Financial Futures teaches budgeting, saving, credit, and taxes to middle and high schoolers through two published workbooks and Dollars & Decisions, a board game founders Luke and Nick Meggers designed and built themselves.
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Schools weren't teaching the money skills every adult needs. So two 8th graders started teaching them.
Twin brothers Luke and Nick Meggers grew up talking about money at the dinner table. Tutoring at Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano showed them how many students never get that conversation at all. In 2022, in 8th grade, they founded Financial Futures to change that, starting with the middle and high school students who have the least access to this kind of education.
Since then, Financial Futures has been named a Dragon Kim Fellowship project, received two Moseley Fellowships, earned a California State Assembly Certificate of Recognition, and registered with the UN SDG Action Campaign under Goals 4 (Quality Education) and 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).
Our first workbook, written in 8th grade and taught by us, now in English, Spanish, and French.
Paper prototypes, playtested with students, then developed into a finished board game.
An app version of the program, submitted to the Congressional App Challenge.
A second workbook covering landing a job, paying taxes, and getting ready for college.
An international masterclass in Tunisia and a place on the UN's Global Map of SDG Actions.
Each session is led by Luke and Nick and built around three parts: a lesson, the workbook, and the game.
A short, student-led lesson on the day's topic: budgeting, banking, credit, and more.
Students apply the lesson in their own workbook, one activity at a time.
Every session closes with Dollars & Decisions, so students test what they just learned.
How many workshops we've run, what we've given away, and what students and partners tell us afterward.
of campers had never had any financial literacy education.
What students and partners told us afterward.
“It was like Monopoly, but real life.”
“The board game made learning about money easy.”
“Now I know how to make better choices with my money.”
“I want to learn more about money so that I can teach my family.”
“I’m going to save more money now.”
“Investing is important because I want to be able to go to college some day.”
“My favorite section was investing because I want to know how to earn more money.”
“I learned more about money and saving.”
An interactive workbook for middle and upper-elementary students. Available in Spanish, and in French as Le Labyrinthe de l’Argent, translated by our partner Learning First.
A Practical Guide to Job Discovery, Career Readiness, and Financial Independence for Teens. The follow-up for high schoolers getting ready for first jobs and the move to college.
Seven chapters that start with where money came from and end with paying for college, built around activities students fill in themselves, like trading five things they own in a bartering exercise.
Every workshop closes with the board game Luke and Nick designed and built themselves. Each turn deals a real-life money moment, and students decide what to do with what they've got.
Sample situations in the spirit of the game. More about the game →
It's the part students keep asking to play after the workshop ends.
Workshop kits pair the game with the right workbook, and partner organizations keep sets so they can run sessions on their own between visits.
Pay day, surprise bills, tax returns, and the occasional bonus.
The board loops students through the money moments adults deal with every month: Pay Day, House and Car Payments, Tax Return, “Life Happens,” and “Money Mayhem.” Partners like Youth Centers of Orange keep sets to play between visits.
We bring the game, the workbooks, and a student-led session to your classroom, camp, or youth program.
Request a workshop →Bring Financial Futures to your own school or club. We share the toolkit and digital copies of the workbooks and game.
How it works →Every dollar puts a workbook and a game in front of a student who wouldn't otherwise have one. Donations are tax-deductible.
Donate ↗We work through schools and youth organizations that already reach the students who need this most, and leave the game and workbooks behind so the learning keeps going.
After-school programs for Long Beach kids and teens.
Visit site ↗Where it all started: the program where Luke and Nick first tutored.
Visit site ↗Youth centers that keep game sets to play between our visits.
Visit site ↗Features Financial Futures in its External Essentials program.
Visit site ↗Built our curriculum into its financial literacy course, with 50+ workbooks, game sets, and teacher training from us.
Visit site ↗Translated The Money Maze into French and hosted our first international masterclass for a university audience.
Instagram link coming soonLuke and Nick Meggers grew up in a house where money was everyday conversation. Then they met students who'd never had that conversation at all.
Our mom is a financial analyst, so money was how our family talked. While other kids argued about curfews, we were debating whether to buy or lease, and whether the extended warranty was worth it.
We assumed everyone grew up that way. Then we started tutoring at Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano, working with students two and three grade levels behind, many of them more worried about their next meal than their next worksheet. The students who needed financial skills most were the least likely to be taught them.
So in 2022, in 8th grade, we started building the program ourselves: first a workbook, then a board game, then workshops to put both in front of students.
“Knowledge is power. Financial literacy is how you break a cycle.”
The gap in financial education isn't limited to a few schools. It's the norm, and it's right here in Orange County.
Source: California Department of Education, 2023
of campers had never had any financial literacy education.
Surveyed at the start and end of the same session.
From one workbook in 8th grade to a program in three countries. Each step came from watching what actually worked with students.
Our first workbook, written in 8th grade and taught by us, now in English, Spanish, and French.
Paper prototypes, playtested with students, then developed into a finished board game.
An app version of the program, submitted to the Congressional App Challenge.
A second workbook covering landing a job, paying taxes, and getting ready for college.
An international masterclass in Tunisia and a place on the UN's Global Map of SDG Actions.
Fellowships and honors that have helped fund our workbooks, game sets, and workshops.
Awarded in 2024 to fund the program's growth.
Two fellowships, awarded in 2025 and 2026.
Certificate of Recognition, presented to Luke by Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris in 2024.
Special recognition for the Financial Futures app, 2024.
Every workshop mixes a short lesson, hands-on workbook time, and a round of Dollars & Decisions. Here's what that looks like at our summer camp.
Book a workshop →90%+ of participants said they felt more confident managing money.
“My son is teaching me what an interest rate is. Thank you for that.”
60+ high schoolers in a single day.
“I want to go into business now. I thought this stuff was boring, but it actually made me feel like I could make it.”
We work through schools and youth organizations that already reach the students who need this most, and we leave the games and workbooks behind so the learning keeps going.
After-school programs for Long Beach kids and teens.
Visit site ↗Where it all started: the program where Luke and Nick first tutored.
Visit site ↗Youth centers that keep game sets to play between our visits.
Visit site ↗Features Financial Futures in its External Essentials program.
Visit site ↗Built our curriculum into its financial literacy course, with 50+ workbooks, game sets, and teacher training from us.
Visit site ↗Translated The Money Maze into French and hosted our first international masterclass for a university audience.
Instagram link coming soonFinancial Futures is registered with the United Nations SDG Action Campaign, alongside organizations worldwide working toward the Sustainable Development Goals.
Want your school or organization on this list? Email us.
We bring the workbooks, the game, and the whole session. You provide the room. We're just getting started.
Every turn is a real money choice. Collect a paycheck, pay your taxes, get hit with a surprise bill, and decide what to do next. It's a year of real financial life, without the real consequences.
Unexpected job changes, tax surprises, a car payment due at the worst time. Students make each call themselves and see what it costs.
Sample situations in the spirit of the game.
It's the part students keep asking to play after the workshop ends.
Every workshop closes with the game, so students put what they just learned to the test. Partner organizations keep sets so they can run sessions between our visits.
Why money left alone grows, and what waiting actually earns you.
Where a paycheck really goes, and what comes out before you ever see it.
What borrowing costs, and how a good score gets built long before you need it.
The day-to-day habits: tracking, planning, and not getting caught off guard.
Dollars & Decisions in classrooms, at summer camp, and out on the patio.
We asked campers to compare it to the board game they already knew. 90% picked ours.
“It was like Monopoly, but real life.”
“The board game made learning about money easy.”
“I’m going to save more money now.”
“My favorite section was investing because I want to know how to earn more money.”
We'll bring the board, the workbooks, and a student-led session, always free of charge.
The Money Maze and Career Compass are free to download, print, and share with your students. No sign-up, no cost. Want to teach them? Our instructor toolkit gives you everything else.
Students start with the basics in The Money Maze, then take the next step with Career Compass.
Where every student starts. Seven hands-on chapters take students from where money came from all the way to paying for college, with activities they fill in themselves. It's the workbook we teach from in every workshop.
Covers money basics, banking, credit, jobs, budgeting, investing, and college tuition.
French edition translated by our partner Learning First. Dutch and Chinese coming soon. Prefer print? Buy it on Amazon ↗ · ISBN 979-8878130844
For students ready for what comes next. A practical guide to career readiness and financial independence: finding a first job, understanding a paycheck, paying taxes, and preparing for college.
Covers job discovery, first paychecks, taxes, and college readiness.
Prefer print? Buy it on Amazon ↗ · ISBN 979-8265623416
Seven chapters that start with where money came from and end with paying for college. Each one is built around activities students fill in themselves, like trading five things they own in a bartering exercise.
Every student leaves with a workbook of their own, filled in by hand.
When you join as an ambassador or partner organization, you get our full instructor toolkit, so anyone can run a Financial Futures session with confidence.
A step-by-step plan for every session: what to say, what to hand out, and how long each part takes.
Dollars & Decisions plus the classroom games we run at camp, like Needs vs. Wants and the Pricing Game.
Digital copies of The Money Maze and Career Compass, ready to print or share with students.
The same slide decks we teach from, ready to use as-is.
The workbooks are yours to keep. If you'd like us to come teach it, we'll do that too, at no cost.
Workshops, game time, camp days, and the students who make them. Tap any photo to see it larger.
Financial Futures reaches more students every time a school hosts us, a student brings us to their campus, or a donor funds the next workshop. Pick the role that fits you.
We bring the game, the workbooks, and a student-led session to your classroom, camp, or youth program. Want to keep it going? Partners get game sets and our instructor toolkit to run sessions all year.
Request a workshop →Bring Financial Futures to your own school or club. We send you the instructor toolkit and digital copies of the workbooks and game, and we're on call for your first session.
How it works →Every dollar puts a workbook and a game in front of a student who wouldn't otherwise have one. Donations are tax-deductible through our fiscal sponsor, Hack Club.
Donate ↗The curriculum and game are built and tested. You provide the room, and we handle the rest.
Workshops, workbooks, and game sets cost your students and your program nothing.
Every partner we've surveyed would recommend us, and 90% of students say it beats Monopoly.
Join partners like
Teachers, parents, program leaders: send us a note. Luke and Nick read every email and usually reply within the week.
You don't need to be a teacher, and you don't need to build anything. If you can find a room and an hour, we'll send you everything else.
Where you are, roughly how many students, and when you'd like to run it.
The instructor toolkit plus digital copies of both workbooks and the game.
Use our lesson plan as-is or adapt it. We're on call for your first one.
What landed and what didn't. Your feedback shapes the next version.
No printing budget, no curriculum to write. Everything arrives digitally, ready to use.
Our facilitator guide, games to play, and slides to present.
The Money Maze, Career Compass, and the Dollars & Decisions game.
Luke and Nick are on call while you run your sessions.
Tell us a little about your school and we'll get you everything you need for your first session.
Apply to be an ambassador →A single workshop, a summer program, or a full classroom curriculum. Reach out and we'll figure out what fits.
A student-founded nonprofit teaching financial literacy through workbooks, workshops, and an original board game.
