A Finance Class for Teens 14+ in Ottawa
Practise money decisions before they become real. A teenager budgets, borrows, invests, negotiates and handles a surprise expense, writes every move in their own ledger, then explains the choices in the debrief. Five hours from 13:00, CAD 200 a seat.
Life Capital is an in-person finance class for teens from 14: a five-hour simulation where each player runs a budget, takes credit, saves and invests, and handles risk, writing every decision in a paper ledger. Sessions run in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario; from 1 November 2026 a seat is CAD 200, CAD 150 each for a pair.
A Trainer facilitates the whole session, a Banker pays out and collects the play money, and the class ends with each teenager reading their own ledger aloud.
Ask for a session date →Workshop dates and prices in Ottawa →
Why teenagers practise money decisions at a table
A teenager can learn what a budget, an interest rate or a credit score means and still freeze when several decisions collide at once. At a Life Capital table, money, time, risk, goals and other people all compete for attention, round after round, the way adult decisions arrive. Players work through roughly forty years of adult financial life in one sitting: a first job, borrowing, insurance, a missed payment, a change of career.
What they leave with
- 3–5 personal goals for the month;
- a basic income–expenses–savings budget;
- their own ledger: every decision of the five hours, in their handwriting.
The session produces no scores and no reports about a teenager; the ledger belongs to the player.
Parents and teens at the same table
Adults play at the same tables as teenagers, so a parent can sit in with their teen: two seats booked together are CAD 150 each from 1 November 2026. A family or a group of friends can take a whole table of up to eight players for CAD 1,000.
For Ontario families: the Grade 10 requirement
Ontario made financial literacy a graduation requirement inside Grade 10 Career Studies from 2026–2027, for students who began Grade 9 in 2025–2026 or later. The TVO modules and the mark stay with the school; a session gives practice at the same everyday topics. For the rule itself, read the Ontario Grade 10 financial literacy guide; to check where your teen stands, try the 14 practice questions.
For schools and youth organizations
Schools run a school club across the school year: shorter theory meetings, and full 5-hour simulations where the theory is practised. Youth organizations book a 5-hour session for their group.
No reply after two business days means the message did not reach us. Write to info@lifecapital.ca or call +1 613 621 1261.
Questions parents ask before booking
What age is the finance class for teens for?
From 14, for every Life Capital program; in Ontario schools that means Grades 9–12. Adults play at the same tables, so a parent can book a pair with their teenager.
What will my teenager learn?
How to build and keep a budget, what borrowing costs over time, how saving and simple investments compare, how to absorb an unexpected expense, and how to negotiate. Each decision is written in their own ledger and talked through in the debrief.
Does the class tell teenagers what to invest in?
The class recommends no securities and no single investment strategy. Its purpose is financial reasoning: weighing a choice, seeing its cost later and explaining it.
How long is the class, and how much does it cost?
One five-hour session from 13:00, usually at a weekend. From 1 November 2026 a seat is CAD 200, CAD 150 each for a pair booked together, and CAD 1,000 for a whole table.
Where does it run?
In person in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario, in English or Ukrainian. Schools and youth groups can book a session at their own venue, quoted for the group.
Is there an online option?
Sessions run in person only: the board, the cards and the play money are on a real table. To see how a turn works before you book, open the browser version of the simulation at lifecapital.evokira.com.
Does it count toward Ontario’s Grade 10 financial literacy requirement?
The requirement is completed through the TVO modules in Grade 10 Career Studies, and the mark stays with the school. The class gives practice at the same everyday topics: budgeting, interest, saving, credit and debt.