finnwise

Duolingo for Financial Wisdom

A personalized, gamified financial learning platform powered by AI.

Live Demo · API · Devpost

Welcome to finnwise - Your personalized financial learning journey begins here

Track your progress with an intuitive dashboard

AI-powered personalized lessons tailored to your goals

Practice trading with real-time simulations - no real money at risk

Connect with friends and learn together

Track achievements, streaks, and your learning journey

Financial literacy matters, but actually trying to learn it today feels exhausting. When we first tried to understand investing and personal finance, we quickly got buried in an overwhelming amount of information that assumed different levels of knowledge and offered conflicting advice.

What stood out was how impersonal the experience felt. A teenager saving for their first car, a student learning how credit cards work, and a professional planning for retirement are all at very different stages, yet they are shown the same content and the same jargon-heavy explanations. The challenge was never access to information. It was understanding what actually mattered at that moment.

We wanted financial education to feel gradual, guided, and achievable. Looking at how platforms like Duolingo break complex skills into short, structured lessons with visible progress inspired us to rethink how money should be taught. We imagined a system where financial learning adapts to each person's goals, age, and experience, while building confidence step by step through AI-driven personalization. That vision became finnwise.

finnwise is a personalized, gamified financial learning platform designed to be accessible to everyone—from young people just starting their careers to older users who may not be able to take significant financial risks in real life. It provides a safe space where users can learn financial concepts and gain hands-on experience through real-life simulations without using any real money.

• Adaptive Learning - Personalized lessons generated based on each user's goals, experience level, and comfort with financial topics
• Gemini-Powered AI - Tailored content so users always feel supported rather than overwhelmed
• Trading Simulator - Practice with real market simulations without risking real money
• Social Learning - Connect with friends to stay accountable and track progress together
• Gamification - Streaks, achievements, and progress tracking to keep users engaged
• Secure Authentication - Firebase authentication for seamless onboarding

We built finnwise using a modern, scalable web stack focused on personalization and performance:

• Firebase - Secure user authentication and account management
• MongoDB Atlas - Stores user profiles, lesson plans, progress data, streaks, achievements, and dynamic learning information in a flexible schema
• Gemini API - Powers AI-generated onboarding questions, personalized learning plans, and adaptive lesson content
• Vercel - Serverless deployment for efficient scaling and fast load times

For more details, see the Architecture Documentation.

• Node.js 18+ or Bun
• MongoDB Atlas account
• Firebase project
• Gemini API key

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/finnwise.git
   cd finnwise

2. Install dependencies

   npm install
   # or
   bun install

3. Set up environment variables

   cp .env.example .env

   Fill in your Firebase, MongoDB, and Gemini API credentials.

4. Run the development server

   npm run dev
   # or
   bun dev

5. Open your browser Navigate to http://localhost:5173

• Integrating the Gemini service layer with the frontend in a reliable and maintainable way while ensuring consistent AI responses
• Working within limited Gemini API usage while optimizing performance to keep the app feeling responsive
• Designing lesson pacing carefully so users are not overwhelmed while still making meaningful progress

• How to use MCP servers to structure AI interactions more effectively and manage complex prompt flows
• How to connect and deploy serverless functions in a production-ready environment using Vercel
• How to automate pull requests and enforce code quality using GitHub workflows for lint checks and build validation

• Accessibility - Text-to-audio lesson conversion for visually challenged users
• Content Expansion - More lessons, quizzes, and real-world simulations
• Enhanced Personalization - Deeper AI-driven customization for every stage of the financial journey

Built with love at nwHacks 2026