MALVERN, PA — Vanguard is supplying the investment simulation for a new national high school competition that will put students through long-term portfolio decisions and real-world financial scenarios before a championship round in Philadelphia in May 2027.
The Council for Economic Education is launching the National Investment Challenge using Vanguard’s My Classroom Investor, a free investment simulation for high school educators. Early access to the competition is scheduled for November, followed by a January 2027 kickoff.
Students will advance through a qualifying round and live state rounds before the national final in Philadelphia. Teams will compete for cash prizes.
My Classroom Investor gives students a fictional financial goal, such as saving for college, and places them in charge of a mock portfolio spanning 30 years. Participants can buy and sell stocks, bonds and exchange-traded funds while responding to market movements and unexpected household events that can force them to reconsider their allocations.
The simulation is part of Vanguard’s My Classroom Economy, a free financial-literacy program available to educators nationwide.
The competition will add case studies and presentations requiring students to explain their investment strategies, extending the exercise beyond portfolio performance. The program maps to Vanguard investing principles, Council for Economic Education standards and the CFA Investment Foundations exam.
“Access to thoughtful, interactive tools like My Classroom Investor allows students to engage and learn from their mistakes without the real financial consequences that can come from those choices,” Council for Economic Education Chief Executive Officer Steve Bumbaugh stated.
The National Investment Challenge joins the organization’s National Personal Finance Challenge and National Economics Challenge. The council describes the new program as one of the first national student competitions focused specifically on capital-markets education.
Vanguard Head of Community Stewardship Aldustus “AJ” Jordan stated that the competition is intended to give students a hands-on setting to apply foundational investing principles and make decisions in real time.
The program is designed around goal setting, investment discipline and balancing risk, with students able to rebalance their simulated portfolios as financial circumstances change.
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