Arkansas Personal Finance Challenge
Economics Arkansas and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis will host the 2025 Arkansas Personal Finance Challenge, an opportunity for high school students to demonstrate their knowledge of personal finance by competing against other students in a one-day challenge.
Arkansas Teachers may register one team of 3-4 students to participate. No advahttps://npfc.councilforeconed.org/nce qualifications or tests are required.
Teachers of all registered teams will receive the 2025 case study via email in advance of the competition. Teams will collaborate and prepare a 6-minute slide deck presentation making suggestions based on the case study information. They will bring printed copies of their presentation to the state competition.
Students should exhibit knowledge in areas such as earning income, buying goods and services, saving, using credit, investing, and protecting and insuring. Presentations are scored in content knowledge, teamwork, and communication skills.
The day of the competition, teams will also participate in a round of testing.
COMPETITION DATE:
When: Friday, March 14, 2025
Where: University of Central Arkansas (UCA)
Time: Approximately 9:30 am -2:30 pm
Prize money, certificates, and medallions will be awarded.
The first-place winning team will split $500 and advance to the National Personal Finance Challenge hosted in June. Economics Arkansas will provide $1,500 in transportation costs. The National Personal Finance Challenge will cover hotel, food, and transportation costs to and from the hotel to the competition.
View complete rules and a sample case study here.
Click here to find a toolkit of ways to prepare for the Personal Finance Challenge.
| Personal Finance Challenge | Prize Amount |
|---|---|
| 1st Place | $500 (split among team members) |
| 2nd Place | $300 (split among team members) |
| 3rd Place | $150 (split among team members) |
| Top 3 students TEST | $25 each |
| 1st Place Teacher | $100 |
| 2nd Place Teacher | $75 |
| 3rd Place Teacher | $50 |
2024 Arkansas Personal Finance Challenge Winners
1st Place: Prairie Grove High School
Advisor: Tracy Laird
2nd Place: Mountain Home High School Career Academies
Advisor: Johnny Caststeel
3rd Place: Little Rock Central High School
Advisor: Alundra Dickson
In June 2024, Arkansas' 1st-place winning team will travel to Cleveland, OH, to compete in the National Personal Finance Challenge. Good luck!
Sponsors
The Arkansas Personal Finance Challenge is generously sponsored by title sponsor First Security Bank. Thank you.
Additional sponsorship opportunities are available. Please contact kathleen@economicsarkansas.org for more information.
ADE Crosswalk
The Arkansas Personal Finance Challenge aligns with the following Arkansas Department of Education-approved courses, topics, and events:
Business & Marketing Course(s):
- 491990 - Personal Finance
DECA, Inc.
- Personal Financial Literacy (PFL)
- Virtual Business Challenge - Personal Finance (VBCPF)
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA):
- Virtual Business Personal Finance Challenge
- Personal Finance
- Introduction to Financial Math Securities & Invesments
