Financial Literacy for Gen Z: Why Game-Based Learning May Be the Better Way

Financial Literacy for Gen Z: Why Game-Based Learning May Be the Better Way

From The Money Advantage Podcast by Bruce Wehner & Rachel Marshall

April 6, 2026 · 48 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the importance of financial literacy for Gen Z and how game-based learning can enhance understanding of money decisions.

What an Old Game Revealed About Real Money Decisions One of the most interesting moments in our conversation with Lucy Taylor had nothing to do with spreadsheets, calculators, or even investing. It was a game. https://www.youtube.com/live/hpyIChXQy5U Bruce brought up Oregon Trail—an old-school game where every decision mattered. How many supplies would you take? How much risk would you accept? Would you move too fast and lose everything, or play so cautiously that you never made meaningful progress? That simple example opened the door to a much bigger truth: money works the same way. Whether someone realizes it or not, personal finance is full of decisions, tradeoffs, consequences, and delayed outcomes. The difference is that in real life, there is no reset button. There is no easy restart after a poor decision. And that is exactly why financial literacy for Gen Z matters so much right now. Young adults are entering a world with rising costs, easy access to debt, nonstop financial noise on social media, and more pressure than ever to make smart money decisions early. Yet many are still being taught money the same old way: through lectures, formulas, compliance-based education…

People in this episode

Hosts: Bruce Wehner, Rachel Marshall

Guest: Lucy Taylor

Topics covered

  • financial literacy
  • Gen Z
  • game-based learning
  • personal finance
  • money decisions

Keywords

  • financial literacy
  • Gen Z
  • Oregon Trail
  • game-based learning
  • personal finance
  • money decisions
  • education

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Oregon Trail

More episodes of The Money Advantage Podcast

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Money Advantage Podcast podcast page.