Leave It to Beaver (TV Series) Stocks and Bonds (1962) User Reviews

Who would use Eddie Haskell as their broker?

[pensman · 7/10 · 16 May 2017]

Wally is studying economics in school and could use some help; he figures his dad will offer to help when he sees him struggling. Ward tries to help Wally but finds himself struggling with June who keeps interrupting. Ward decides it might be useful if the boys invest some real money, so he offers to match their $50 with $50 from him. June doesn't like the idea.

The boys scan the financial page and end up arguing over what to buy. Eddie shows up and suggests a local company. The stock is 50 cents a share and Eddie says they will make a fortune, the stock is Gen Electro and it is a space age stock. After all, he argues; this is the space age. Ward and June are pushing Mayfield Power and Electric, a solid company. The boys go along with their dad. Eddie, of course, puts their choice down. He claims the boys are babies who let their dad push them around. They can't even pick their own stock. Eddie insists the company he picked would have made them rich. With a total investment of $100, it's not likely they will be too rich.

The boys scan the financial pages and Mayfield Power is still even. Wally wonders what if Eddie is right. Eddie's stock has risen to 75 cents. Ward assures the boys he checked with his broker, and he was opposed to Gen Electro. At $2.50 a share though, Wally and Beaver figure they would have made a pile. With Eddie needling them the boys wonder if they can switch their stock and buy Gen Electro. The boys are happy now, it's up to $3 a share. Beaver is beginning to think he's. rich. But then the government cancels contracts and Gen Electro drops to 75 cents a share. Eventually, it will just collapse.

The boys are devastated. They are wiped out. Not quite. Ward left his broker with a sell order if Gen Electro dropped to $2.50. Then buy back Mayfield Power. The boys are even and dad is a genius, for now. Eddie is back to being a jerk.

A decent episode that has a good conflict, and teaches its audience a bit about stocks and risk management.

Eddie Haskell - wizard of Wall Street

[AlsExGal · 9/10 · 30 March 2024]

Wally is studying economics and mentions to Ward he is trying to determine the difference between stocks and bonds. This gets Ward thinking that it might be a good lesson in real life economics to let the boys invest in the stock market. The boys have fifty dollars between them, and so Ward throws in his own fifty dollars to sweeten the pot. He lets them decide what stock they want to invest in. While they are reading the stock section of the paper - Remember when they were listed there, before there was an internet? - in comes Eddie Haskell to add his wisdom to the proceedings. He says they should invest in Jet Electro, which is currently trading for fifty cents a share. His reasoning is that tech stocks, which have big bucks due to the backing of the government, are doing well. But Ward suggests a more boring stock - Mayfield Power and Light.

The boys agree to go with Ward's suggestion, but in the following weeks Jet Electro jumps from fifty cents a share to three dollars a share and the boys look all gloomy since they would have six hundred dollars if they had gone with Jet Electro. Meanwhile Mayfield Power and Light is about where it's always been. How will this all work out? Watch and find out.

This was a very original script - A bit off the beaten path as far as the common experiences of childhood, but still with a valuable lesson. Eddie Haskell got lucky with Jet Electro. It's not like he did his due diligence and even knew what product that the company offered and to who. Today, Eddie would be the kind of guy who invests in meme stocks and crypto. Maybe he'd be lucky, maybe he'd not be lucky, but in every case it would be just that -luck.

It's odd that Ward didn't mention the advantage of very stable stocks like his Power and Light stock - dividends. Stocks that stay at a stable price and produce income can be valuable over time. But I guess that's another story.

No big laughs, but a good lesson from Ward

[mrb1980 · 7/10 · 1 December 2023]

Wally has been studying investments in school, so Ward thinks that the boys would benefit from some real-life experience. He matches the boys' money with his own and helps them select stock in the solid utility Mayfield Power and Electric.

Naturally, Eddie scoffs at Mayfield Power and Electric, and recommends Jet Electro stock instead, because it deals with "space age" technology. He guarantees Wally and the Beav that they will soon be rich if they switch their money to Jet Electro.

Soon the boys are scanning the financial pages (remember those?) and watch Jet Electro take off while their boring Mayfield Power and Electric stock barely budges off dead center. Wally and Beaver beg Ward to sell their utility stock and put everything in Jet Electro, because it has done so well. Ward reluctantly agrees, but what happens next makes Ward look like a financial genius and Eddie look like a fool.

I didn't laugh much during this episode but I did note that investing hasn't changed fundamentally since 1962. My own experiences with investing have shown that Ward was a pretty smart guy.

A real life lesson about the stock market

[LukeCoolHand · 10/10 · 23 October 2022]

This was a very enjoyable episode. I own some shares in stocks so naturally I was drawn to this episode. The writers stuck to the plot line all the way through which was a pleasurer to watch. Wally and Beaver learned the hard way about the stock market but their Dad wound up saving the day. Wally even told him that he was going to listen to him about everything from now own. Ward told him that if he was right about half the time he would be doing good. A very touching scene. In the epilogue Beaver left his light on to go to sleep because he figured it would help his power company stock make money.

Unusually well written script

[vitoscotti · 10/10 · 7 August 2021]

Season 5 has some of the laziest, rehashed scripts. This stellar episode actually had intelligent writing. Eddie stirs the pot as usual. Dope Eddie is a walking encyclopedia of finance? Studious Wally knows absolutely nothing even after reading his finance book? Even when MP&E share price didn't move the boys still were making a diivdend. Ward never mentioned the broker's fee.

Getting Money Mad

[StrictlyConfidential · 5/10 · 12 January 2021]

(*Beaver quote*) - "You know, Wally, you may not know stocks and bonds, but you sure do know parents."

As one of his courses in high school, Wally is studying "Economics".

Through a suggestion, Ward offers both his sons a lesson in business by encouraging them to play the stock market.

As Beaver and Wally soon find out, it's definitely learning a lesson the hard way.