High School Teams Crowned Best in America in CEE’s Nationwide Personal Finance Competition

Do you understand the concepts of earning income, spending, saving, investing, managing credit and managing risk? Were you ever offered the opportunity to learn finance essentials that can help you make the most of what you have -- or hope to achieve -- throughout your life?

At the Council for Economic Education’s National Personal Finance Challenge (NPFC) finals, state championship high school teams from across the United States demonstrated their understanding of the building blocks of personal finance needed to help themselves and all students build a life of financial stability and economic mobility.

Following a series of statewide and national academic competitions, students from Adrian Wilcox High School of Santa Clara, California, finished first in the country for personal finance knowledge. Teams from Vestavia Hills High School of Alabama, the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts from Hot Springs, and Andover High School of Kansas earned recognition as first, second and third runners-up.

“Understanding the basics of personal finance unlocks a wealth of opportunities for life,” said Nan. J. Morrison, CEE president and chief executive officer. “We congratulate this year’s NPFC championship teams and all the students, teachers and CEE affiliates who bring these essential skills to life in competitions and in classrooms.”

Only about half the states require personal finance courses, according to CEE’s Survey of the States. The movement to provide the curriculum to all students in all high schools is picking up steam among parents, state legislators and education policymakers, but, Morrison added, “too many kids are still left to figure out money smarts and personal finance all by themselves.”

The National Personal Finance Challenge is supported by Voya Financial, as part of its mission to make secure financial futures possible — one person, one family, one institution at a time. Together with Voya Foundation, Voya works to support programming around the country that prepares students for the workforce of the future and to manage their future income through life to a secure retirement.

“The National Personal Finance Challenge arms students with the knowledge and tools to make smart financial decisions when faced with real-life scenarios,” said Heather Lavallee, Voya Financial chief executive officer and CEE board member. “These fundamental skills provide the opportunity for a better financial future as students enter adulthood and face choices on subjects like debt and credit, which can have profound effects on their ability to retire in confidence decades down the line.”