Financial and economic realities are top of mind for most Canadians today. From the rising cost of living to housing affordability, and from job stability to the global effects of tariffs and inflation, people across the country are feeling the squeeze. In today’s complex financial environment, the ability to make sound, informed decisions—both in times of crisis and over the long term—is no longer a luxury. It is essential for building stable households, increasing productivity in the workforce, and supporting resilient communities. Yet for many, these skills remain out of reach.
Recent studies underscore this gap. A 2024 poll by Simplii Financial revealed that younger Canadians (aged 18 to 34) gave themselves the lowest grades for managing their finances and were nearly twice as likely as older Canadians to acknowledge the need for more financial education. Furthermore, the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada’s 2023–2024 Annual Report highlighted that less than half of Canadians consider themselves financially knowledgeable, emphasizing the necessity for enhanced financial education initiatives.
“Like all important skills, financial skills are not something people are born with—it’s something they must learn,” says Meaghan Daly, President and Founder of Forward Vision Games. This skill is particularly elusive for young people today. They are navigating a modern financial world filled with chatbots, digital banking platforms, and traps like Buy Now Pay Later credit options with the click of a button, often without any foundational financial knowledge to anchor their decisions. For Meaghan, these trends couple with her unique career experience became the tipping point for change.
Meaghan Daly, President and Founder of Forward Vision Games (FVG) is on a mission to build financial capacity in people and communities in ways that drive improved productivity and measurable skills. Her company creates financial simulation games that teach critical financial skills needed for the future of work and entrepreneurship.
This Canadian technology company empowers game participants through evidence-based experiential learning. Participants engage with realistic scenarios, make financial decisions, and experience the outcomes of their own choices over time. It’s a practical way to build the type of financial resilience people need—without the high cost of real-world mistakes. Forward Vision Games works with schools, training organizations, and workforce development programs to deliver scalable, engaging, financial skills programming. The platform also tracks outcomes, helping partners demonstrate impact in areas like youth employment and worker readiness, targeting participants aged 15 – 35.
“Most people learn through experience—life is one of our best teachers. But when it comes to money, that can be a very expensive way to learn,” says Daly. “We allow people to learn financial skills with pretend money. It’s engaging, fun, and a lot cheaper than learning with real money like previous generations. Most people do not have a financial safety net when they start out in life; Forward Vision Games is helping to build a skills-based safety so everyone can create pathways to fund their dreams.”
Daly didn’t start her career in education. A former Senior Equity Trader on Bay Street, she had a front row seat to economic and financial turmoil like the Global Financial Crisis of 2008. Through countless conversations during that time, Daly recognized a troubling pattern: people at every level of wealth and education lacked foundational financial knowledge and skills. “I had a desire to change things, so I started to volunteer in the financial literacy sector. What I encountered was outdated teaching methods and misconceptions about the modern financial world. Overtime, this led me to create Forward Vision Games,” shares Daly. “The financial world has changed. It is time to change how we teach it”
The company is also deeply committed to Economic Reconciliation. Forward Vision Games creates pathways for Indigenous worldviews of money and finance in its simulations and have had over 50% of its participants identify as Indigenous to date. In 2023, the company signed an MOU with the Indigenomics Institute, strengthening its efforts to support reconciliation through economic empowerment. The platform is also evolving to include more focused learning tracks that support Newcomers and the Economic Agency of Women.
“Our driving vision right now is to lean into our data,” says Daly. “Our style of gameplay allows us to deeply understand our participants and their financial behaviours.” These insights not only improve learning outcomes but also help our delivery partner organizations better understand the skills and financial needs of those they serve.
Forward Vision Games is actively seeking partnerships with community training groups, employment programs, Indigenous organizations, and skills development networks who want to deliver high-impact, data-driven financial skills programming. Daly and her team welcome outreach from groups who share a vision for a more financially capable and empowered future.
“We know there are passionate educators, youth workers, and community leaders out there who understand how critical these skills are, and we would love to explore opportunities that result in best outcomes for all,” Daly adds.
As a women-identifying founder in the tech space, we asked Daly the one piece of advice that she would give to fellow founders. She mentioned how having genuine curiosity to learn about the journeys of successful founders and seasoned entrepreneurs helped her in rapidly expanding her network. “This approach has proven more effective than attempting to deliver a rushed one-minute pitch about my company in the 30 seconds I have had in proximity to key people at events and conferences,” says Daly.
With a focus on data-driven scalability and strategic partnerships, Forward Vision Games is on the journey to shape and influence a more financially empowered future for all.
To learn more about Forward Vision Games or to explore a partnership, visit their website here.