Attention high school students! Are you up for a Challenge? That’s right, the 2011 National Financial Capability Challenge officially launched on Monday, March 7th and runs through April 8th. This Challenge, organized by the U.S. Department of Treasury and the U.S. Department of Education, is part of a nationwide initiative to promote financial education among high school aged youth. This Challenge is designed to enhance your financial capability by strengthening your knowledge of saving, budgeting, and investing.

Every teenager in America needs to learn about personal finance sooner or later in life. Why not start today? The Challenge will help you understand basic finance. It will help you understand what it means to save for important life events, like saving for college. And it will help you understand the risks and benefits associated with debt from things like car loans and credit cards.  If you want to prepare for financial independence and to make smart financial decisions, these are all crucial topics to know.

Here is what one student said about the Challenge: “The topics in this [test] are the topics that should be discussed more in high school to prepare kids for college and real-life experiences. If students are unable to manage their finances once they are financially independent, life will be harder for them than those who are able to balance their finances.”

Don’t delay! Take the Challenge at www.challenge.treas.gov before the deadline - April 8th!