesses this month combining the two?
THE BIG TAKEAWAY
Your specialized skills and peer network are your ultimate financial safety net.
PHASE 5: COMMUNITY CONNECTION
POST-MEETING HANGOUT
Stick around! Network with your chapter. Who in the room has a skill that you want to learn? Go ask them how they started. This is how real leverage is built.
COLLEGE ROI
Estimated Time: 35 Minutes
PHASE 1: THE WARM-UP
Icebreaker Question
"Name a college major that costs $200,000 but only pays $40,000, and one that costs $40,000 but pays $100,000."
PHASE 2: REAL-WORLD DILEMMA
THE DREAM SCHOOL TRAP
THE PRESTIGE
Go to your "Dream School" out of state. You graduate with a prestigious name but $150,000 in student loan debt at 7% interest.
THE PRAGMATIST
Go to a solid in-state public university. You graduate with $0 in debt and can immediately start investing your income.
Is a "dream school" name on a piece of paper worth delaying buying a house, traveling, or investing for a full decade?
PHASE 3: CORE CONCEPTS
Click on a guiding word below to reveal the definition for the room.
Calculating how much money your degree will actually generate for you compared to exactly how much it cost you to get it.
The process of paying off a loan over time. Because of high interest rates, a $100k loan often means you actually pay the bank $140k+ over 10 years.
PHASE 4: ROOM CHALLENGE
THE COLLEGE ROI SIMULATOR
Open your laptops. We are using the Market Minds resource hub. You have 8 minutes to run the numbers on your top 2 college choices vs. your expected major's starting salary.
THE BIG TAKEAWAY
A degree is a financial investment. Never sign a loan document without doing the math on the actual return.
THE ATHLETE'S WALLET
Estimated Time: 35 Minutes
PHASE 1: THE WARM-UP
Icebreaker Question
"If a local brand handed you a $50,000 NIL check today, what is the exact first thing you would buy?"
PHASE 2: REAL-WORLD DILEMMA
THE WINDFALL TRAP
THE FLASHY CAR
You take the $50k and buy a luxury SUV to look good on campus and on Instagram.
THE INDEX FUND
You keep driving your old car and put the entire $50k into a low-cost S&P 500 Index Fund.
Why do so many high-earning athletes end up bankrupt shortly after retiring?
PHASE 3: CORE CONCEPTS
Click on a guiding word below to reveal the definition for the room.
Assets that rapidly lose value over time (cars, clothes, jewelry). Wealth is built by avoiding depreciating assets whenever possible.
When you get paid through NIL or brand deals, taxes aren't taken out automatically. If you spend the whole check, you will owe the IRS thousands at the end of the year and have no way to pay it.
PHASE 4: ROOM CHALLENGE
THE ATHLETE FINANCIAL DRAFT
Jump into groups of 3. You have 8 minutes to manage a sudden $250k sports contract. Play the interactive simulation and see if your team goes bankrupt or builds generational wealth.
INTERACTIVE SIMULATION
LAUNCH RESOURCE GAMEPlay the Athlete Financial Draft on the Market Minds Hub.
THE BIG TAKEAWAY
Financial success isn't about how much money you make; it is about how much money you actually keep.
STARTUP BLUEPRINT
Estimated Time: 35 Minutes
PHASE 1: THE WARM-UP
Icebreaker Question
"What is a local business that seems like a goldmine, but is probably a logistical nightmare behind the scenes?"
PHASE 2: REAL-WORLD DILEMMA
THE IDEA GUY VS. THE OPERATOR
THE "IDEA" FOUNDER
Spends 6 months designing the perfect logo, filing patents, and pitching a revolutionary app that isn't built yet.
THE OPERATOR
Throws up a basic website in 2 hours, knocks on doors, and pre-sells a service using a basic LLC structure.
Why do we romanticize "inventing things" when true wealth is usually built by building boring, scalable systems?
PHASE 3: CORE CONCEPTS
Click on a guiding word below to reveal the definition for the room.
A legal structure that protects your personal bank account. If your business gets sued, they can only take the business's money, not your personal savings.
A business can be "profitable" on paper but still go bankrupt if the money is tied up in inventory and they don't have the "cash flow" to pay rent today.
PHASE 4: ROOM CHALLENGE
THE FOUNDER's DILEMMA
You have 8 minutes. Load up the Founder's Dilemma Simulator. You are given $5,000 to launch a product. If you spend too much on marketing without fixing supply chain logistics, you lose.
THE BIG TAKEAWAY
Having a "good idea" is completely worthless without the gritty, logistical ability to execute it.
ADULTING LOGISTICS
Estimated Time: 35 Minutes
PHASE 1: THE WARM-UP
Icebreaker Question
"What is one 'adult' financial thing—like taxes or insurance—that you are genuinely terrified of doing wrong?"
PHASE 2: REAL-WORLD DILEMMA
THE CREDIT CARD ILLUSION
THE MINIMUM PAYMENT
You max out a $2,000 card for a vacation and only pay the "minimum payment" of $35 a month.
THE SYSTEM HACKER
You put your normal $200 groceries on the card, pay it off in full on the 28th of every month.
Credit cards are designed to trap the financially illiterate. How do you flip the system to make it work for you?
PHASE 3: CORE CONCEPTS
Click on a guiding word below to reveal the definition for the room.
The percentage of your credit limit you actually use. Using more than 30% of your limit tanks your credit score, even if you pay it off on time.
"If I get a raise, it will push me into a higher tax bracket and I'll lose money!" FALSE. You are only taxed the higher rate on the dollars *above* the bracket line.
PHASE 4: ROOM CHALLENGE
FIRST APARTMENT ESCAPE ROOM
You have 8 minutes. Load up the Market Minds Escape Room. You have to find the hidden fees in a lease agreement, calculate a utility deposit, and avoid a predatory loan.
INTERACTIVE SIMULATION
LAUNCH RESOURCE GAMEPlay the First Apartment Escape Room on the Market Minds Hub.
THE BIG TAKEAWAY
Ignorance in adulthood is expensive. Always read the fine print, and never automate decisions you do not fully understand.