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Illinois Personal Finance Challenge
Fall 2025 Registration Open Now
The Illinois State Treasurer’s Office is proud to present the Illinois Personal Finance Challenge (IPFC). The IPFC is a fun and motivating team competition that provides students with the opportunity to get financially savvy and demonstrate their money management skills.
High school teams in Illinois can showcase their expertise in earning income, spending, saving, managing credit, investing, and managing risk through online exams offered during fall and spring testing windows. All teachers will be able to access their students’ scores. Top scoring high school teams from fall and spring testing will be invited to compete in the Illinois State Finals.
One team of 3-4 high school students with one teacher will qualify to represent Illinois at the National Personal Finance Challenge by winning the Illinois State Finals. More details to come on state finals and nationals.
Registration is FREE and practice tests and resources are available online for all teams. Check out the teacher toolkit with lessons and activities in the six areas of knowledge.
How It Works
- Teacher Registration - High school teachers must register at least one team of 3-4 students. There is no limit to how many teams a teacher can have and no limit to how many teachers can participate from the same school. Online teacher registration for the fall testing window is open September 15 – December 8, 2025. Returning teachers can use existing login credentials.
- Online Exam - High school students compete in the first round of competition online, with an open testing window from November 17 – December 12, 2025. Spring testing windows TBA.
- Illinois State Finals - Top teams from fall and spring will compete at the Illinois State Finals in-person event. More details to come.
- National Finals - The winning team from Illinois State Finals advances to National Finals. More details to come.
To learn more and register, visit the Illinois Personal Finance Challenge website. If you have any questions, contact Maggie Owen at mowen@illinoistreasurer.gov.
The Stock Market Game
This unique game is used by thousands of students nationwide each year. Students participate in teams to research and evaluate stocks, bonds, and mutual funds to make informed, economic decisions. Competitions are held each Fall and Spring. There are also connections to Common Core with the extension program, InvestWrite. For Stock Market Game participants, InvestWrite is a writing competition on investment related topics. It is entirely FREE for a class to participate. In addition, there are many resources online, and a dedicated staffer to help answer all of your questions. Explore below to learn more:
Additional Resources
Explore the links below to find lesson plans, assessments, and more.
Standards
Standards implemented in the 2017-2018 school year included requirements for financial literacy and inquiry skills. Inquiry skills equip students with the skills necessary for college, career, and civic life. You can read the standards at the links below.