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CURRICULUM GUIDE
Personal Finance
Course Description:
This one-semester course covers the basics of personal finance. Topics include financial planning,
budgeting, investing, savings, credit, taxes, and insurance.
Intended Audience:
The course is intended primarily for seniors, and is intended to help prepare to take on the greater
financial responsibility that they will face in college and/or the working world.
Course Goals:
Students will learn
To create and implement a financial plan
To create and track a personal budget
Investment strategies and the concept of risk
How to use credit wisely
Ways to keep money safe and secure
How to protect assets with insurance
How to use spreadsheets to assist in financial planning tasks
Essential Questions/Habits of Mind
What are the benefits of financial planning?
What are the benefits and drawbacks of individual financial decisions?
What are the risks involved in investing?
What is the difference between good debt and bad debt?
What are the advantages and costs of having insurance?
Course Outline:
Unit One: Financial Planning
SMART financial goals
Tracking expenses
Creating and implementing a financial plan
Major activities: Create financial plan using SMART goals, keeping expense record
Unit Two: Budgeting
Income and expenses
Building a budget
Keeping track of a budget
Major activity: creating budgets
Unit Three: Investing
Saving and investing
Time value of money
The Rule of 72
Investment options
Income investments
Growth investments
Tracking investments
Major activities: create spreadsheets to track investments and to help make financial decisions
Unit Four: Credit
Types of credit
Costs of credit
Good and bad credit
Credit worthiness
Using credit wisely
Rights and legal issues involving credit
Major activities: create spreadsheets to investigate the costs of borrowing
Unit Five: Insurance
Risk and protection
Automobile insurance
Other insurance needs
Insurance as part of financial plan
Unit Six: Taxes
Types of taxes
Preparing federal income tax returns
Major activities: preparing income tax returns
Unit Eight: Career Choices
Career choices and earning potential
Effect of education and training on earning potential
Value and costs of career preparation
Employee benefits
Factors that affect earning potential and financial planning
Working for yourself vs. working for others
Instructional Methods:
Teacher-led discussions
Whole class and group investigations
Individual planning exercises
Research projects
Texts & Materials Used in Course:
NEFE High School Financial Planning Program (2006, National Endowment for Financial
Education)
Practical Money Skills (http://www.practicalmoneyskills.com)
Assessment:
Individual and group exercises
Research projects
Unit Exams
Course Evaluation Tools:
Final Exam