The competition will test their knowledge as they build their financial portfolios. That includes how well they handle a potentially difficult family housing scenario based on the portfolio they've constructed.

The competition is part of Financial Fitness Fair, a free community event put together by United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona and Tucson Money Faire. The event – 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. – includes free financial information for adults, food and raffles.

The Financial Face-Off competition runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Each semester since 2000, the University of Arizona's Take Charge America Institute, or TCAI, and its Credit-Wise Cats student ambassadors run personal financial workshops for more than 600 Tucson-area middle and high school students. The workshops are designed to increase students' financial literacy and prepare them for the Financial Face-Off.

TCAI is part of the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences.

"TCAI is focused on reaching young adults through financial education," said Michael Staten, a professor and the institute's director. "The Arizona Financial Face-Off provides a platform to test and showcase the knowledge students gained in the workshops. We are grateful to have the support of strong partners who share our commitment to financial literacy and allow us to provide students a real-life scenario competition while having fun."

The Credit-Wise Cats have partnered with Hughes Federal Credit Union, Citi and the Tucson Association of Realtors to host the event.