Minnesota students prove their personal finance knowledge through the support of the Affinity Plus Foundation at the Personal Finance Decathlon
The Foundation and MCEE teamed up to hold competition for students across the state
ST. PAUL, MN (April 12, 2016) — Personal Finance teams from 12 Minnesota high schools visited the Federal Reserve in Minneapolis on Wednesday, April 6 to compete in the State Personal Finance Decathlon. The Affinity Plus Foundation was the primary sponsor and supporter of the event, which is hosted and planned by the Minnesota Council on Economic Education (MCEE) each year. Prior to the state championship, over one hundred high school teams competed in an online personal finance quiz to be selected for the 12 finalist spots. Leading up to the event, teachers from economics, social studies, consumer science, and several other academic disciplines aided students in forming teams and studying the financial education materials.
The 12 qualifying teams spent the morning reviewing and analyzing a fictional case study of a family’s financial scenario and future goals. The teams then presented to a panel of volunteer judges and provided recommendations and strategies for how the couple could improve their financial situation and reach their goals related to savings, debt reduction, and investments. The panel of volunteer judges was comprised of Affinity Plus Foundation volunteers and other industry professionals, who then chose four teams to move on to the afternoon’s Quiz Bowl.
“The opportunity to support an event that challenges students to inform themselves on a variety of personal finance topics and be able to take that knowledge and apply it to a real life scenario really encompasses the central mission of our work at the Affinity Plus Foundation,” said Amy Hanson, executive director of the Foundation. “Participating in this event, we saw firsthand the amount of knowledge these students have in personal finance, and proves that the work we are doing is making a difference in their ability to think critically about their own personal financial success.”
During the Quiz Bowl, three rounds of personal finance questions were read by Affinity Plus Foundation volunteers. Mounds View High School was awarded top honors. Robbinsdale Armstrong High School, Como Park High School, and Albany High School were also among the top four teams.
“My students greatly benefitted from this event and the peer competition, especially because they had an opportunity to apply this knowledge to a real life situation through the case study analysis,” commented Martha Rush, teacher at Mounds View.
The Personal Finance team from Mounds View High School will advance to the national competition, which will be held in Kansas City, MO on May 6, 2016.
“It was a fantastic day,” stated Jane Stockman, associate director at MCEE. “The engagement of the students, teachers, and volunteers made this the best Personal Finance Decathlon yet, and I’m already looking forward to next year.”
To learn more about the Affinity Plus Foundation, please visit www.affinityplusfoundation.org. To learn more about MCEE, visit www.mcee.umn.edu.
About The Affinity Plus Foundation
Founded in 2000, the Affinity Plus Foundation is a 501(c)(3) serving Minnesota communities. The Foundation proudly administers its own scholarship program, awards grants to non-profit groups and schools, and supports financial education initiatives through partnerships, presentations and resources. The Foundation operates on funds generated from its annual golf and fishing tournaments; annual silent auction; from Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union; and from generous donations from community members who believe in and support financial education.
