FINAL RESULTS Midnight Thursday

• Uber Driver advances to the next round with a convincing win scoring 62 vs. Five Stocks 43
• Earnings by Major upsets Online Tools and Apps by a score of 56-48

Update 12 noon Thursday

• Uber Driver continues to maintain its lead over Five Stocks at 59-41 (actual vote totals) 
• Earnings by Major has expanded its lead to vs. Online Tools and Apps with the score of 54-46 (actual vote totals). Where's the social media support for Online Tools and Apps? It's a great way to get students to think critically about financial apps. 

Update 7am Thursday

• Could we have an upset in the making? In game 3, Five Stocks is hanging tough with Uber Driver. Early in the contest, Uber leads 60-40. Let's see what happens when Coach Jessica unleashes her stock-loving denizens on social media. This one could stay close.
• Meanwhile, in the 7-11 contest, Earnings by Major enjoys a slim lead over Online Tools and Apps 54-46. There's a lot of game left to play in this one. 

MAKE YOUR SELECTIONS HERE FOR BOTH GAMES

GAME 3

This simulation, Can You Make It as An Uber Driver?, has taken the Interactive League by storm and has incredible momentum entering the tournament. Discovered on ft.com during a late night surfing session less than 3 months ago (we like to Keep it Current), this game captures the stresses of the gig economy so well.  Chase the surge? Invest in water, mints and snacks? Take time to be with your family? ROI, trade-offs, net profit. There's educational value too! Here's what teachers are saying: "My students had a good time with it and learned a lot about choices and consequences." Looks like a shoo-in for the elite 8, huh?

A definite long-shot here, the #15 seed has only come out on top 7 times since the NGPF field expanded to 16 teams so 5 Stocks On Your Birthday will need a herculean effort from coach Jessica and strong support from the NGPF community to survive. Can she harness all the social media skills she can muster to overcome the Uber effect?  Coach Jess has been known to crow often about 5 Stocks so maybe there's some latent support out there. What a plot! Grandmas giving stock to 10 year olds, historical stock price look-ups on Yahoo Finance and good old mathematics help to round out this underdog. 

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As for NGPF's very own professional prognosticator, Melissa, here's her take on the match-up:

Can You Make It as An Uber Driver is a young resource but they play like they've been around for ages. With the necessary high energy offense to help any student learn about this career path, they are a SLAM DUNK team.  5 Stocks on Your Birthday may be a giant with a lot of history, but it might be time for a new program to emerge. With so many other great teams in the Investing conference, no wonder this oldie but goodie isn't ranked high. I'm taking my chances on inexperience this time around saying Uber Driver for the W, baby! 

Vegas has Uber Driver as a 10 point favorite. This could change, just like the pending career of Uber Drivers everywhere.

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Game 4: 

Two "oldies but goodies" square off on Thursday as Online Tools and Apps meets Earnings by Major. 

Students talking Venmo, Zelle and Acorns are enough to drive any personal finance teacher crazy. How can you possibly keep up with all these apps?! Online Tools and Apps high-tech offense to the rescue:) While your student groups research an app, find answers to the key questions (yup, it's all about the fees!) and prepare their presentations, you will be smug in the knowledge that you are developing essential 21st Century skills: online research, analysis, teamwork and communication to name a few. 

What should I major in? Such an existential question that so many young adults agonize over. Should money be the deciding factor? Probably not, but it better be one factor. Earnings by Major will quickly dispel the notion that a Lamborghini is coming with your social worker's salary. What could be more powerful than helping young people see the link between a college major and their earnings (and the lifestyle they can afford)?

Coach Tim is coming into this contest a tad overconfident. Overheard by the water cooler:

"Choosing the right major can be the difference maker in millions of dollars of earnings while apps, hah, you might save a few pennies with that Acorns app. Earnings by Major is a PTPer (prime time player). Elite 8 here we come!"

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As for NGPF's very own professional prognosticator, Melissa, here's her take on the match-up:

Online Tools and Apps has the swagger and the depth of content to get past any resource. Students can really relate to its components which brings energy to this match up. As a 7 seed, you might say this team is even a sleeper! Sometimes a 7 seed can slide into a position to upset someone big. As for Earnings By College Major, this one just doesn't have enough versatility to beat the depth of Online Tools. Although this resource exhibits some great stats, it doesn't have a current flash that every student needs to stay engaged. I'm going with the favorite this time around.

Vegas has Online Apps at a 4 point favorite. This is subject to change, much like the ever-evolving fintech industry.

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MAKE YOUR SELECTIONS HERE FOR BOTH GAMES

About the Authors

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.

Melissa Belardi

Melissa is extremely passionate about making abstract ideas more tangible for students. After teaching High School Physical Science for 5 years on the east coast, she has made the switch to a nonprofit in the hopes of reaching all types of learners. In her experience, students were interested in learning more about personal finance and she believes that all students should have access to this material. She first gained insight into inquiry-based and project style learning during her Masters in Education at the University of Pennsylvania GSE and believes these methods are ideal for students to connect financial concepts with their lives. Other than creating learning materials, Melissa loves live music, great food, and playing soccer.