And the Final Jeopardy question is:
What is a Reverse Mortgage for $5,000?
TruMark Financial hosted its tenth annual Financial Jeopardy competition on April 26, 2017, at TruMark Financial Headquarters, Fort Washington, Pa.
The Financial Jeopardy competition, a spin-off of the long-running nightly quiz show that airs on 6ABC in Philadelphia, tested students’ personal finance knowledge in categories such as banking, credit, taxes, budgeting, and investments. At the end of the competition, TruMark Financial awarded three scholarships – a $5,000 grand prize, a $3,000 second prize, and a $2,000 third prize – to the students who fared best in the Jeopardy, Double Jeopardy, and Final Jeopardy rounds of the competition.
The winner of the $5,000 grand prize was Miranda Mencken of Plymouth Whitemarsh High School. Mencken will attend Bloomsburg University in the fall to study finance. “It has been an incredible honor to participate in TruMark Financial’s Jeopardy Competition and to come out as the 2017 champion,” said Mencken. “I am so thankful to my teacher Ms. Labricciosa and to everyone who helped put this event together. Not only will this scholarship bring me one step closer to earning a finance degree, but thanks to the competition, I will have knowledge of the financial world that I can carry with me throughout the rest of my life.”
Second place winner Joseph Makkar of William Tennent High School won a $3,000 scholarship and hopes to attend University of Michigan. Abigail Harpur of Abington High School finished third, winning a $2,000 scholarship. She will be attending Grove City College.
In addition to the top three prizes, TruMark Financial awarded $200 to each of the other contestants: Matthew Corbett, Bensalem High School; Hannah Faiella, Central Bucks East High School; Elana Donato, Neshaminy High School; Michael Cummins, Upper Dublin High School; Cary Boyd, Roman Catholic High School; Jessica Lin, Radnor High School; and Henry James Carrington, Council Rock North High School.
As financial “illiteracy” and college debt among young people increase and school budgets shrink, TruMark Financial works to bridge the gap with programs that educate students about credit, loans, saving, and investing. The Financial Jeopardy competition is one component of the credit union’s financial literacy initiative “Building Financial Futures” that provides students with sound financial principles that will serve them throughout their lifetime.
In an effort to provide students with sound financial principles as they transition into adulthood, TruMark Financial employees visit local high schools and conduct presentations on topics such as banking, establishing and maintaining good credit, budgeting, and investing. TruMark Financial presentations provide third-party expertise to students and complement the schools’ existing personal finance curricula. In addition, TruMark Financial operates six student-run branches in high schools and colleges throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania.