The businessmen of school, seniors Peter Lally, Will Strimling, and Kevin Wu, bring Wall Street to Piedmont by using their financial skills to invest in the stock market.

“I originally was interested in the stock market once I realized that it is a place to make more money, without having to do much work,” Lally said.

With a grandfather who was once the chairman of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, Lally has always been exposed to the mechanisms of the stock market. Through setting up a joint Fidelity account with his parents, Lally is able to transfer money from his savings account as well as buy and sell stocks.

“My parents really like that I invest because it displays my responsibility with money,” Lally said.

From Tesla and Ford to Apple and Chipotle, students buy and sell shares in hopes to reap the benefits of the stock market.

“Best investment was Apple, because I bought it for $89 and sold it for $270,”  Strimling said. “But I sold it too early.”

A common conversation at the dinner table, stock has been a part of Strimling’s life for four years.

“I knew it was a viable way to make money because it’s actually not an uncommon family conversation topic. After my Bar Mitzvah, my stepfather gave me 100 shares in Apple, and following that was exhilarating. From there, I’ve put more money in, and learned about buying and selling,” Strimling said.

Strimling is not the only student who showed interest in the stock market at a young age. Growing up watching Jim Cramer’s Mad Money on CNBC, Wu slowly learned how the stock market worked by age 9.

Wu invests by diversifying his portfolio with stocks and Exchange Traded Funds. He also invests in emerging markets around the world.

“That way I don’t put all my eggs in one basket; thereby minimizing the risks while maximizing my profits,” Wu said.

In addition to students, faculty members at Piedmont also show an interest in stock investment. Having invested in Oracle (ORCL) for 25 years now, science teacher Glen Melnik has made $132,000.

“Investing is a big gamble,” Melnik said. “I would suggest that students pick five stocks and watch their progress. Then if they feel like they should buy, they have more background.

When it comes to investing, Melnik considers himself a risk taker. Melnik bought 1000 shares of Tesla for $49 dollars a piece six months ago. Now the value of each share has increased to $193 giving Melnik a profit of $144,000.

“It’s important to buy a company that you think has a future. Personally, I think the value of Tesla will increase to $500,” Melnik said.

Like Melnik, the students of Piedmont have received high rewards from stock investment.

I’ve definitely made a lot more than I’ve put in,” Strimling said.