By Robert Haugh

Wilcox High School students Manish Mothi, Joshua Ching, Diane Shih and Chloe Michel recently claimed first place in the Council for Economic Education’s National Personal Finance Challenge (NPFC) finals.

Their coach is Anthony Raffetto.

They claimed first by “understanding the building blocks of personal finance all students need to build lives of financial stability and economic mobility.”

The championship round capped off a series of statewide and national academic competitions.  Teams from Alabama, Arkansas and Kansas earned recognition as runners-up. Each student on the finalist teams received a cash prize.

“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 of U.S. 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.

“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.”

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.