PERSONAL FINANCE CHALLENGE^®

Preparing students for financial decisions they cannot afford to get wrong

Today’s students face financial decisions earlier and more often than previous generations, from managing credit and student loans to planning for retirement. Yet national assessments show that many aren’t fully prepared. According to the SIFMA Foundation: 

• 35.2%: Gen Z has the lowest financial literacy rate of any generation, right as they enter the workforce
• 1 in 9: Women currently retire on an income below the poverty level
• 24.5 % vs. 6.4%: Stock market preparation among White households vs. Black households (4.3% for Hispanic households)
• Only 6%: The worlds population over age 60 will be financially prepared for retirement by 2050.

These gaps matter. Financial education is linked to stronger saving habits, greater use of mainstream banking and better long-term outcomes, while employers consistently rank critical thinking and sound decision-making among the most valuable workplace skills. This makes personal finance education critical to the future of our workforce and economic health.

States are taking notice. As of 2026, 30 states guarantee students access to a standalone personal finance course before graduation, and educators are finding creative ways to build financial literacy across the curriculum. Programs like MCEE’s Personal Finance Challenge® let students apply what they learn about earning, saving, credit, and investing in a competitive, team-based setting, building the confidence and habits for lifelong financial success.

Financial literacy is no longer optional. It’s a core life skill, and giving students the chance to practice it now means better decisions later.

Personal Finance Challenge® Webinar, September 30, 7 p.m.
Join us for a webinar to explore classroom resources and competition materials and help prepare Maryland students for smarter financial futures. REGISTER HERE

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Supporting educators and changing student needs

For more than 70 years, MCEE has provided professional development opportunities to educators that connect classroom learning to the real-world issues students encounter every day. As we expand our offerings for teachers at all grade levels, we’re excited to introduce several new webinar programs this fall, with more to come soon.

• September 8, September 23: Stock Market Game: Essentials for Educators
  Grade 4–12 teachers Learn how the game works and explore the Teacher Support Center's ready-to-use lesson plans, videos and classroom activities. One PD point.
• September 17, 4 p.m.: Money & Inflation: A Free Unit Plan from Marginal Revolution University
  Join MCEE and Marginal Revolution University for a webinar introducing their free, six-day Money & Inflation unit plan for high school classrooms.
  
• September 22, 7 p.m.: What Teachers Need to Know About FAFSA and Student Loans
  Learn about application changes, FAFSA process updates, shifts in eligibility and aid calculations, and revisions to student loan programs and repayment options.
• September 30, 7 p.m.: Personal Finance Challenge: Introduction
  High school social studies and business teachers  Info session on this team competition that tests savings, budgeting and financial decision-making skills.
• October 6, 7 p.m.: Beyond the Bell: Advanced Stock Market Game Webinar
  Interactive session on interpreting financial statistics and comparing companies for investment research, with a classroom-ready worksheet. One PD point.
• October 8, 7 p.m.: Teaching Supply, Demand & Markets in K–5 with Hands-On Activities 
  Elementary teachers  Webinar for hands-on strategies — simulations, mini classroom stores and picture books — for teaching market concepts. One PD point.
• October 14, 7 p.m.: ETFs, Index Funds & Passive Investing Explained for Teens
  Middle/high school economics, business and personal finance teachers  Introduce students to ETFs, index funds and passive investing, including diversification and long-term financial stability. One PD point.

Just Say No to Scams: Protecting consumers and communities from fraud, hosted by Consumer Action

September 16, 9:30 a.m.–3 p.m., Baltimore Unity Hall

Designed for advocates, educators, case managers, counselors and faith-based or direct service providers working to protect their communities from fraud. Gain an introduction to the latest edition of Consumer Action's Just Say No to Scams educational module, a free resource that includes a multilingual consumer guide and tip sheet along with tools for conducting community education.

LEARN MORE & REGISTER

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

MCEE endorses AP Business with Personal Finance

MCEE has endorsed AP Business with Personal Finance as a rigorous, college-level course that equips students with essential financial literacy skills. It aligns with nationally recognized personal finance standards and helps students demonstrate mastery through challenging coursework and an AP exam. 

The endorsement reflects MCEE’s commitment to ensuring all Maryland students have access to high-quality financial education and graduate better prepared to make informed financial decisions.

AP Business with Personal Finance info session draws Maryland educators

On August 24, MCEE hosted a virtual information session on College Board's new AP Business with Personal Finance course for Maryland educators and school system leaders. Led by course champion Alex Lamon, attendees explored the course’s structure and content units, alignment with national and Maryland financial literacy standards, and real-world learning opportunities. Participants also heard firsthand insights from a teacher's classroom experience and had the opportunity to ask questions.

InvestWrite: Taking the Stock Market Game a step further

Looking to boost students’ writing skills while playing the Stock Market Game? InvestWrite is a free, teacher-designed writing competition that gives students a chance to reflect on and apply what they’ve learned through their portfolio choices. Essays are evaluated on rationale, understanding of subject matter and writing style, and any student with an active Stock Market Game team login can participate at no cost.

You can use it to:

• Reinforce portfolio decisions in writing.
• Deepen reflection at key checkpoints.
• Create a Cross-curricular tie-in.
• Get Low-prep, high-value addition.

Fall submission deadline is December 9. Visit the InvestWrite home page for prompts, lesson plans, scoring guidelines and the training webinar schedule.

RESOURCE OF THE MONTH

MSDE seeks public comment on new financial literacy standards

Comment period runs through October 16.

MSDE has proposed the first major update to Maryland's K–12 Financial Literacy Standards since 2011, expanding them to cover kindergarten through grade 12. 

MCEE is evaluating the proposed standards and will submit comment and work to ensure Maryland school systems have the resources they need to prepare for the new standards.

READ MORE & SUBMIT FEEDBACK

MCEE’s SUMMER VACATION?

While teachers (hopefully) relaxed, rejuvenated, and reveled during summer vacation, we at MCEE have been busy across Maryland this summer and fall. We've been advising and assisting with Anne Arundel County Public Schools in mathematics and global citizenship curriculum revisions, and we joined Baltimore County Public Schools' Partnership Fair to connect with educators there. This August, MCEE could be found delivering in-person, system-level professional development to help teachers prepare for the new school year in Howard, Harford, Prince George's, Carroll, and Cecil counties.

Our masterful team has been working to update, refine, and create resources, lessons, and activities for future release, connecting elementary literature to personal finance and economic learning. And our T-Rowe Price Finance Lab field trip experience has been updated. Students will now be taking a unique Maryland perspective in celebration of the country’s 250th anniversary!

Thus, no vacation. But, preparing to support teachers and students feels just as good to us as a weekend in Ocean City. Looking ahead to September and October, MCEE staff will present workshops at:

• Maryland Association of Career and Technical Administrators in Frederick (October 7)
• Maryland Council of Teachers of Mathematics in Frederick (October 16)
• Maryland Association of School Librarians in Berlin (October 16)
• Maryland Council for Social Studies in Baltimore (October 16)
• Maryland Educators of Gifted Students in Towson (October 16)

Stop by and say hello! And if you're part of a school system or professional association looking for professional development in economics and/or personal finance, let us know. We're happy to support you!

OUR IMPACT ADDS UP

As an independent, nonprofit organization, MCEE can only fulfill its mission and deliver its important work through the support of our friends and advocates. If you believe personal finance and economic education are important and if you are committed to making sure Maryland children get that education, we invite you to make a donation.