One of our favorite traditions at SJS Investment Services is when students shadow us for a week. Many current SJS Team members first learned about SJS through shadowing, so it brings back good memories for us. It is also an opportunity for us to teach the next generation of investors some of what we have learned, as well as learn from them.
From May 09-13, 2022, two graduating Seniors from St. John’s Jesuit High School - Jacob Kelly and Michael Leslie - shadowed the SJS Team in Sylvania, Ohio. Throughout the week, they did activities including:
Learned about the importance of investing, as well as different ways of investing
Introduced to retirement and other investment accounts (ex. IRA, 401(k), 529, HSA, etc.)
Read The Investment Answer by Daniel C. Goldie and Gordon S. Murray
Created sample financial simulations
Presented an investment-related idea for the SJS Team to consider
We asked each student to write a 2-3 paragraph summary of what they learned during the week, which we share below. We thank Jacob and Michael for spending the week with us, and we wish them well as they embark on their college journeys!
Jacob Kelly
This senior project has allowed me to expand my knowledge of investing and different investment account types much farther than what I previously knew. Being fairly uninformed did help me to keep an open-minded approach, which paid off immensely when discussing the many accounts available to me now as well as later on in life. Learning more about SJS was something very eye-opening to me, as they try to understand the problems people face in today’s world. Their philosophy is very similar to what St. John’s has preached to me through the “The Grad at Grad”. Putting people first is what the “Grad at Grad” strives to achieve, and I have seen throughout my time here that everyone wants success for their clients. SJS has its own form of this, though more expanded, through its many values for all of the clients within their firm to make them feel more as a friend than a customer.
Understanding a company can take you far, but without discipline and patience to gain the full knowledge of what you are going into can cause confusion. This is where I felt the staff at SJS helped immensely to make a comfortable environment for those new to investing or trading. I had zero idea how to open any investment accounts before entering SJS, and now I feel more confident in my knowledge of investment accounts, Roth accounts, and even just IRAs. The biggest takeout for me: time is an asset that can depreciate as fast as it gives value.
Michael Leslie
After spending a week at SJS, I’ve expanded my knowledge and understanding of the stock market. They took our project as an opportunity to really mentor us in their philosophy. Not only did they teach about stocks, but they gave me a lot of advice about life in general. Going into this week I had little to no information about where to even start to invest. With the help of Bobby, I am now confident that by staying disciplined and taking smart risks, I can gain a head up on other young people my age.
The mentorship will definitely go a long way for me, but how this company functions will certainly stick with me. Having a couple of high school kids hanging around the office for an entire week is something I would imagine to maybe create stress and could feel like a burden. I did not get this feeling from anyone here throughout the week. Everyone that I talked to seemed so nice and truly made me feel like they wanted us there. The Advisors clearly collaborate well, which really makes this office feel like a true team. Several members of the team took us out to lunch, which is something that they did not need to do but went a long way. Going into my career, I will not be able to help but compare other companies to SJS.
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There is no guarantee investment strategies will be successful. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Diversification neither assures a profit nor guarantees against a loss in a declining market.
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