The Utah Valley University (UVU) financial planning team is still celebrating its first place finish at the AFCPE 2023 Knowledge Bowl that took place last November. The bowl is a game-show-style competition that includes a series of rigorous questions pertaining to financial planning, budgeting, and laws and regulations.

The UVU team members — Andrew Mathis, Maddy Snizek, and Aaron Love — competed against big-name universities across the U.S. in New Orleans andshowcased their deep knowledge of financial planning. Kansas State University placed second and University of Georgia placed third. 

Financial planning students prepare rigorously to compete in the AFCPE Knowledge Bowl. Each spring, teams from universities and colleges across the U.S. submit applications hoping to secure a spot to compete.  

Under the guidance of Alisa Nguyen Allebest, UVU’s Knowledge Bowl team coach and assistant director of the school’s Money Success Center, the students spent many hours during the year honing their personal financial planning skills. Allebest facilitated practice sessions, ensuring the team was well-prepared to tackle any question that came their way.

The competition included each team being asked 50 complex financial-relatedquestions during the two-day event. The UVU team answered their questions with aplomb and accuracy and won by a large margin.  

“Most people at the conference had never heard of Utah Valley University,” said Allebest. “The academic excellence of our students is building a national reputation for the university. Having won this competition for the third year in a row, people are remembering who we are and that we are the team to beat.”

For team member Aaron Love, the competition was not only an opportunity for intellectual growth but also a chance to develop friendships and have fun. He said, “Aside from the opportunity to deepen my knowledge and learn more about financial counseling, my biggest takeaway was how awesome it is to get involved with all that UVU has to offer.

“We were lucky to have the entire trip paid for, and I was able to develop great relationships with my fellow students and professors. It was just an all-around fantastic time.”

“The Knowledge Bowl taught me a couple of things,” said Maddy Snizek, another team member. “First, I learned how to rely on my team. Through my preparation for the competition, I also learned more effective ways of studying, especially as I am preparing to take the Certified Financial Planning (CFP) examination this spring."