“Conversation Starter Lesson Series: Intermediate” is designed for intermediate-level ESL learners who want to improve their fluency and confidence in speaking English.
Each lesson includes an engaging reading material with audio, vocabulary and expressions, comprehension questions, and discussion questions to be used for one to one class, group class, or self-study for both online and offline classes.
Unit 8: Money and Finance
Story 01: Investing
Key Lesson Vocabulary & Expressions: Look over and review before proceeding.
- Diversification
- Portfolio
- Mutual funds
- 401(k)
- Economic developments
- Adjusting
- Nest egg
- Golden years
- Emotions
- Panic
Read or Listen to the following passage:
I have always been interested in investing my money. When I first started out, I made some mistakes that cost me dearly. One of my biggest mistakes was putting all my savings into a single stock that I thought was going to take off. Unfortunately, the stock didn’t perform as well as I thought it would, and I lost a lot of money.
After that experience, I realized the importance of diversification in investing. I started to invest in a mix of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. I also began to regularly contribute to my 401(k) retirement account. My current investment strategy involves monitoring the market trends, staying informed about economic developments, and adjusting my portfolio accordingly.
My main investment goal is to build a sizable nest egg that will allow me to retire comfortably and enjoy my golden years. I believe that investing in a diverse portfolio is the best way to achieve this goal.
One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned is to not let my emotions drive my investment decisions. When the market takes a dip, it’s easy to panic and sell off investments, but I’ve learned to stay the course and trust in the long-term growth of my portfolio.
Comprehension Questions:
- What was one of the narrator’s biggest investment mistakes when he first started out?
- How did the narrator’s investment strategy change after his mistake?
- What types of investments does the narrator currently hold in his portfolio?
- What is the narrator’s main investment goal?
- What is one of the most valuable lessons the narrator has learned about investing?
Conversations Starters:
- What do you think are some common mistakes people make when investing their money?
- Have you ever made an investment mistake? If so, what was it and what did you learn from it?
- How do you determine what your investment goals should be?
- What is your main investment goal, and how do you plan to achieve it?
- Do you prefer investing in low-risk or high-risk assets, and why?
- How do you stay informed about economic developments and market trends when investing?
- What role do emotions play in your investment decisions?
- How important is diversification in investing, and how do you ensure that your portfolio is diverse?
- What advice would you give to someone who is just starting to invest their money?
- Do you think it’s ever too late to start investing? Why or why not?
