When This Rhodes School Student Talks, People Should Listen

CRANSTON, RI—Helena Fisher, 10, knows how to diversify a portfolio and still make ethical investment choices. The fifth-grader at the Edward S. Rhodes School in Cranston just won an essay competition for her investment plan. Helena came up with an assortment of stock picks, bonds and mutual funds to help her 4-H Club find the best short-term and long-term investments. She entered her essay in the InvestWrite® competition for fourth- and fifth-graders. Helena is the Rhode Island winner. She and teacher Jim Gemma learned the news at a surprise party at the school Thursday.

Helena's assignment was to choose a non-profit organization she supports and come up with a financial plan to secure its future. She picked her 4-H Club and invested in stocks, a bond and a mutual fund.

"If I had to manage the money for my 4-H Club and protect it from risk, I would invest in stocks that represent the same values my club and my family have,” she wrote. “My 4-H Club supports helping the Earth, and the stocks, mutual funds and bonds I have chosen, Tesla, The General Electric Company, Toronto-Dominion Bank, Apple’s Green Bond, and Green Century Balanced Fund, are all working their way towards that."

Here is her winning essay.

Pretend you are going to the park with your family to fly your kite. If your kite gets stuck in a tree, you might wish for no trees in the park so your kite wouldn’t get stuck. This might happen. More and more people are noticing big issues in our environment such as global warming and fewer trees due to growing cities, disease, and lumber companies, but many people are not doing much to prevent climate change. I believe that investing can create wealth and also make a sustainable future.

One of my favorite things to participate in, besides the Stock Market Game, is my 4-H Club. 4-H stands for hands, heart, head, and health. If I had to manage the money for my 4-H Club and protect it from risk, I would invest in stocks that represent the same values my club and my family have. My family has recently installed solar panels on our roof, and my parents drive a hybrid car. Both are good for the environment because they use fewer fossil fuels. My 4-H Club also cares about the environment and 4-H’ers want to make the community and the world a better place.

Therefore, investing in environmentally friendly stocks is smart because our planet is going through some significantly large changes, some of which might affect the Earth forever. I would certainly invest in Tesla because Tesla makes electric cars, solar panels, and the PowerWall, which is a lithium-ion battery for home use. These are better for the environment because solar panels get energy from the sun, which is renewable and clean, unlike fossil fuels, which can be used up and create lots of pollution. In addition to being a green company, their stock is great to invest in because since they became public, they've grown about $320, or 2000%. The General Electric Company is a stock I would also invest in because GE works with wind energy, which is good for the environment for the same reason: to help save fossil fuels. Once fossil fuels are all used up, we won’t be able to get any more. In addition to being a green company, their stock is great to invest in because since they became public, they have grown about $16 or 1600%. The General Toronto-Dominion Bank, more commonly known as TD, is a stock I would most definitely invest in. TD Bank holds a tree-planting festival every year. The reason for this is to try to expand urban forests. In addition to being a green company, their stock is great to invest in because since they became public, they have grown about $47, or 500%.

Stocks are good to invest in; however, there is a large amount of risk involved with stocks. To ensure that 4-H has some return on their money I would invest in something “guaranteed” like a bond. Apple recently issued $1 billion in bonds. Apple has taken all the money invested in Apple, and they’re going to use it to make every single Apple plant around the world run completely by renewable energy. Then, when they are done, they will gave back they money, plus all of the money that was invested.

Mutual funds are also good to invest in; they are about halfway between a stock and a bond, because you can't lose any money from a bond; you can only gain. A stock on the other hand, you can gain and lose money. I would invest in Green Century Balanced Fund because GCBLX is environmentally friendly.

My 4-H Club support helping the Earth, and the stocks, mutual funds and bonds I have chosen, Tesla, The General Electric Company, Toronto-Dominion Bank, Apple's Green Bond, and Green Century Balanced Fund, are all working their way towards that.