Do You Know as Much About Personal Finance as These Savvy High-Schoolers?
When people lament the state of financial education in America, they aren't complaining about these kids.
More than 120 high-schoolers competed in the National Personal Finance Challenge in Atlanta that ended Monday. It was run by the Council for Economic Education, which brought together the top four-person teams among some 18,000 state-level competitors. Scripps Ranch High School in San Diego took the top prize.
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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
California's Scripps Ranch High School Crowned CEE's 2025 National Personal Finance Champions
The nation's top teen competitors tackled everything from stocks and bonds to credit management and budgeting NEW YORK, June 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Over thirty teams from 28 states competed over the weekend for the top spot as the nation's most financially savvy teenagers. Scripps Ranch High School from San Diego, California, emerged as the winner. What credit card transaction requires you to pay interest every day, including the first day of the transaction, until it is repaid in full? That's just one of the questions—one that even some adults struggle to answer—that our teen champions tackled during the competition. The Council for Economic Education (CEE), a national nonprofit on a mission to equip K-12 students with the tools and knowledge of personal finance and economics, held the 14th annual National Personal Finance Challenge (NPFC) this weekend in Atlanta at Voya Financial's headquarters. These teens put their knowledge to the test, answering complex questions about saving, investing, stocks, bonds, retirement planning, managing credit, and more. After creating a financial plan for a fictional family, the top scorers competed in a quiz bowl where the winning team was crowned champion. "We are thrilled to have welcomed students from across the country to the 2025 National Personal Finance Challenge. This competition is more than just a showcase of financial knowledge—it's a celebration of the life skills these young people are building for their futures," says CEE Interim CEO Christopher Caltabiano. "At a time when financial literacy is more important than ever, these students are proving they're ready to take on the real world with confidence, responsibility, and a strong foundation for success." "The NPFC finalists truly impressed us with their knowledge and acumen," says Heather Lavallee, Voya Financial chief executive officer and CEE board member. "This event is a powerful reflection of Voya's culture and commitment to advancing financial literacy, especially among students. I'm proud of their achievements and of our employees who volunteered to help these remarkable young people on their journey toward greater financial confidence." This year, nearly 18,000 high schoolers from across the country competed in the highly accessible school-level round of the NPFC. Parents and educators nationwide are encouraged to visit the competition website in the fall to find out about bringing the competition to your school next year. CEE is committed to the belief that financial knowledge is for everyone. Yet, 14 states do not require personal finance coursework in high school. This year's competing teams include six from CEE's Access Zone program that promotes financial education in Title I schools nationwide. Covering the six core knowledge areas of personal finance, students collaborated in teams to tackle real-world financial scenarios. Research has long documented the association between financial literacy and successful real-life financial decision-making, including planning for retirement, financial resilience, less debt, acceptance of federal student loans over higher-cost loan options, and decreased likelihood of holding credit card balances. The National Final was held at Voya's headquarters in Atlanta on June 1-2, 2025. Winning teams took away cash prizes: $2,000 per team member and coach for 1st place, $1,000 per team member and coach for 2nd place, $500 per team member and coach for 3rd place, and $250 per team member and coach for 4th place. Students, educators, and parents can visit for more information. The winners of the 2025 National Personal Finance Challenge ● First place: Scripps Ranch High School, San Diego, California o Team: Robert Schumann, Ryan Langsam Williams, Ben Wolff, Caleb Lee o Coach: Ian Rasmuson ● First runner-up: Mount Hebron High School, Ellicott City, Maryland o Team: Benjamin Fichter, Nathaniel Ritter, Joseph Phelps, Mehin Panya o Coach: Vann Prime ● Second runner-up: Madeira High School, Cincinnati, Ohio o Team: Owen Dixon, Ben Reed, Will Manning, Marissa Jordan o Coach: Jennifer Jordan ● Third runner-up: Hunter High School, New York City, New York o Team: Sofie Pederson, Xiayang Huang, Pierce Siegel, Adrian Chen o Coach: Ellen Fox See the full list of schools that competed in the national finals. 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. About Voya Financial® Voya Financial, Inc. is a leading health, wealth and investment company with approximately 10,000 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 approximately 15.7 million individual, workplace and institutional clients become well planned, well invested and well protected. Benefitfocus, a Voya company and a leading benefits administration provider, extends the reach of Voya's workplace benefits and savings offerings by engaging directly with approximately 11.9 million employees in the U.S. Certified as a "Great Place to Work" by the Great Place to Work® Institute, Voya is purpose-driven and committed to conducting business in a way that is economically, ethically, socially and environmentally responsible. Voya has earned recognition as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies® by Ethisphere; 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 Media Contact: Katie Goulding Green 347-463-4377 396165@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Council for Economic Education Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Wall Street Journal
5 days ago
- Wall Street Journal
Do You Know as Much About Personal Finance as These Savvy High-Schoolers?
When people lament the state of financial education in America, they aren't complaining about these kids. More than 120 high-schoolers competed in the National Personal Finance Challenge in Atlanta that ended Monday. It was run by the Council for Economic Education, which brought together the top four-person teams among some 18,000 state-level competitors. Scripps Ranch High School in San Diego took the top prize.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Yahoo
‘A better future': Local high school students compete in Personal Finance Challenge
Stocks, bonds, high yield savings accounts. It's not a requirement to teach personal finance in Massachusetts public schools, but some local high school students put their knowledge to the test---to earn a spot in a national competition. This isn't your typical school day for a bunch of high schoolers from the greater Boston area. Eight teams of four competed in the National Personal Finance Challenge at the MFS Investment Management Campus in Boston by creating case scenarios—-using their personal finance knowledge. 'When you're talking about personal finance, you're really talking about earning income, then what do you do with that income, right? Saving, investing, spending, credit,' said the Chief Program Officer for the Council of Economic Education Chris Caltabiano. The CEE Chief Program Officer Chris Caltabiano says the non-profit's mission is to bring economic education to students so that they can manage their own financial lives. 'They're going to be doing this every single day of their lives thinking about their personal financial lives and so having this knowledge now is going to set them up for success down the road,' said Caltabiano. To test their skills, every year the CEE hosts the National Personal Finance Challenge where thousands of students participate in a written test—then move on to a case study round. The students present how they think a young professional should spend, save and invest their money. This is Oliver Sin's second year competing. He says he's lucky to have several economics classes available at Milton Academy—-fueling his drive to learn more about personal finance. 'I try and talk to everyone I can about it just because I think it's so it's such an easy step to take but it's so important for your future as like the old saying goes a penny saved is a penny earned,' said Milton Academy Senior Oliver Sin. 'So the quicker you start the easier it is.' And he's been applying what he learns in the classroom—to his own life. 'Through trial and error, I can apply stuff that I see from my own eyes is working and I think that's really the perspective that people should be going into personal finance with,' said Sin. 'So much of this is setting you up for a better future and I feel like I can confidently go into living alone and being a young adult with these skills,' said Rebecca Zhang, a senior at Lexington High School. Zhang is on the all-female team representing Lexington High School. She says because of her finance knowledge, she already offers advice. 'I do have friends asking me where should I put my money? Would it be better to put it into a savings account, a checking account, or stocks? And it's nice being able to help my friends with stuff like that,' said Zhang. Right now, Massachusetts schools have no personal finance requirements, but there are currently a few bills in the State House that could change that. Caltabiano says research shows that taking a finance course in high school has an impact on your financial future. 'They have higher credit scores,' said Caltabiano. 'They tend to take on a lower amount of debt. If they choose to go to college, they tend to take loans that have a better interest rate.' MFS President Carol Geremia says the more knowledge, the better relationship with money. 'The minute they graduate, they're going to be thinking about how to get a job and their income, but how important it is for them to understand the basics of what to do with their money,' said MFS President Carol Geremia. 'So, so critical.' The all-girls team from Lexington High School won the state competition. That means they will be moving on to the final round in Atlanta, Georgia in June. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
