OMAHA, Neb., September 27, 2018 – Add it to the resume under “real-world experience.” College students across the U.S. can now through October 1, 2018 register to partake in TD Ameritrade’s fifth-annual thinkorswim Challenge – no trading experience necessary.
Undergraduate students interested in participating can gather in teams of two to four for a four-week competitive learning opportunity with many rewarding prizes at stake, including a $30,000 donation to their college or university.
“The thinkorswim Challenge was created to help educate and build confidence in future generations of investors,” said Lee McAdoo, managing director of investor education at TD Ameritrade. “The Challenge is unique in that it gives students a hands-on approach to managing money in the markets, with no true risk involved.”
The thinkorswim Challenge is offered through TD Ameritrade U, an award-winning educational program for professors and college-run organizations that provides free access to paperMoney, the virtual trading version of the thinkorswim desktop and mobile applications – both of which are recognized as advanced technology for sophisticated traders.
Student teams are not only given $500,000 in virtual dollars to trade stocks, options and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), but also unlimited access to an array of valuable educational resources. Aside from 24/7 online trading support, features built into the platform include: access to the TD Ameritrade Network for real-time market insights from industry pros; TraderTV, for streaming feeds of CNBC’s global networks; and an Education tab, which houses immersive courses and daily webcasts to help students boost their investing IQ.
“Last year, we had 327 schools in 49 states across the U.S. competing for the top prize, and the winning team ended up seeing portfolio gains of 427 percent,” said McAdoo. “It’s exciting to see more schools jumping into the competition, more students using our education, and ultimately more participants walking away with a new, meaningful understanding of the markets and money, whether or not they take the prize.”
Accepting the TD Ameritrade U thinkorswim Challenge
To participate, teams made up of two to four individuals who are students at the same postsecondary educational institution must register at www.thinkorswimchallenge.com. The competition is open to the first 2,000 teams who register. Registration is now open and closes on Monday, October 1, 2018, at 11:59 p.m. EDT. The four-week competition officially kicks off on Monday, October 8, 2018, and runs through Saturday, November 3, 2018.
The thinkorswim Challenge teams are responsible for managing one virtual portfolio during the entire competition and will do so by placing qualifying paper trades during each trading week. Prizes will be awarded weekly to the top team with the highest percentage gain in the aggregate value of their portfolio at the end of each trading week. At the conclusion of the competition, an additional prize will be awarded to the three teams with the highest percentage gains in their portfolios overall and to their respective schools. Individual prizes include iPads, Amazon gift cards, up to $3,500 deposited into a TD Ameritrade brokerage account, and up to $30,000 for the schools.
The thinkorswim Challenge is subject to full Official Rules, which are available at www.thinkorswimchallenge.com. For more information about TD Ameritrade U or the thinkorswim Challenge, visit www.tdameritradeu.com or www.thinkorswimchallenge.com. For competition updates, follow TD Ameritrade U, @TDameritradeu, and like TD Ameritrade U on Facebook. You can also join conversations about the thinkorswim Challenge using #TOSChallenge.
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The paperMoney® application is for educational purposes only. Successful virtual trading during one time period does not guarantee successful investing of actual funds during a later time period as market conditions change continuously.
NO PURCHASE/INVESTMENT NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE/ACCOUNT WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. QUALIFYING FOR A BROKERAGE ACCOUNT, INCLUDING PROVIDING SENSITIVE INFO IS REQUIRED TO RECEIVE THE PRIZE. This is a simulated trading competition. Software download (via mobile app or desktop), Internet access, & use of a valid paperMoney® account are required to participate. Contest consists of 4 trading weeks, each beginning at 9:30 am ET & ending at 11:59:59 pm ET: 10/8-10/13/18; 10/15-10/20/18; 10/22-10/27/18; and 10/29-11/3/18. Open only to registered teams of 2-4 individuals who are each a legal resident of any 1 of the 50 US or DC (or a nonresident student in the US on a student visa) & age of majority+ as of the date of registration & all enrolled at the same post-secondary educational institution located in any 1 of 50 US or DC. Teams and each member must register by 11:59:59 pm ET on 10/1/18. PARTICIPATION IS LIMITED TO THE FIRST 2000 TEAMS TO COMPLETE REGISTRATION. Normal Internet access, data, & usage charges may apply. Void where prohibited by law. SUBJECT TO FULL OFFICIAL RULES. The team with the highest P/L during each trading week will be the potential weekly winning team, subject to verification. ARV of each weekly prize: $500 per winning team member. Total value of all weekly prizes: between $4,000 & $8,000 (depending on # of winning team members). At the end of the contest, the teams with the 1st, 2nd, & 3rd highest P/L percentage over the entire contest period will be eligible for prizes. ARV of 1st prize: $3,649 per team member & $30,000 gift to winning team’s school (total 1st prize ARV between of $37,298 & $44,596 depending on # of members). ARV of 2nd prize: $2,330 per team member & $20,000 gift to winning team’s school (total 2nd prize ARV between of $24,660 & $29,320 depending on # of members). ARV of 3rd prize: $1,100 per team member & $10,000 gift to winning team’s school (total 3rd prize ARV between of $12,200 & $14,400 depending on # of members). Total ARV of all prizes: between $78,158 & $96,316 (depending on # of members). Individual cash prize amounts will be deposited into an individual, non-IRA TD Ameritrade standard brokerage account. TD Ameritrade’s normal commissions, service fees, & exception fees apply. Funds may be withdrawn from a TD Ameritrade standard brokerage account free of charge, pursuant to TD Ameritrade’s regular business practices and policies. If not already a registered account holder, winner must apply & be approved for an individual standard brokerage account. Account must be opened within sixty (60) days of the end of the Contest Period. More information about TD Ameritrade’s standard brokerage accounts is available here. More information about TD Ameritrade’s pricing and fees is available here. Apple, Inc. is not a sponsor of or otherwise affiliated with this Challenge. Sponsor: TD Ameritrade Services Company, Inc., 200 S. 108th Avenue, Omaha, NE 68154.
Each Gift Card (“GC”) prize is subject to the issuer’s terms and conditions, available at the time of prize award.
About TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation
TD Ameritrade provides investing services and education to more than 11 million client accounts totaling more than $1.2 trillion in assets, and custodial services to more than 6,000 registered investment advisors. We are a leader in U.S. retail trading, executing an average of more than 780,000 trades per day for our clients, more than a quarter of which come from mobile devices. We have a proud history of innovation, dating back to our start in 1975, and today our team of nearly 10,000-strong is committed to carrying it forward. Together, we are leveraging the latest in cutting edge technologies and one-on-one client care to transform lives, and investing, for the better. Learn more by visiting TD Ameritrade’s newsroom at www.amtd.com, or read our stories at Fresh Accounts.
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