H&R Block Budget Challenge

This App is free and works with the Sponsored version of Budget Challenge named H&R Block Budget Challenge found on www.hrblock.budgetchallenge.com and contains features to support the scholarship contest for high school students. Budget Challenge® is an award-winning and patented program that actually SHOWS young people how to manage money in a real life setting. We use a Learning-By-Doing approach to put students in the driver’s seat in our Road Test for Personal Finance®. Our contest simulations are 10 weeks in duration and students receive paychecks and bills in real time and are challenged to pay their bills and save money for retirement in a 401k. Unlike other simulations, Budget Challenge is also a competition that scores and ranks students based on how well they save, answer weekly quizzes, and manage their financial responsibilities (pay bills). Students can compete with other students in their class and classes can compete with other classes based on class average to make the learning of life skills engaging and fun. The simulation does not use real money, but is extremely realistic including features such as online bill pay, direct deposit, email bill alerts, 401k paycheck deductions and more. Budget Challenge also includes many of the complicated banking and credit card fees that plague young people in the real world, so students can learn the ropes and make their costly ‘rookie’ mistakes in the safety of the classroom. Budget Challenge aims to make students Real World Ready by focusing on Behaviors, Knowledge, and Skills. Our program aligns with NCEE and Jump$tart national standards and goes well beyond teaching vocabulary and financial concepts by putting these topics into action with real consequences. This patented product delivers unparalleled results that really matter for students entering the real world. The statistics below were from a study of over 25,000 students and were published on Time.com:• 92% said learning about money management was very important and 80% wanted to learn more• 92% said they were more likely to check their account balance before writing a check• 89% said they were more confident and 91% said they were more aware of money pitfalls and mistakes• 87% said they were better able to avoid bank and credit card fees• 84% said they were better able to understand fine print and 79% said they were better able to compare financial products• 78% said they learned money management methods that worked best for them• 53% said they were rethinking their college major or career choice with an eye toward higher payWhile most of the core functionality of the website is contained in this app, there are limitations of small screens, so some content has been abridged or removed from the app. For first time users, we recommend playing the simulation for a week or two on a PC/Mac before using the app exclusively.
Achievements: 2015 EIFLE Award Winner: Education Program of the Year
- Money ManagementPatent Nos. 8,444,418 and 8,740,617Presenter at National NCEE and NCSS conferences

Category : Education

Reviews (26)

Cla. R. Mar 2, 2019

half the app won't even load, on wifi. how am I supposed to pass the class if I can't work on it from home, what If I didn't own a computer? It's horrible, laggy and overall nothing like how real life works anyways, I already have to pay taxes so I know how they work and this? is not it.

Phi. W. Feb 19, 2019

They made the app without concidering that some people have small phone

the. c. f. Mar 12, 2019

what are the stats on the 401k. is it difficult to grind

Noa. U. Jan 17, 2019

I hate souza

May. F. Feb 7, 2018

It has kicked me out twice in the last day. There are so many glitches and it could be a great app if they could just fix all of the bugs. It's dissaponting really.

Mat. S. Mar 1, 2017

Needs to be updated but I'm pretty sure that's not gonna happen so just use the website. Looks like it was made in 2002.

Ben. G. Nov 12, 2016

The app is a very sorry attempt at making the challenge usable on mobile. The only good thing about it is the notifications for bills, etc. The app design is clunky and poorly organized. The website is much better and I'd recommend challenge participants use that instead.

dj. m. Feb 27, 2018

UI is terrible, literally impossible to find any guild's and needs more micro transactions

Pas. C. Jan 24, 2018

Taught me nothing. I basically was confused throughout the whole thing. Rather have my parents give me a lecture bout this than figure this app out. 🖓

Azz. R. Feb 10, 2017

So many glitches. The server is always timed out. The log in lags so much. There is no way to check anything or the status of your bank accounts. Please fix this! I rather use the website than to use the app.

Rya. S. Sep 28, 2017

Maybe the best app I have ever used!!! The browser interface is so clean, and runs smoothly on my device! I would recommend it to all of my friends and family so they can get their lives together and learn how to pay taxes! TAXES!!!1!

Bri. G. Jan 29, 2017

The only thing i use it for is the notifications. The rest of the app is useless just go online

Ana. C. Jan 29, 2017

I really liked this app It helped me understand how to deal more with paying checks on time.

Nal. R. Mar 13, 2018

It helps you get prepared for real life situations and responsibilities...

Ola. Mar 29, 2018

I hate this, learned nothing. I think that this is a waste of timw

Mic. F. Jan 27, 2017

What were they thinking when they made this trash. 0 stars.

Dan. I. Aug 25, 2017

Horrible app. Creators should be ashamed.

jon. p. Jan 9, 2018

I think is very nice

Ian. H. Sep 12, 2016

I was expecting an advanced qr scanner with price checking for Kohl's and Kroger. But instead a get a basic video game about computers or something. I know that, as a single mom in her 40's, we don't need another fancy technology game. Like if you agree.

Jos. M. Mar 2, 2016

Poorly designed making it confusing to get to bills notifications, etc. Never assigning this to my students ever again.

Mat. M. Oct 12, 2016

I got this app so that I could do the challenge without needing to use my computer for it everyday. Too bad it's not possible thanks to this ridiculous confusing app that won't let me take the quizzes.

Mat. Y. Apr 4, 2016

I was expecting a realistic RPG with really good customization but everyone is the same person. If there was more customization such as class customization and character customization. When you add more customization, I will come back to play again. Why would I play this when I could play a game like World of Warcraft or Neverwinter?

Sum. T. Nov 3, 2015

Some text and icons are not avaliable. It's also not as organized as the computer version of the H&R Block Budget Challenge. Though, it does help mobilise the application.

Kre. T. Sep 13, 2015

Can not see the rest of the memos because the app cuts it off and only lets you scroll up and down instead of letting it free roam like a PC. Please fix this issue, need it for school and not trying to fail because of not being able to read statements.

Cha. K. Oct 13, 2015

Elements don't all fit on the screen, and NO MATERIAL DESIGN!

J. P. Sep 2, 2016

My students used this app all the time during the Spring 2016 Budget Challenge. They loved it. The results speak for themselves. SJO Spartans 5 finished #1 out of 860 teams. SJO Spartans 2 finished #2 out of 860 teams.