Karen Kurtz, a teacher from Stamford, CT, has used Budget Challenge in her classes since 2015 with great success. Read her guest blog post about her experiences using the program in her Honors Financial Planning course.
As an educator with over 30 years of teaching experience, I have had the privilege of guiding countless students through 11th grade Honors Financial Planning, a course that emphasizes the importance of real-world financial literacy.
Since 2015, I have incorporated Budget Challenge as a key supplement to my curriculum, and it has proven to be an invaluable tool in helping students connect classroom concepts to practical financial decision-making. The simulation's hands-on approach—requiring students to manage bills, savings, credit, and investments in real time—engages them in a way that traditional instruction alone cannot.
Over the years, I have witnessed how this program fosters responsibility, critical thinking, and confidence in financial management, equipping students with essential life skills that extend far beyond the classroom.
I also appreciate how the program emphasizes time management, personal responsibility, and long-term planning, especially through components such as budgeting and contributing to a 401(k). The weekly score updates and leaderboards motivate students to stay engaged and accountable, while the teaching resources and automatic tracking make it easy for me to monitor progress and reinforce key lessons.
Throughout the years, the teacher's home page has kept getting better and better. Overall, Budget Challenge bridges the gap between theory and practice in a way that truly prepares students for financial independence.
For any teacher just starting out with the program I would suggest setting aside time every few days to let the students pay their bills, update their budget sheet, and ask questions. Students often find the time management, bill payment aspects, and unexpected disasters of the Budget Challenge simulation to be the most challenging, especially if a bill is due during a school break. Because the program mirrors real-world financial responsibilities, students quickly realize how important it is to stay organized and meet deadlines. Keeping track of due dates and avoiding late fees can initially be overwhelming, especially when they are managing multiple bills and financial tasks at once. These challenges, however, are also some of the most valuable learning experiences the simulation provides—teaching students that financial success depends not only on knowing what to do, but on developing consistent habits, attention to detail, and the ability to plan ahead.
Throughout the years I have had many students remark that this was their favorite activity in my class.