Investing – it’s something that’s becoming increasingly popular in recent years, especially among young adults. In fact, about $500 billion has been invested worldwide over the last 5 months. At Burlingame, the Common Cents Investment club, led by junior Pierce Schuman, focuses on this very topic, inspiring a number of young investors on campus.

“Our goal here is to get youth into investing, and we do that through Investopedia, we have a bunch of fun presentations and stuff like that,” Schuman said. “Our main goal, really, is to talk every single week, discuss what’s happening in the market, discuss what’s going on.” 

The club, which already holds about 30 members, began meeting in early November. Schuman is planning an event for the near future.

“We have a competition on Investopedia and the winner of that gets $25, and it’s all free to join,” Schuman said.

Schuman’s interest in investing came through the help of his friend and Burlingame alumnus Brandon Fong, who founded the Common Cents club 2 years ago. During the pandemic, the two started a side project called Trading Solutions that aimed to educate youth in the investing world. The results were relatively successful, with their top videos gaining over 1,500 views.

Investing at a young age should be taken seriously, Schuman said.

“The earlier you start, you’ll realize that compound growth is a thing. The earlier you start, the more that will compound and the better you’ll lead yourself in your financial future,” Schuman said.

Besides the Common Cents club, Schuman is also the Associated Student Body treasurer, and plays on the varsity football team.