Teams from Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey and Georgia were named best in the U.S. after rising to the top in a series of statewide and then national academic championships. In all, nearly 15,000 students showcased mastery of the key building blocks of personal economic success including: earning, spending, saving, investing, and managing risk.

At the NPFC final championships, held at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, semifinalists were tasked with quickly creating family financial plans, a challenge that required not only knowledge but also critical thinking. The top 16 teams then advanced to the intense “quiz bowl” lightning round where they further showcased their financial acumen. In the end, students from Severn School in Severna Park, Maryland, scored top honors. Teams from Mounds View High School of Minnesota, the Middlesex County Academy for Science, Mathematics and Engineering Technologies of New Jersey and Dunwoody High School of Georgia earned recognition as first, second and third runners-up.

“With a foundational understanding of personal finance, young people have the tools they need to make informed financial decisions and create a better life, not only for themselves but also for their families and their communities,” said Nan J. Morrison, CEE’s president and chief executive officer. “High school students who compete in the NPFC not only deepen their personal finance knowledge, but they also develop essential career skills – critical thinking, teamwork, and presentation skills.”

A total of 35 states have moved to require personal finance courses, according to CEE’s biennial Survey of the States. The drive to provide financial education to all students in all high schools has gained momentum among parents, state legislators, education policymakers and students, but, Morrison noted, “too many kids are still left to figure out money and personal finance all by themselves. Our goal is to change that and create equitable access.”

“With a special tip of the hat to our top-scoring teams, we congratulate all the students and teachers who competed in the National Personal Finance Challenge,” Morrison added.

This year, as part of its mission to make secure financial futures possible, Voya Financial and Voya Foundation once again supported CEE’s National Personal Finance Challenge.

“Every student competing at CEE’s National Personal Finance Challenge demonstrated remarkable knowledge that will help them to successfully navigate the financial milestones they will encounter throughout their lives,” said Heather Lavallee, Voya Financial chief executive officer and CEE board member. “At Voya, we know that the benefits of financial literacy are not exclusive to any one career path, and that’s why we’re committed to working with organizations like CEE to enable all young people to study personal finance, maximize their potential, and have the best opportunity to lead financially secure lives.”

Winning schools, team members and teachers in the 2024 NPFC national finals are:

THANK YOU TO OUR 2024 SPONSOR

About Voya Financial^®

Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), is a leading health, wealth and investment company with 7,200 employees who are focused on achieving Voya’s aspirational vision: Clearing your path to financial confidence and a more fulfilling life. Through products, solutions and technologies, Voya helps its 14.7 million individual, workplace and institutional clients become well planned, well invested and well protected. Benefitfocus, a Voya company, extends the reach of Voya’s workplace benefits and savings offerings by providing benefits administration capabilities to 16.5 million individual subscription employees across employer and health plan clients. Certified as a “Great Place to Work” by the Great Place to Work® Institute, Voya is purpose-driven and equally committed to conducting business in a way that is socially, environmentally, economically and ethically responsible. Voya has earned recognition as: one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® by the Ethisphere Institute; a member of the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index; and a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” on the Disability Equality Index. For more information, visit voya.com. Follow Voya Financial on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X (Twitter).

About the Council for Economic Education

The Council for Economic Education’s (CEE’s) mission is to equip K–12 students with the tools and knowledge of personal finance and economics so that they can make better decisions for themselves, their families, and their communities, and learn to successfully navigate in our ever-changing economy. We carry out our mission in three ways.  We advocate to require financial and economic education in every state. We provide training, tools and resources – online and live through over 180 affiliates nationwide – to more than 40,000 teachers annually who in turn bring the highest quality economics and personal finance instruction to over 4 million students. We deepen knowledge and introduce high school students to critical career capabilities through our national competitions and Invest in Girls program.

Media contact: 

CEE: press@councilforeconed.org 

The post National Personal Finance Challenge Winners 2024 appeared first on Council for Economic Education.

We received more than 400 video submissions!  

The responses we received were inspiring! These students care deeply about their communities. They discussed the environment, inflation, housing shortages, ways to support local businesses, and much more. These students tackled complex economic concepts thoughtfully and with creativity.  

It is with great pleasure and excitement that we present the winners of the 2023 Student Video Contest! 

K-4 Winners

5-8 Winners

9-12 Winners

Thank you to this esteemed group of judges for your help selecting the winning videos. 

Raphael W. Bostic, President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta  

Falk Bräuning, Senior Economist and Policy Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston   

William C. Dudley, Ph.D, CEE Board Member and Senior Research Scholar, Princeton University  

Benjamin M. Friedman, Ph.D, CEE Board Member and William Joseph Maier Professor of Political Economy, Dept. of Economics, Harvard University  

Emily Kolinski Morris, Ph.D, CEE Board Member and Chief Economist, Ford Motor Company 

Michelle Meyer, Chief Economist, U.S., Mastercard Economics Institute  

John J. Siegfried, Ph.D, CEE Board Member and Professor Emeritus, Vanderbilt University  

Congratulations to all the winners! 

About the Council for Economic Education

The Council for Economic Education’s (CEE’s) mission is to equip K–12 students with the tools and knowledge of personal finance and economics so that they can make better decisions for themselves, their families, and their communities, and learn to successfully navigate in our ever-changing economy. We carry out our mission in three ways.  We advocate to require financial and economic education in every state. We provide training, tools and resources – online and live through over 180 affiliates nationwide – to more than 40,000 teachers annually who in turn bring the highest quality economics and personal finance instruction to over 4 million students. We deepen knowledge and introduce high school students to critical career capabilities through our national competitions and Invest in Girls program.

Media contact: 

CEE: press@councilforeconed.org 

The post Econ Ed Month Student Video Contest Winners  appeared first on Council for Economic Education.

The National Personal Finance Challenge (NPFC) is a nationwide competition that offers high school students the opportunity to build and demonstrate their knowledge in the concepts of earning income, spending, saving, investing, managing credit, and managing risk.   

In the first round, competitors complete a 30-question, online rapid-fire exam. In regional and national finals, students use what they have learned from the six areas of knowledge to create a financial plan for a fictitious family scenario. This year, the students wowed us with their ability to advise the Wallace family in this year’s case study on important real-life personal finance matters such as calculating a retirement age, budgeting for a mortgage, car payments, education, and caring for elderly parents. We invite you to watch the recording of the presentations on the CEE YouTube channel.  

“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.”  

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.   

Winning schools, team members and teachers in the 2023 NPFC national finals are: 

Congratulations!! 
 
 
About the Council for Economic Education  
 
The Council for Economic Education’s (CEE’s) mission is to equip K–12 students with the tools and knowledge of personal finance and economics so that they can make better decisions for themselves, their families, and their communities, and learn to successfully navigate in our ever-changing economy. We carry out our mission in three ways.  We advocate to require financial and economic education in every state. We provide training, tools and resources – online and live through over 180 affiliates nationwide – to more than 40,000 teachers annually who in turn bring the highest quality economics and personal finance instruction to over 4 million students. We deepen knowledge and introduce high school students to critical career capabilities through our national competitions and Invest in Girls program. Learn more at CouncilForEconEd.org and on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. 
 
About Voya Financial® 
 
Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), is a leading health, wealth and investment company with 7,200 employees who are focused on achieving Voya’s aspirational vision: Clearing your path to financial confidence and a more fulfilling life. Through products, solutions and technologies, Voya helps its 14.7 million individual, workplace and institutional clients become well planned, well invested and well protected. Benefitfocus, a Voya company, extends the reach of Voya’s workplace benefits and savings offerings by providing benefits administration capabilities to 16.5 million individual subscription employees across employer and health plan clients. Certified as a “Great Place to Work” by the Great Place to Work® Institute, Voya is purpose-driven and equally committed to conducting business in a way that is socially, environmentally, economically and ethically responsible. Voya has earned recognition as: one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® by the Ethisphere Institute; a member of the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index; and a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” on the Disability Equality Index. For more information, visit voya.com. Follow Voya Financial on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. 
 
 
For more information and school team photos, email press@councilforeconed.org  
 

The post National Personal Finance Challenge Winners 2023  appeared first on Council for Economic Education.

The Contest gave students the opportunity to think about how economics is a part of their lives, while showing off their economics smarts and creativity.

We received more than 700 video submissions! 

The hot economic topics the students addressed in their videos ranged from the rising cost of goods due to inflation, how gas prices affected their pocket books, mortgage rates and the cost of living, the looming recession, their parents’ retirement accounts, and more.

Our team watched every single video. With the help of our guest judges, we were able to narrow it down to three winning videos per grade band (K-4; 5-8; 9-12). The winning videos for each grade band won cash prizes! We are thrilled to share the winning videos! Congratulations to all! Special thank you to our judges Jennifer Davidson, Jeffrey Lacker, Loretta Mester, Emily Kolinski Morris, Gary Stern, Justin Wolfers, and Mark Zandi.

About the Council for Economic Education

The Council for Economic Education’s (CEE’s) mission is to equip K–12 students with the tools and knowledge of personal finance and economics so that they can make better decisions for themselves, their families, and their communities, and learn to successfully navigate in our ever-changing economy. We carry out our mission in three ways.  We advocate to require financial and economic education in every state. We provide training, tools and resources – online and live through over 180 affiliates nationwide – to more than 40,000 teachers annually who in turn bring the highest quality economics and personal finance instruction to over 4 million students. We deepen knowledge and introduce high school students to critical career capabilities through our national competitions and Invest in Girls program.

Media contact: 

CEE: press@councilforeconed.org 

The post The Winning Student Economics Videos appeared first on Council for Economic Education.