Eden Prairie student member of 2nd place State Personal Finance Decathlon team

Sean Happe of Eden Prairie, a senior at Saint Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights, is a member of the school’s 2024 State Personal Finance Decathlon team, which took second place among 13 Minnesota schools in the recent statewide competition. The first-place team, Mounds View High School, advances to the National Personal Finance Challenge

The Personal Finance Decathlon program is the flagship program of the Minnesota Council on Economic Education, providing students from across the state an opportunity to demonstrate critical thinking and financial communication skills. Each year, more than 300 high school students participate in the online qualifying competition that tests their familiarity with 10 areas of personal finance, including insurance, investing, saving, and budgeting. The state competition uses a case-study format that allows students to experience financial planning for a fictional family, helping the family reach their financial goals by applying knowledge of personal finance concepts and presenting recommendations to a panel representing industry, academia and government.

This year, 300 students from 13 schools across Minnesota participated in the Personal Finance Decathlon program, with 36 students advancing to the state in-person competition held at Securian Financial.