Press Releases

For Immediate Release
May 20, 2010	Contact: Charles Evenson 608-266-2026

Governor Doyle Congratulates Winner of First-Ever Finance and Investment Challenge Bowl

Team from Wilmot High School Wins Statewide Competition

(Madison) A team from Wilmot High School in Kenosha County yesterday won the first-ever Wisconsin Finance and Investment Challenge Bowl® (FICB). The FICB promotes financial literacy using a quiz show format to test students’ knowledge of credit, personal finance, investing, entrepreneurship and economics. The event was held at Grainger Hall on the UW-Madison’s campus.

“Financial literacy is critical to the state’s future and I am pleased to see so many students involved in the Finance and Investment Challenge Bowl,” Governor Doyle said. “I congratulate the Wilmot High School team on winning the competition and encourage all students and residents to continue to develop a strong foundation for financial literacy that will lead our state into the future.”

Eight teams from four regions competed. They included Madison West and LaFollette (Madison Region); Phillips and DC Everest (Wausau Region); Pius XI and Wilmot Union (Milwaukee) and Bowler (two teams from Shawano/Menominee). All had been first or second place winners in their respective regional FICB competitions. The Wilmot team members received plaques and took possession of a newly minted traveling trophy.

The FICB offers an interactive way to teach high school students personal finance, economics, entrepreneurship and investing subject matter. Study materials for the competition, which were developed to complement the Department of Public Instruction’s Social Studies and Economics learning standards, may be found at the www.ficbonline.org website. David Mancl, Director of DFI’s Office of Financial Literacy served as Challenge Master.

“The Finance and Investment Challenge Bowl, which is offered in cooperation with school districts around the state, is a great way to educate students and allow them to demonstrate their knowledge in a fun and competitive atmosphere,” said Richard Entenmann, President of Asset Builders of America that created the FICB.

“The students really enjoyed competing against their regional peers, and we thought it would be fun and useful to have the statewide winners meet and compete to establish a statewide champion,” said DFI Secretary Lorrie Keating Heinemann.

FICB builds on the state’s efforts to build financial literacy under Governor Doyle’s leadership. In early 2005, Governor Doyle formed the Governor’s Council on Financial Literacy to advise and implement efforts to improve financial literacy in Wisconsin. Four years ago, in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, the council launched the first-ever statewide campaign in the country to promote financial literacy – Money Smart Week Wisconsin. To date, Money Smart Week has helped nearly 43,000 students, homeowners and others learn critical money management skills. This year’s Money Smart Week is set for October 2 through October 9, 2010.

M&I Bank, the Educated Investor and the DFI sponsored the event. For more information about the FICB contact David Mancl at 608-261-9540 or email him at david.mancl@wisconsin.gov.