The nation’s top teen competitors tackled everything from stocks and bonds to credit management and budgeting
A team of Rockdale County High School students showcased financial knowledge well beyond their years during the 15th annual National Personal Finance Challenge, held Monday, June 1 at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
The three-student team from Rockdale County High School competed against 36 teams representing 32 states in a rigorous, multi-round competition for the 2026 national title. First place ultimately went to the team from Mount Hebron High School in Ellicott City, Maryland, which secured the championship during the final quiz bowl in Atlanta.
The nationwide competition, hosted by the Council for Economic Education in partnership with Voya Financial Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), convenes more than 21,000 high school students each year in advancing financial literacy and testing their knowledge of personal finance.
“It is a thrill to see these impressive students in action at the NPFC,” said Braeden Mayrisch, Vice President, Impact & Culture and Vice President, Voya Foundation. “We are proud to partner on a program committed to advancing the next generation’s financial literacy.
In the final rounds, students are required to analyze and present case studies to tackle real-world financial scenarios. The case studies covered topics in six core knowledge areas of personal finance; investing, stocks and bonds, retirement planning, credit management, and building long-term financial stability.
“This is more than just a competition,” added Steve Bumbaugh, CEO of Council for Economic Education, a nonprofit committed to equipping K-12 students with tools and knowledge of personal finance and economics “At a time when financial literacy is more important than ever, these students are proving they’re ready to take on the real world with knowledge, determination, and a solid foundation for success. We were thrilled to host these impressive students from across the country.”
Members of the outstanding Rockdale County cohort of scholars included high school seniors; Leah Phillips, Amari Barbara, and Zachary Thomas. The team was coached in preparing for the intense competition by Rockdale High teacher Christina Smith.
“We’re all in the same economics class, so, during class, we’d go into small groups, and we would go over case studies, and review vocabulary and economic language that prepared us for the test and the competition,” explained Phillips a member of Georgia’s NPC winning team regarding the team’s preparation for the rigorous contest.
Having beaten out more than 20,000 of their peers in national competitions, the outstanding local students put their knowledge to the test, answering complex questions about saving, investing, stocks, bonds, retirement planning, managing credit.
Here’s an example of just one of the questions the winning team tackled during the competition, one which many adults struggle to answer: To avoid negatively impacting your credit score, your credit utilization ratio should stay below what percentage of your total limit?
“Most of the questions that you get are very scenario-based. It’s not just about math, it’s also about critical thinking, so it really challenged us in thinking about not just the person’s facts and financial situations,” added Phillips. “I remember we were looking at a case study, and the finances were good for a family, but they were spending beyond their means to kind of keep up with the their neighbors so thinking outside of the box and challenging them of them to cut spending by percentages and offer them alternatives was critical.”
“I didn’t understand a lot of the things that they’re getting information on until I got out of college and started experiencing trial-and-error type of situations,” added coach Smith.
During the case study portion of he comeptition participants were required to create a winning and sustainable financial plan for a fictional family and draft a financial plan within 90 minutes to presenting it to a panel of financial experts which included actress and model Nicole Ari Parker who served as a judge and MC for the National Personal Finance Challenge.
Top scorers competed in a quiz bowl, after which the winning team was crowned champion. Although Rockdale seniors didn’t compete in the quiz bowl, NFPC judges admitted that scoring to determine finalists from the competition was incredibly intense with Rockdale having missed the final round by just a few points.
“I think it’s this, this journey, this economics, it’s something you really can’t like miss out on the experience, because you’re gonna go through it in life. So, just going through it, learning is just a benefit,” explained state NPC winner Barbara.
“I honestly just learned so much from just doing this competition,” said Thomas. “I’m happy just going to the national [level]. It’s amazing,” he concluded.
The winners of the 2026 National Personal Finance Challenge
First place: Mount Hebron High School, Ellicott City, Maryland
Team: Vishva Rao, Daksh Mathapati, Pranav Boreddy, Jiwoo Jeong
Coach: Vann Walker Prime
First runner-up: The Charter School of Wilmington, Wilmington, Delaware
Team: Andy Lee, Jason Lee, Ethan Xie, Rishabh Arora
Coach: Susan Beverly Clough
Second runner-up: Francis Lewis High School, Bronx, New York
Team: Alyssa Mendez, Dave Lee, Kaity Zheng, Pei Chi Liu
Coach: Christopher Power
Third runner-up: East Chapel Hill High School, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Team: Liam Griffin, Jonah Jose Bayog, Toby Qin, Brandon Jia
Coach: Antonio Makasi.
Winning teams took away cash prizes: $2,000 per team member and coach for 1st place, $1,000 per team member and coach for 2nd place, $500 per team member and coach for 3rd place, and $250 per team member and coach for 4th place. Students, educators, and parents can visit www.councilforeconed.org for more information.
About the Council for Economic Education
The Council for Economic Education’s (CEE’s) mission is to equip K–12 students with the tools and knowledge of personal finance and economics so that they can make better decisions for themselves, their families, and their communities, and learn to successfully navigate in our ever-changing economy. We carry out our mission in three ways. We advocate to require financial and economic education in every state. We provide training, tools and resources – online and live through over 180 affiliates nationwide – to more than 40,000 teachers annually who in turn bring the highest quality economics and personal finance instruction to over 4 million students. We deepen knowledge and introduce high school students to critical career capabilities through our national competitions and Invest in Girls program.
About Voya Financial®
Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA) is a leading health, wealth and investment company with approximately 10,000 employees who are focused on achieving Voya’s aspirational vision: “Clearing your path to financial confidence and a more fulfilling life.” Through products, solutions and technologies, Voya helps its approximately 15.7 million individual, workplace and institutional clients become well planned, well invested and well protected. Benefitfocus, a Voya company and a leading benefits administration provider, extends the reach of Voya’s workplace benefits and savings offerings by engaging directly with approximately 11.9 million employees in the U.S. Certified as a “Great Place to Work” by the Great Place to Work® Institute, Voya is purpose-driven and committed to conducting business in a way that is economically, ethically, socially and environmentally responsible. Voya has earned recognition as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® by Ethisphere; a member of the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index; and a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” on the Disability Equality Index. For more information, visit voya.com.
