2026–27 Season
The Finance & Investment Challenge Bowl
A season-long competition testing Wisconsin and northern Illinois high school students' real-world knowledge of investing, credit, and personal finance — from a regional tournament all the way to a state championship.
4 students per team
$25 per team
Free breakfast & lunch
Participation over time
Students, teams and schools competing in the Finance & Investment Challenge Bowl each season.
| Season | Students | Teams | Schools | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-12 | 506 | 128 | — | |
| 2012-13 | 586 | 148 | — | |
| 2013-14 | 607 | 147 | — | |
| 2014-15 | 596 | 142 | — | |
| 2015-16 | 628 | 155 | — | |
| 2016-17 | 531 | 134 | — | |
| 2017-18 | 647 | 147 | — | |
| 2018-19 | 663 | 167 | 66 | The first season schools were counted individually. |
| 2019-20 | 733 | 186 | 61 | |
| 2020-21 | 410 | 112 | 64 | Tournaments ran remotely; attendance fell by nearly half. |
| 2021-22 | 767 | 194 | 85 | |
| 2022-23 | 1,033 | 270 | 117 | Illinois schools join the program. |
| 2023-24 | 1,173 | 307 | 125 | |
| 2024-25 | 1,244 | 325 | 125 | |
| 2025-26 | 1,347 | 357 | 140 |
- 12018-19 — The first season schools were counted individually.
- 22020-21 — Tournaments ran remotely; attendance fell by nearly half.
- 32022-23 — Illinois schools join the program.
Figures from the organization’s own attendance records.
How it works
- 1
Register
Sign your team up for the current season — 4 students per team, $25 per team.
- 2
Compete at your regional
Travel to your assigned regional tournament for a day of head-to-head rounds.
- 3
Top 2 advance
Each regional's top two teams move on to the state championship.
- 4
State Championship
Advancing teams from every region compete for the state title.
17 regionals across Wisconsin and northern Illinois
Eau Claire
Chippewa Valley Technical College (Clairmont Campus Business Education Center)
Cadott — last season’s champion
View regionRock County
Blackhawk Technical College (Central Campus, Janesville)
Beloit Turner — last season’s champion
View regionWhitewater
UW – Whitewater College of Business and Economics
Monroe — last season’s champion
View region
Rules & scoring
Teams face off in head-to-head rounds of rapid-fire questions covering investing, credit, banking, insurance, and other personal-finance topics. Each round has a fixed scoring format and a tie-break procedure, and the top scorers in every regional advance toward the state championship.
Read the complete rules of playFrequently asked questions
Is food provided?
Yes, a light breakfast (coffee, bagel/donut, juice, etc.) is provided, along with lunch (usually pizza). Both breakfast and lunch are provided without charge.
Is there a cost to compete?
- We charge $25 per team as a registration fee.
- If this is a barrier to participation, please call and ask about a scholarship.
- It is the responsibility of the teacher/school to arrange transportation and subs.
How many students are on a team?
We prefer 4 per team, but 3 is ok.
How many teams can a school bring?
We will allow every school that wants to compete to do so. Because we need to fill out our tournament bracket, schools usually can bring multiple teams and sometimes as many as 4 or 5 teams. It depends on the level of interest at any given tournament. Teachers are encouraged to contact Asset Builders to register teams early, and not wait until the deadline.
How should the students prepare/what content do you test?
- The FICB aligns with statewide learning standards in personal finance and economics.
- FICB questions ONLY have to do with finance - they do NOT include material from non-finance related subjects.
- If students are already taking classes in personal finance, economics, marketing, or the like, or participate in DECA or FBLA, they will know enough to be competitive and have fun. They may not know all the answers, but the point of the FICB is education!
- Our study resources page has broad guidance on the topics covered.
- Please take a look at these videos taken at previous tournaments: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKKGLDHSInIaKw6OWsMXEnA
- We have released several question sets for previous tournaments to show the format of the games, how we mix the subject matter from one question to the next, and the general structure of the games. Browse the published question sets.
Bring the Challenge Bowl to your school
Register a team, volunteer at a regional tournament, or sponsor the season.