CoVantage launches real-world financial education for high schoolers

By Patrick Lynn

STEVENS POINT — Balancing a budget is one thing on paper. Doing it when real-life curveballs start flying is another.

That’s the idea behind a new hands-on financial education program from CoVantage Credit Union, which is rolling out a “Financial Strategy Simulation” aimed at high school juniors and seniors.

Instead of sitting through a lecture, students step into a vendor-fair-style setup where they’re asked to build a household spending plan, juggle wants and needs, and see how long their money lasts when unexpected challenges pop up. Limited housing options, daycare waitlists, and the need for a second job are all part of the mix.

The simulation is designed to feel less like schoolwork and more like real life. Students create a strategy, test it, adjust it — and find out whether their plan helps them scrape by or actually get ahead.

Lindsey Mueller, CoVantage’s director of advocacy and financial education, said the new program grew out of years of hosting traditional “reality fairs” — and a realization that students needed something that better reflects today’s financial pressures.

“After hosting 35 reality fairs since 2015, we knew it was time to rethink the format,” Mueller said. “This version puts the focus on planning and decision-making, with the kinds of financial curveballs people actually face. It’s the students versus the game.”

The program has already been tested in classrooms at Menasha High School in Wisconsin and Forest Park High School in Michigan, and CoVantage hopes to bring the simulation to more schools across the region.

Schools interested in taking part can reach out to their local CoVantage Credit Union office for more information.

CoVantage Credit Union is based in Antigo and serves more than 182,000 member-owners, with branches in Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois.