Articles

Malaysian teen among five selected as winners of the H&R Block Budget Challenge

Published by SchoolAdvisor | Jun 16, 2017

A Malaysian teen Micah Bong, was among the five students named winners of the H&R Block Budget Challenge in the US.  The five winners were selected from among 74,000 students participated in the program, and nearly 2,000 schools were participating throughout all 50 states.

Micah Bong whom attended high school in Sugar Land, Texas received a $20,000 scholarship for his exemplary performance in the H&R Block Budget Challenge, a free financial literacy programme that helps teens get real-world ready from the safety of a classroom.

H&R Block Budget Challenge is an online game that works by replicating an adult’s financial life, requiring students to pay bills, manage expenses, save money, invest in retirement, and pay taxes as if they were recent college graduates. Participating students from across the nation also compete for college scholarships through the programme.

Through the Budget Challenge, H&R Block is committed to helping teens take control of their financial future to ensure they are real-world ready after graduation.  Anyone who are interested in high school education in the US are free to contact Micah at ushighschool2018@gmail.com

The H&R Block Budget Challenge helps teens get real-world ready from the safety of the classroom. Students pay bills, manage expenses, save money, invest in retirement and pay taxes. Participants play classroom against classroom and students against students in this learning-by-doing simulation to win $200,000 in college scholarships. Awards include:

• 10 opportunities for student scholarships of $20K
• Student incentives during game play

Think of Budget Challenge as a road test to personal finance. Students are in the driver’s seat as they immerse into the financial life of a recent college graduate who has been working for about six months. Each student gets a regular paycheck, a checking account, a 401(k) savings account and bills to pay throughout the simulation. Students increase their score by maximizing 401(k) savings, paying bills on time, avoiding penalties and fees like late fees, overdraft fees and finance charges and responding correctly to quiz questions.