Personal Finance Final Reflection

Course Context

Subject: Personal Finance
Assignment Weight: 10% of Final Course Grade
Due Date: (Instructor to specify)

Assignment Overview

This end-of-semester reflection is designed to help you synthesize what you learned from two experiential learning tools used in this course: the Stock-Trak Stock Market Simulation and Budgeting Game. This assignment asks you to think critically about your decisions, outcomes, and habits in realistic financial environments.

By analyzing both your successes and mistakes, you will connect course concepts—such as risk and return, diversification, opportunity cost, cash flow management, and emergency planning—to real-world personal finance behaviors. The goal is to demonstrate thoughtful reflection, financial reasoning, and personal growth.

Learning Objectives

  • Evaluate investment decisions using performance data and economic context
  • Distinguish between strategy, luck, and external market forces in financial outcomes
  • Reflect on budgeting decisions related to needs, wants, and financial priorities
  • Apply lessons from financial simulations to real-life personal finance behaviors
  • Communicate financial reasoning clearly and professionally in written form

Part 1: Stock Market Simulation Reflection

Write a brief but thoughtful analysis of your performance in the Stock Market Simulation.

Step 1. Export Your Trade Notes

  • Under Portfolio Simulation, go to your Trade Notes and Transaction History on Stock-Trak.
  • Export your transaction history and trade notes.
  • These two spreadsheets document your decision-making throughout the semester and will be reviewed as part of this assignment.

Step 2. Best & Worst Trades Analysis

In your written report, identify:

  • 3 Best Trades (highest percentage returns)
  • 3 Worst Trades (lowest percentage returns)

For each of the 6 trades, respond to the following questions:

  • Why did you purchase this specific asset at that specific time? Reference any research, indicators, news, or assumptions that influenced your decision.
  • Why did this trade succeed or fail? To what extent was the outcome driven by strategy, timing, market conditions, or chance?
  • If you were investing your own real money today, would you make this trade again? Why or why not? What would you do differently, if anything?

Note: Honest reflection on poor decisions is valued more highly than attempting to justify losses.

Part 2: Budgeting Game Reflection

Write a short reflection addressing the following prompts based on your experience in the Stock-Trak Budgeting Game.

1. Needs vs Wants

In the simulation, you had to balance required expenses (rent, utilities, car insurance etc.) with discretionary “Quality of Life” purchases.

  • Describe a moment when you chose to sacrifice a want in order to pay for a need.
  • How did this decision affect your game score or overall progress?
  • How will this experience influence how you manage your discretionary income in real life?

2. Emergency Fund & Financial Shocks

Unexpected expenses—such as car repairs or medical bills—occur in the game just as they do in real life.

  • Were you financially prepared when an unexpected expense occurred? Why or why not?
  • How did that situation make you feel during the simulation?
  • Based on this experience, what is your realistic plan for building or maintaining an emergency fund?

3. Financial Habits

The Budgeting Game requires careful attention to due dates, balances, and savings goals.

  • Identify one specific financial habit you developed or strengthened during the simulation.
  • Explain how you plan to apply this habit consistently in your real financial life.

Submission Requirements

Submit one single document that includes the following sections, clearly labelled:

  1. Your Best & Worst Trades analysis from the Stock Market Simulation.
  2. Your responses to the three Budgeting Game self-reflection prompts.
  3. Attached export of your Stock-Trak Transaction History and Trade Notes.

Evaluation Criteria

Your assignment will be evaluated based on:

  • Depth of Reflection: Thoughtful analysis of decisions and outcomes
  • Use of Evidence: Appropriate reference to trade data and simulation experiences
  • Connection to Course Concepts: Clear links to personal finance principles
  • Clarity & Organization: Logical structure, clear writing, and proper formatting
  • Completeness: All required components included