NOTE: This course has recently been updated! Learn more about the changes.

Semester Course
Personal Finance

Semester Course

The semester-long personal finance course covers all of the essential personal finance topics necessary to become a financially capable student. By the end of this course, students will have a thorough understanding of personal finance topics and be prepared to handle the financial responsibilities that exist after graduation.

Grade Level(s):
9-12
Standards Alignment:
National Standards for Personal Financial Literacy
Format(s):
Google Drive, Nearpod & Pear Deck
Assessments:
Unit Exams, Diagnostic Exam, Final Exam & Summative Project
Cost:
FREE, and always will be
Course Materials
Syllabus and Assessments
Unit 1 (8)
Behavioral Economics
Unit 2 (1)
Banking
Unit 3 (7)
Investing
Unit 4 (3)
Types of Credit
Unit 5 (4)
Managing Credit
Unit 6 (5)
Paying for College
Unit 7 (9)
Career
Unit 8 (11)
Insurance
Unit 9 (10)
Taxes
Unit 10 (6)
Budgeting
Unit 11 (21)
Consumer Skills

Unit 1 Behavioral Economics

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Semester Course Syllabus

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Assessments

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Your Values and Money (376)

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Your Money & Social Media (415)

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Your Brain and Money (388)

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Overcoming Cognitive Biases (389)

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Checking Accounts (394)

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Savings Accounts (395)

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Beware of Banking Fees (396)

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Being Unbanked (397)

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Strategies to Save (398)

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Challenges to Saving (399)

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Digital Wallets & P2P Apps (504)

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Online and Mobile Banking (400)

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Why Should I Invest? (424)

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What is the Stock Market? (425)

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What is a Stock? (426)

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What is a Bond? (427)

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Managing Risk (428)

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Investing in Funds (429)

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Deep Dive Into Funds (430)

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Start Investing (431)

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The Importance of Investing for Retirement (432)

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How to Invest for Retirement (433)

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Modern Investing (434)

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Intro to Credit (377)

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Young People & Credit Cards (378)

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Using Credit Cards Wisely (379)

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Loan Fundamentals (380)

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Auto Loans (381)

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Mortgages (382)

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Predatory Lending (383)

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Debt Management (384)

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Your Credit Report (385)

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Your Credit Score (386)

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Building Credit from Scratch (387)

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Paying for College 101 (435)

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Applying for the FAFSA (436)

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Scholarships and Grants (437)

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Student Loans (438)

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Financial Aid Packages (439)

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Student Loan Repayment (440)

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Time for Payback (441)

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Career Exploration (96)

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Finding a Job (97)

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Resumes and Cover Letters (98)

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The Interview (99)

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Starting a New Job (100)

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Intro to Insurance (412)

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Auto Insurance (457)

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Renters & Homeowners Insurance (458)

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How Health Insurance Works (459)

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How to Access Health Insurance (460)

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Other Types of Insurance (461)

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Taxes and Your Pay Stub (413)

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The Tax Cycle and Job Paperwork (462)

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Teens and Taxes (463)

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How to File Your Taxes (464)

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Completing the 1040 (465)

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Budgeting Basics (442)

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Budgeting Strategies (443)

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Budgeting for Housing (444)

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Budgeting for Transportation (445)

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Budgeting for Food (446)

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Build Your Budget (448)

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Advertisements & Dark Patterns (466)

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Comparison Shopping (467)

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Identity Theft (468)

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Scams & Fraud (469)

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Resources

Activities

COMPARE: Types of Savings Accounts
CREATE: Your Savings Goals
INTERACTIVE: Living Paycheck to Paycheck
ANALYZE: Understanding Amortization
CALCULATE: Shopping with Interest
CALCULATE: Using a Mortgage Calculator
COMPARE: Auto Loans
INTERACTIVE: FICO Credit Scores
CALCULATE: Impact of Credit Score on Loans
RESEARCH: Finding Scholarships and Grants
COMPARE: Needs vs. Wants
CREATE: A Salary-Based Budget
CALCULATE: Retirement Savings Goals
COMPARE: Types of Retirement Accounts
ANALYZE: Dollar Cost Averaging
PLAY: Dollar Auction Game
CALCULATE: Completing a 1040
COMPARE: Tax Forms and their Purpose
RESEARCH: The Tax Cycle
PLAY: Types of Car Insurance
COMPARE: Types of Health Insurance Plans
ANALYZE: A High School Resume and Cover Letter
MOVE: Let's Make a Mutual Fund
ANALYZE: College and Career Choices
COMPARE: Which Repayment Option is Best?
INTERACTIVE: Payback
INTERACTIVE: Sticker Price vs. Net Price
RESEARCH: Person-to-Person Payments
INTERACTIVE: Compounding Cat Insanity
INTERACTIVE: Online Bank Simulator
INTERACTIVE: What’s the Banking Status in Your Area?
INTERACTIVE: Invest with STAX!
MOVE: Your Tax Dollar in Action
INTERACTIVE: Shady Sam
ANALYZE: A FAFSA Submission Summary
MOVE: What Determines Your Insurance Premium?
ANALYZE: Should They File a Tax Return?
MOVE: Credit Musical Chairs
RESEARCH: Insurance in Your State
MOVE: Career Comparison
FINE PRINT: Pay Stub
FINE PRINT: W-4 Form
FINE PRINT: W-2 Form
FINE PRINT: Checking Account Statement
INTERACTIVE: Money Magic
FINE PRINT: Bond Fund Fact Sheet
FINE PRINT: Schumer Box
RESEARCH: Online Tools and Apps
FINE PRINT: Financial Aid Package
FINE PRINT: Credit Report
FINE PRINT: Renters Insurance Agreement
PROJECT: Budgeting with Roommates
PROJECT: 5 Stocks on Your Birthday
PROJECT: Timing the Market
PROJECT: First Week on the Job Means Paperwork
PROJECT: Who Aced the Interview Challenge?
PLAY: The Bean Game
INTERACTIVE: Bummer!
INTERACTIVE: Which Jobs Align with My Interests?
ECON: Inflation, Spending, and Wages
MOVE: Build Your Budget
MOVE: Your Account Balance
MOVE: What Will You Buy?
PLAY: Spot the Scam Signs
ANALYZE: What is My Role as a Consumer?
MOVE: Identifying Dark Patterns
COMPARE: Types of Identity Theft
COMPARE: Types of Investment Funds
ANALYZE: Overdraft Fees
MOVE: Your Cognitive Biases
FINE PRINT: Job Posting
MOVE: Your Money Values
MOVE: Making Transportation Decisions

Case Studies

CASE STUDY: How Do I Budget?

Data Crunches

DATA CRUNCH: How do Consumers Use Mobile Banking?
DATA CRUNCH: What Is the U.S. Savings Rate?
DATA CRUNCH: What Interest Rate Do Consumers Pay On Their Credit Cards?
DATA CRUNCH: What Is The Most Common Credit Score By Age?
DATA CRUNCH: What Does The Average Household Spend Money On?
DATA CRUNCH: How Do Americans Get Health Insurance?
DATA CRUNCH: How Do Renters and Homeowners Insurance Compare?
DATA CRUNCH: What's the Distribution of Federal Student Loan Debt in the U.S.?
DATA CRUNCH: How Does Your Asset Mix Impact Your Returns?
DATA CRUNCH: What Percentage of U.S. Households Own Homes?

Questions of the Day

What is the cost to repair an iPhone screen?
How much does a texting while driving ticket increase auto insurance premiums?
What percent of people make purchases due to FOMO?
What careers are Gen Z most interested in?
What percent of 18-24 year olds live with their parents?
What percent of students receive scholarships or grants for college?
Over a recent 20 year period, what percent of pros investing in large companies "beat the market?"
What percentage of Americans could not pay a surprise $400 bill with cash/equivalent?
How long does it take to establish your first credit score?
What percent of teens have opened a bank account?
How much more per week does a college grad earn compared to someone with some college?
What is the average amount of student debt for college graduates?
When deciding whether to follow an influencer on social media, what trait did teens say was most important?
Who loses money to fraud more often - people ages 20-29 or 70-79?
How many minors have had their identity stolen?
How much does an average overnight hospital stay cost?
Groceries or Restaurants: Where are Americans spending more money?
What percent of 18-29 year olds are investing in the stock market?
If you invested $1,000 in Netflix stock 10 years ago, what would it be worth now?
What percentage of young people (age 18-24) have never checked their credit score?
What is the median and average retirement savings for people under 35?
If a single person taking the standard deduction makes $40,000, how much will they pay in federal income taxes?
How much are the average overdraft, service, and out-of-network ATM fees?
How much would I need to save monthly to have $1 million when I retire?
What are your odds of getting at least one job interview if you submit 1-10 applications?
What is the average amount of time between a job interview and receiving an offer?
What percent of consumers read online reviews before buying a product?
Do consumers send more money on Venmo or spend more money on Amazon?
How much does the average American household spend on transportation per year?
How much tax refund money went unclaimed by 1.5 million Americans who didn’t file their taxes?

FinCap Fridays

FAFSA Fast Facts
Cash Blast from the Past
Stock Split Summer
Payment App Users Under Attack
What's Buy Now, Pay Later?
Saying "OK" to the 401k
Protection or Deception