CENTER FOR FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT | NEVADA OFFICE

The CFE’s 3-hour Mad City Money simulation event delivers a dose of financial reality to high school students and young adults in a fun, interactive format. This hands-on learning activity gets young people out of the classroom to experience what it’s like to live and support a family in the real world. Students are transported into the future where they have a job and income. They also have medical insurance payments, student loan debt, credit card debt, a spouse and children to provide for. Their challenge is to visit “merchant” stations to purchase housing, transportation, food, clothing, childcare and more, all without running out of money. And before they finish, they’re visited by Fate who delivers unexpected expenses and windfalls.

A four-year series of financial literacy courses for high schools, with five topic presentations delivered every year for each grade level. The combination of courses satisfies in totality the high school financial literacy standards defined in the Nevada Academic Content Standards (NVACS). Classroom instruction is provided in collaboration between the CFE’s Certified Financial Educators, classified teachers, and subject-matter experts from the community who serve as guest presenters. The program is designed to teach disadvantaged high school students financial literacy, to help address economic inequalities in low-income communities.