High School Financial Literacy

Compete in the Illinois Personal Finance Challenge 2027

We are excited to host an in-person event for the Illinois State Finals and award Bright Start 529 college savings scholarships to the first place and second place teams. National Finals offers cash prizes to nationally ranking teams. Each winning team member will receive:

• 1st Place: $2,000
• 2nd Place: $1,000
• 3rd Place: $500 
• 4th Place: $250

The Illinois State Treasurer’s Office is proud to present the Illinois Personal Finance Challenge (IPFC). This fun, motivating team competition gives students the opportunity to become financially savvy and demonstrate their money management skills. 

• High school teams in Illinois can showcase their expertise in earning income, managing spending and saving, managing credit, investing, and managing risk through online exams offered during the fall and spring testing windows. All teachers will be able to access their students’ scores.
• 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. 
• Registration is FREE, and practice tests and resources are available online for all teams.
• Check out the teacher toolkit with lessons and activities for the six personal finance subjects.

How It Works

1. Teacher Registration: High school teachers must register at least one team of three to four students. There is no limit to the number of teams a teacher may sponsor, and multiple teachers from the same school are welcome to participate. Teachers who have participated before may sign in using their existing login information.
2. Online Exam: Students begin the competition by completing the first round online during the designated testing window.
3. Illinois State Finals: Top-performing teams advance to the Illinois State Finals, held in person in Springfield, Illinois.
4. National Finals: The team that wins the Illinois State Finals moves on to represent Illinois at the National Finals at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia.

Additional Resources

• Council for Economic Education
• Next Gen Personal Finance
• Financial Literacy for Education Success
• Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
• Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Standards

Standards implemented include requirements for financial literacy and inquiry skills. Inquiry skills equip students for college, career, and civic life. You can read the standards at the links below. 

• High School Standards
• All Grade Levels (K-12)