Pennsylvania Schools Square Off to Stump the Stock Market

MALVERN, Pa., Feb. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The stock market can be a daunting experience for investors regardless of their investment experience. To help young people get a head start on the lessons of financial literacy, The Allstate Foundation is partnering with EconomicsPennsylvania for the 4th Annual Allstate Stock Market Challenge. The 10-week program – which utilizes Economics PA's Stock Market Game – kicked off on February 14 in eight schools across the Commonwealth, including:

• Northampton Area High School (Northampton)
• East Elementary School (Greenville)
• Stroudsburg High School (Stroudsburg)
• Stewart Middle School (Norristown)
• Butler Senior High School (Butler)
• Phoenixville Middle School (Phoenixville)
• State College Area High School (State College)
• Council Rock High School North (Newtown)

The program will challenge nearly 200 elementary, middle and high school students to compete with ten Allstate insurance agents, financial specialists and employees in an online simulated stock market game. Each team will be given a hypothetical $100,000 in bonds, mutual funds and stocks chosen from the American, New York and NASDAQ markets. Student teams and Allstate agents will manage their portfolios by making trading decisions and entering their trades at the Stock Market Game Worldwide site. Trades are processed every 15 minutes and students can view updated portfolios daily.

"Financial literacy matters more than ever," said EconomicsPennsylvania Sr. Vice President Anita Kane. "This game teaches a valuable life lesson to kids and adults alike – how to responsibly and actively manage your money."

The Allstate agents, financial specialists and employees will be on hand to mentor the student teams to help guide them through the ABC's of the market. Rankings at the end of the program will be based on a team's total portfolio equity. The rankings, which will be calculated daily, will be viewed as a percentage either above or below the S&P 500 Index, which is comprised of 500 companies in leading industries. Competitors will monitor their progress and execute transactions on the Stock Market Game website.

"This program is about pulling back the curtain on the mysteries of investing," says Allstate spokesperson Chris Conner. "We're proud to have our agents, financial specialists and employees actively involved in that endeavor."

The 2011 Allstate Stock Market Challenge runs from February 14 through April 22. The winning school's team will receive a special celebration courtesy of Allstate and the partnering Allstate representative.

About The Allstate Foundation

Established in 1952, The Allstate Foundation is an independent, charitable organization made possible by subsidiaries of The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL). Allstate and The Allstate Foundation sponsor community initiatives to promote "safe and vital communities"; "tolerance, inclusion, and diversity"; and "economic empowerment." The Allstate Foundation believes in the financial potential of every individual and in helping America's families achieve their American dream. For additional information, visit http://www.allstate.com/foundation.

About EconomicsPennsylvania

The mission of EconomicsPennsylvania is to promote and encourage understanding of economic concepts through education. EconomicsPennsylvania's purpose is to help students become entrepreneurial, productive members of the workforce, responsible voting citizens, prudent savers and investors, successful participants in the global economy, knowledgeable consumers, and lifelong decision makers equipped to make effective choices in an ever changing environment.

The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer. Widely known through the "You're In Good Hands With Allstate®" slogan, Allstate is reinventing protection and retirement to help nearly 16 million households insure what they have today and better prepare for tomorrow. Consumers access Allstate insurance products (auto, home, life and retirement) and services through Allstate agencies, independent agencies, and Allstate exclusive financial representatives in the U.S. and Canada, as well as via www.allstate.com and 1-800 Allstate®.

SOURCE The Allstate Foundation

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