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Illinois Personal Finance Challenge
Spring Registration Open Now
The Illinois State Treasurer’s Office in partnership with the UIC Center for Economic Education presents the Illinois Personal Finance Challenge. The IPFC is a competition that provides students with an exciting and motivating opportunity to build, apply and demonstrate their knowledge in money management. In Illinois, middle school students will be able to participate in state-level competition only, while high school students will be able to qualify for the national level of the challenge.
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 a virtual case study, which will determine the Illinois state winner. Case study materials for the state finals will be sent to top scoring teams on April 7, 2025, and completed case studies will be due April 11, 2025 at noon.
Other teams not competing in the state finals will be provided with case study materials from the previous year. Teams not competing in the state finals are not required to turn in materials to IPFC, but teachers are welcome to use it as a culminating assessment or project in their classroom.
Teams of 3-4 high school students with one teacher can qualify to represent Illinois at the National Personal Finance Challenge by winning the Illinois case study final round. They will advance to National Finals in Atlanta, Georgia on June 1 and 2, 2025.
How It Works
- 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 spring testing window is open now through March 17, 2025. Returning teachers can use existing login credentials.
- High school students compete in the first round of competition online, with an open testing window from March 3 – March 21, 2025.
- Top teams from the fall and spring will compete in a virtual case study for the state finals. Case study materials for the state finals will be sent to top scoring teams on April 7, 2025, and completed case studies will be due April 11, 2025 at noon.
- The winning team from the Illinois finals advances to National Finals in Atlanta, Georgia on June 1 and 2, 2025. National Finals will be held at Voya headquarters. Lodging and food will be covered for the team and a teacher.
Registration is FREE and practice tests and resources are available online for all teams.
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.