Economics ed council plans Personal Finance Challenge finals

The Nebraska Council on Economic Education's first-ever Nebraska Finance Challenge State Championship pits high school teams from across the state in a competition to determine who has the greater knowledge of personal finance. The finals are April 30 in Omaha. Teams competing from the qualifying rounds are Johnson-Brock, West Point-Beemer, Cedar Rapids and Wahoo.

Following a qualifying online round of testing involving 212 teams from 38 schools, the top five teams of students in Nebraska will compete in Omaha for the title of state champion. Two teams qualified from Johnson-Brock.

The five teams competing will get a hypothetical family financial scenario and have two hours to come up with a financial plan. Teams will present their plan to a panel of expert judges and will be judged on their financial recommendations and oral communication skills.

First-place team members will each receive a $250 cash prize. The state champion team will move on to represent Nebraska at the national competition in St. Louis on May 16.

Nebraska State Treasurer Don Stenberg has endorsed the Nebraska Personal Finance Challenge, which tests high school students on essential concepts of personal finance, including income, money management, spending, credit, saving and investing. Student prize money was provided by Nebraska Independent Community Bankers.

The Nebraska Council on Economic Education, based at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the economic and financial literacy of Nebraska's students. It focuses on economic education programming, courses and workshops for educators across the state. The council has five centers located at the University of Nebraska campuses in Omaha, Lincoln and Kearney, and Wayne State and Chadron State colleges.

Additional information on the Nebraska Council on Economic Education can be found at www.nebraskacouncil.org.

WRITER: Jennifer Davidson