EMBARGOED UNTIL: June 6, 2014 10:30 AM ET
Contact:
Liz Pierce
212-313-1173
lpierce@sifma.org
SIFMA Foundation and McGraw Hill Financial Announce
National Winner of InvestWrite® Competition
Capital Markets Expert is a Fifth Grader!

Conny Cai of Andrews Elementary School, Plano, TX, wins national distinction in the SIFMA
Foundation’s InvestWrite® essay competition with McGraw Hill Financial.

InvestWrite, made possible in 2013 and 2014 by McGraw Hill Financial, and delivered in Texas
by the Texas Council on Economic Education, challenges 4th - 12th graders to analyze
investments and recommend portfolio allocations targeting financial goals.

Conny Cai is among 20,000 students nationwide who take the InvestWrite challenge each year,
developing the personal financial savvy needed to make real-world financial decisions.

Cai and teacher Amy Moore will be recognized at an event at Andrews Elementary in Plano, TX
on June 6, 2014 at 9:30 AM CT.
Plano, TX, June 6, 2014 – It takes years to build up the financial savvy to navigate the markets. But
Conny Cai is decades ahead of the game. She just won distinction as the third place national winner in
the SIFMA Foundation’s InvestWrite® essay competition with McGraw Hill Financial. Cai, a fifth grader at
Andrews Elementary School, Plano, TX claims this recognition in the elementary school division in the
Spring 2014 competition.
The SIFMA Foundation's InvestWrite competition, launched in 2004 is celebrating its 10th anniversary
this year. The program, made possible in 2013 and 2014 by McGraw Hill Financial, and delivered in Texas
by the Texas Council on Economic Education, challenges 4th - 12th grade students to analyze an
investment scenario and recommend portfolio allocations targeting short- and long-term financial goals.
The competition serves as a culminating activity for nearly 600,000 students nationwide who compete in
The Stock Market Game™ program each year.
InvestWrite invites students to develop the personal financial savvy needed to make real-world financial
decisions with confidence and a deeper understanding of opportunities, consequences, and benefits.
Students consider real-world economic events and trends, conduct research online, develop investment
recommendations and, in the process, gain the skills to prepare for their own financial future. They work
in groups during the Stock Market Game program but then write essays individually about their
experience. Cai is one of 20,000 students across the nation who take the InvestWrite challenge each
year. Winning InvestWrite essays are chosen through rigorous judging by thousands of teachers and
industry professionals who evaluate students’ understanding of asset allocation, the stock market, and
factors that drive investments as well as their expression of investment ideas in essay form.
In her essay Cai discussed the long history of The Hershey Company and used that as a basis for
determining that Hershey stock is a good long term investment. She presented the company’s strategies
for boosting sales over the next three years and concluded “This company's ability to stay up-to-date
while remaining loyal to its history will keep other candy companies from becoming bigger than
Hershey. In 10 years, I will be attending college and, I am certain, still snacking on a Hershey's candy
bar.”
"Teaching students at a very young age the basics of finance and the stock market is essential to their
broad education and to being well-informed investors later in life,” said Douglas L. Peterson, President
and Chief Executive Officer of McGraw Hill Financial. “As financial markets become more complex and
more global, investors of all ages can benefit from learning how to save, spend and earn money wisely—
what we call ‘financial essentials.’ We are delighted to support the SIFMA Foundation and congratulate
Conny on this achievement.”
“SIFMA Foundation’s Stock Market Game and InvestWrite are transformative programs that prepare
students like Conny Cai for college, career and life while teaching them about the capital markets,” said
Melanie Mortimer, Executive Director of the SIFMA Foundation. “Our students do measurably better on
math, economics and personal finance tests. They also learn to work in teams, manage change, monitor
and analyze the impact of global business and economic activity, and become smart consumers. We are
proud to partner with McGraw Hill Financial and the Texas Council on Economic Education and applaud
their shared commitment to providing young people a better understanding of the capital markets and a
better future.”
The SIFMA Foundation’s InvestWrite competition bridges classroom learning in mathematics, social
studies, language arts, business and economics with the practical research and knowledge required for
long-term personal financial planning. Students are, in fact, building on what they have learned through
their participation in the Stock Market Game, which has reached more than 15 million students since its
inception in 1977.
An independent study by Learning Point Associates found that students who participated in the Stock
Market Game scored significantly higher on mathematics and financial literacy tests than their peers
who did not participate. They also found that teachers who taught the Stock Market Game reported that
the program motivated them to better plan for their own financial futures. The Stock Market Game has
been named the only program that successfully increased scores on the Jumpstart Coalition’s test of
high school students’ financial literacy.
Conny plays the violin and enjoys reading and playing volleyball. She also paints and is involved in
student government.
Cai and teacher Amy Moore will be recognized at an event at Andrews Elementary in Plano, TX on June
6, 2014 at 9:30 AM CT. Further information can be found at www.investwrite.org.
Conny Cai’s Winning Essay: Chocolate with No Expiration Date
If you were to buy a bar of Hershey's milk chocolate in the 1950's, the wrapper would look almost the same as the
wrapper you would find on a bar of Hershey's milk chocolate today. This just shows how Hershey's has remained a
steady source of treats for generations already. Even though the stock market is all about risks, successful
investors know that they must choose their risks wisely. If I had to purchase a stock and not touch it for the next 10
years, then I would want to pick a company that I believe has the ability to stick around for that long. One of my
team's picks in the stock market game was the Hershey Company (HSY). Even though the stock market game is a
short-term experience, I would be confident in investing in Hershey for the long-term. Ten years from now, I
expect Hershey's to continue on as the biggest seller of chocolate candies in the United States and to have become
even more recognized in foreign countries.
Hershey's chocolate bars can be found everywhere from local grocery stores to stadiums. Hershey's products can
be found in 90 different countries. HSY has kept a very consistent uphill trend since 2010, according to their fiveyear growth charts. The company’s products are extremely popular, especially during holidays. With people in so
many countries choosing Hershey's, I thought that Hershey could be a stable investment opportunity for my team.
Milton S. Hershey, the founder of the Hershey Company, established Hershey by coating a few caramels in
chocolate. Now, Hershey has expanded to include a much larger product blend, including: chocolate candy, baking
ingredients, toppings, beverages, gum, and mints. In addition to making these products, Hershey created the
Hershey Trust Company, which funds educational and medical programs.
Around the end of 2013, a meeting was established to unearth Hershey's goals and future marketing plans.
Michele Buck, current President of the North America division, is aiming to boost Hershey's sales from $6.6 billion
to $10 billion by 2017. In order to exceed its goal, Hershey has come up with five main strategies:
1. Deliver predictable, profitable and sustainable North American business
2. Expand geographic footprint in focused markets
3. Create and expand a consumer-centric portfolio of products
4. Win with talent and knowledge
5. Create a capable and high performance culture
The company has also recently designed new packaging for non-chocolate products; the design allows for the user
to fit their Hershey's snack in the cup-holder of their car. Another type of chocolate called "Brookside" features
fruit combined with dark chocolate, which may appeal to consumers looking for healthier treats.
With all these new and improved products, I believe that in the next 10 years, Hershey's success story will continue
to unfold. Already, Hershey's products are among the most recognized, as well as most purchased, products in the
United States. This company's ability to stay up-to-date while remaining loyal to its history will keep other candy
companies from becoming bigger than Hershey. In 10 years, I will be attending college and, I am certain, still
snacking on a Hershey's candy bar.
-30The SIFMA Foundation is dedicated to fostering knowledge and understanding of the financial markets
for individuals of all backgrounds. Drawing on the support and expertise of the financial industry, the
SIFMA Foundation provides financial education programs and tools that strengthen economic
opportunities across communities and increase individuals' access to the benefits of the global
marketplace. Notable Foundation programs include The Stock Market Game™, which has enabled more
than 15 million students to become financially literate, the InvestWrite® national essay competition
(www.investwrite.org), and the Capitol Hill Challenge™. For more information on the SIFMA Foundation,
visit www.sifma.org/foundation.
The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) brings together the shared interests
of hundreds of securities firms, banks and asset managers. SIFMA's mission is to support a strong
financial industry, investor opportunity, capital formation, job creation and economic growth, while
building trust and confidence in the financial markets. SIFMA, with offices in New York and Washington,
D.C., is the U.S. regional member of the Global Financial Markets Association (GFMA). For more
information, visit http://www.sifma.org.
Texas Council on Economic Education. Recently passed legislation requires that specific concepts of
personal finance be taught to all Texas students. The Texas Council on Economic Education (TCEE), a
501(c)(3), has assumed a leadership role in supporting schools as they work to meet this requirement.
TCEE provides professional development opportunities for teachers in the areas of economics, personal
financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and investor education. The Stock Market Game™ simulation is just
one example of the personal financial literacy programs that the Texas Council on Economic Education
provides students across Texas.
McGraw Hill Financial, a leading financial intelligence company, is committed to empowering people
by teaching the financial essentials necessary to navigate and thrive in the world. The company has
supported The Stock Market Game™ since 2000. The company’s iconic brands include: Standard &
Poor’s Ratings Services, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Dow Jones Indices, Platts, CRISIL, J.D. Power, and McGraw
Hill Construction. The company has approximately 17,000 employees in 27 countries. Additional
information is available at www.mhfi.com.
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