Most kids’ summers consist of playing video games, or anything else that can pass the time and turn their brains to mush. Junior Beau Ruster tried something different. He invested his money in the stock market.  Ruster’s investing hobby not only passed the time, but it also rewarded him with $10,000, and lots of new knowledge of the country’s economy.

Q: Where did you get the idea to invest your money in the stock market?

A: My uncle is a big investor and he got me interested in it so then I did a lot of research and started doing it by myself.

Q: Have you always been interested in stocks?

A: No, but I’ve always been looking for ways to make a lot of money so it seems like a good way.

Q: How long did it take you to make $10,000?

A:  Around six months.

Q: Are you planning on putting the money towards college?

A: I’m planning to just keep investing it, but if I need to use it for college then I probably will.

Q: Is there a goal amount [of money] that you want to reach?

A: Make enough so that I won’t have to work.

Q: Do you want to have a career in the stock market?

A: Yes I think it would be interesting.

Q: What career? Why? Do you enjoy investing?

A: Stockbroker. I think it’s interesting and I could make a lot of money.

Q: What advice would you give to anyone who’s interested in investing?

A: Do a lot of research first, and make sure you’re able to take a big risk because you could lose it all. 

Q: Did you lose any money in the process?

A: The first month I lost a lot of money, but I just stayed with it and eventually I made a lot of money.

Q: When you first invested, what were your expectations for how much money you’d make?

A: I was trying to get around 50 percent returns a year. That’s what I was aiming for.

Q: How did you earn so much? Explain the process.

A: I had a lot of money saved up from working and so I put it all in one company so that way it’s a higher risk and higher reward.

Q: What are your plans for the future, like college and career?

A: I want to go to college at Michigan or Michigan State, and get a job in business. 

Q: Does investing interfere with any of your hobbies?

A: No, it doesn’t really take that much time. I just spend a few minutes checking the price every day.

Q: What is your thought process when you’re choosing your companies to invest in?

A: What are the reasons the stock price might go up or down in the near future?

Q: What company did you invest in?

A: Mankind Corporation. The symbol is MNKD.

Q: Is that a popular company to invest in? Or did you choose a random company?

A: It’s not that popular but I thought it had a lot of potential.

Q: Why?

A: Because they’re making a new drug for diabetes and that’s a really big problem in America. A growing problem right now.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

A: I think everybody should try investing because it’s a good way to learn about the economy and you could make a lot of money too.