Pathway to Financial Success
In Schools

After answering a series of questions - everything from what kind of vehicle they want to have to who will watch their kids - students are given a cost for their lifestyles and an approximate annual income needed to support those lifestyles.

Students determine personal and financial goals and develop financial plans. (Free login required to download.)

Best practices for setting goals, determining milestones, and developing good money habits are shared on this site.

Students explore their goals for the future, what decisions in life are goal-worthy, and how goal setting can help with money management. After learning about and practicing writing SMART goals, students learn the importance of tracking progress towards a goal. (Free verified educator login required to access.)

After brainstorming situations in which they might spend more than $100, students discuss the consequences of NOT having goals. Students use the Money Management Workbook and create SMART goals - first for fictional characters and then for themselves. (Free verified educator login required to access.)

Websites and apps such as StickK allow users to set goals, track progress, and get support.

Not all goals come true, but there is a great deal to learn from failed attempts. This playlist of short videos offers ways to learn from one’s failures.

Individuals share videos about their careless spending and impulse purchases.

After answering 12 questions, users find out if they are a pathfinder, trooper, nomad or tenderfoot and learn about financial identities.

This self-assessment helps students figure out their beliefs about money.

Habits take time and effort to change. This resource provides suggestions for improving on a variety of money habits.

Students learn the value of using a budget in this hands-on activity.

After entering income and expenses, this calculator determines whether a budget is balanced.

Students serve as the choreographer and financial manager for Angel Alvarez, a competitive dancer trying to dance and save her way to LA.

In this lesson, students complete a spending plan for the Brown family and give them advice. The lesson includes a spending plan template in Excel (Free verified educator login required to access.)

Students learn that financial recordkeeping is a sound financial practice, prioritize wants and needs, and develop a budget. (Free login required to download.)

This lesson begins with students comparing store brand and name brand items and then teaches them to make informed purchases. (Free verified educator login required to access.)

This flowchart provides a process for determining whether or not to buy something.

In this lesson, students learn about advertising in history and the impact of advertising in modern day.

Today’s teens are influenced by more than just advertising and peers. Online influences can play a major role in buying decisions. The Federal Trade Commission offers tips about online influencers.

After watching a video and discussing the benefits of depository institutions such as banks and credit unions, students help a character choose a financial institution. (Free verified educator login required to access.)

Visitors learn why people bank, what account types are available, how to automate payments and savings, and the importance of avoiding fees.

These podcasts inform listeners about the basics of banking and how checking and savings accounts work.

This 5-minute video explains a variety of banking alternatives including payday lenders, pawn brokers, and check cashers and considers the costs and benefits of using these alternatives.

This article explores factors to consider when selecting a financial institution.

In this lesson, students conduct a comparative analysis of different financial institutions and explain the differences between checking and savings accounts. (Free login required to download.)

Answering questions on this worksheet helps students consider six key criteria for selecting a financial institution.

This complete unit plan includes lessons, activities, and projects on checking basics, online and mobile banking, selecting a checking account, and checking alternatives. (Portions available in Spanish.)

Students follow along with a chat between Katrina and a bank representative about opening a bank account. (Portions available in Spanish.)

Students learn how to protect their finances when banking online.

National Public Radio explains how people in Kenya are using mobile banking to improve their economic well-being.

This site explains how mobile banking started and what happens behind the scenes of mobile banking transactions.

In this lesson, students consider ways to pay for items without using cash and investigate various financial apps. Cashier checks, money orders, and wire transfers are included as methods of payment. (Free verified educator login required to access.)

This site explains various payment options including checks, debit cards, credit cards, and more.

Using a smartphone to pay is new to many people. Students learn what to consider before using phones as a way to pay.

In this lesson, students learn about the relationship between human capital (education and training) and income potential and discuss factors to consider when deciding on a career path.

This infographic compares how long it takes people with different education levels to earn a million dollars. It also shows the impact education has on both unemployment and weekly earnings.

Students find out how much they would need to earn if they moved to a different part of the country.

Students can access up-to-date information on current job trends including articles and graphic displays of data.

This website allows students to learn about careers by searching, browsing by category, or completing an interest survey. (Also available in Spanish.)

What are the chances a job you want will be done by a machine 20 years from now? Students discover the probability and learn what factors influence the answer. Spoiler alert: The chance of high school teachers being replaced by machines is calculated at 0.8%!

In this hands-on lesson, students discuss their perceptions of certain jobs and then independently research a career of interest. Students report back in small groups. (Free verified educator login required to access.)

Students interested in military service can explore information about military careers.

This lesson helps students identify career options the education and/or training they will need. (Free login required to download.)

Students learn how one person compares jobs and considers the return on investment of higher education.

Information on duties, education and training, pay, and the outlook for hundreds of occupations are available through this federal government website.

Students can take virtual field trips and meet individuals performing a wide range of jobs.

Playing this game helps students learn about the issues involved with paying for higher education. This worksheet can be used to gather student insight.

Checklists are available to download based upon their grade in school that help students plan for higher education. (Also available in Spanish.)

This interactive infographic and the linked videos help students learn more about financial aid.

This unit includes multiple lessons, activities, and projects focused on paying for college. (Portions available in Spanish.)

Students can explore this infographic that divides paying for college into three categories: free money (grants and scholarships), your money (savings, work-study, and jobs), and their money (loans).

Understanding financial aid award letters isn’t always easy. This interactive infographic explains the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau’s Shopping Sheet with short video clips detailing various sections.

This lesson focuses on student loan management, different college financial aid choices, and the relationship between earning potential of a degree and its cost. (Free login required to download.)

Using the app or website, students explore careers, the education needed, and the costs of obtaining that education. If they complete the calculator, they can examine the return on investment, too.

After thinking about what they see themselves doing in ten years, students divide into small groups to investigate trends which impact job growth and then work independently to research occupations. (Free verified educator login required to access.)

In this lesson, students learn about ways to get a job and spend time exploring cover letters, resumes, and job applications. (Free verified educator login required to access.)

Students enter personal information to build either a chronological or a functional resume. At the conclusion, resumes can be saved, printed, or emailed, and students are given the opportunity to compose a cover letter.

In this lesson, students explore the online presence of students applying for college admission and discuss how their digital footprints could impact their admission offers.

In this lesson, students compare different methods of employee payment, analyze wage deductions, interpret a pay stub, and explain how being employed can provide additional benefits. (Free verified educator login required to access.)

Students learn how the minimum wage varies from one state to another.

Students enter information about a current job and a potential job to weigh the costs and benefits of making a change.

This video from TEDEd considers the role of passion in choosing a job. After watching, students can answer questions and dig deeper with links to additional resources.

Students input information about wages, time off, and retirement benefits to calculate total compensation.

With 38 complete lessons and numerous simulations and tutorials, this robust teaching tool includes sections for both teachers and students on the “why’s” and the “how’s” of taxes.

Know Your Dough and ‘W’ is for Wages, W4, and W2 are the two lessons in this unit that focus on understanding how people are paid and the impact of taxes.

This lesson focuses on understanding elements of a paycheck, the impact of taxes and exemptions, and calculating gross and net income. (Free login required to download.)

Students can follow along as Bianca gives Luis advice on how to complete his 1040EZ  via text message.

Why we pay taxes, how to pay them without penalty, and ways to avoid overpaying them are some of the concepts students can learn from this site.

Students answer a series of questions to find out if they have what it takes to become an entrepreneur.

In this lesson, students investigate starting and maintaining a business. (Free login required to download.)

Students are introduced to the essential elements of a practical business plan and then challenges them to start an entrepreneurial venture while still in high school.

This lesson focuses on the reasons people decide to save money and encourages students to develop a savings plan. (Free verified educator login required to access.)

Students find out how long it will take them to build an emergency fund based on their personal circumstances.

Many people know it is important to save yet still do not. This 12-minute video explains why so many people haven't saved enough to deal with a $400 emergency. (Note: Preview the video to make sure the content is appropriate to show in your classroom.)

This set of worksheets helps students outline short-, mid-, and long-term savings goals.

Students learn about saving for five different reasons: emergencies, car, education, home, and retirement.

In this interactive, students learn about setting SMART savings goals. There is also a worksheet and handout with ten "Rules for Saving."

After brainstorming situations in which they might spend more than $100, students discuss the consequences of NOT having goals. Students use the Money Management Workbook and create SMART goals - first for fictional characters and then for themselves. (Free verified educator login required to access.)

Organized by categories such as food, entertainment, and transportation, this list offers 54 ways to help reduce costs and find money to save.

This clear, straightforward checklist provides seven steps to establish and grow a person's savings.

This guide helps students learn how to save money on daily, monthly, and yearly expenses.

Have you tried using an app to more easily save money? This article provides a review of some of the most popular apps available.

Choosing to save money - or spend less - isn't always easy. In this video on behavioral economics, students learn why people often make poor financial decisions and how to make better savings choices.

This 4-minute video provides an overview of what compound interest is and how it works. Graphs show the difference between simple and compound interest and the impact of starting to save early.

Students learn how compound interest works and how interest is calculated on savings. (Free login required to download.)

Want a quick formula to calculate how long it will take you to double your money? This video explains the rule of 72 including the impact inflation has on savings.

Students determine how much their money can grow using the power of compound interest. They can also calculate how much money they will need to save each month in order to reach their goal.

This unit includes multiple lessons, activities, and projects focused on saving and compound interest. (Free educator account required to access assessments.)

Certificates of Deposit provide a safe way to save and often earn greater interest rates than regular savings account. This video explains how they work along with the benefits and tradeoffs.

This article provides an overview of different types of savings accounts and what to look for when selecting one.

This lesson presents options for earning interest on your savings and shares common myths about millionaires. (Free verified educator login required to access.)

Some students - depending on their heritage - may have heard of other ways to save. Called tandas or cundinas in Mexico, . pandeiros in Brazil, susus in West Africa and the Caribbean, and hui in Asia, these savings and lending circles offer an alternative to saving with a financial institution.

Students read an article on the benefits and tradeoffs of savings for the overall economy and answer questions in this lesson correlated to the Common Core standards for literacy in history/social studies.

This complete unit plan includes lessons, activities, projects, and a case study on credit basics, credit cards, and loans. (Free educator account required to access assessments.)

This lesson provides an overview of credit including different sources and types of credit. To help students make decisions about using credit, borrowing is explained as spending future income. (Free verified educator login required to access.)

In this 3-minute video, students learn how credit cards work and the importance of using them responsibly.

This four-minute video provides an overview of what loans are, the 5C's of credit, and what to consider when comparing credit offers.

In this lesson, students consider when they think it is a good idea to use credit. They explore when, how, and why people borrow money. They also learn about the impact borrowing has on spending power. (Free verified educator login required to access.)

The first podcast in the Borrowing Money section helps students understand the benefits and tradeoffs associated with borrowing money.

This quiz helps students determine whether or not they are ready for a credit card.

In this lesson, students discover what is included in a credit report and recommend strategies for developing a positive credit history. (Free verified educator login required to access.)

After reading an article on credit bureaus and how they work, students answer a series of discussion questions. A teacher's guide provides additional resources.

Once students turn 18, this is the site they should use to request free copies of their credit reports each year. Younger students may preview the site and bookmark it for future use.

This site explains how to obtain credit reports using the AnnualCreditReport.com website as well as what to look for once they are received.

This site from the federal government explains credit scores and how people can work to improve their score.

This six-minute video explains how credit scores are calculated and what impacts a person's score.

Students can explore this site for more detailed information on credit scores including credit utilization rates - a concept many consumers find confusing.

In this 2-minute video, students meet a young entrepreneur who needs to improve his credit in order to start a business.

Students can use this estimator to see what their credit score might look like now and in the future. Encourage them to use different responses to the ten questions and evaluate the impact it has on the results.

In this lesson, students learn that borrowers have both rights and responsibilities. (Free verified educator login required to access.)

This site provides an overview of what debt is, strategies to reduce debt, and how to work with debt collectors.

At this website from the federal government, students can learn about debt collection including the difference between fair and unfair debt collection practices.

Students can explore and compare two common strategies for paying down debt.

Stories of individuals facing debt bring debt management challenges to life for students.

In this lesson, students research and select an automobile for themselves or a fictional character. (Free verified educator login required to access.)

Students examine how much they can afford to spend on a vehicle, what to expect with maintenance and insurance, and whether financing options such as loans and leases are appropriate to their situations. (Free login required to download.)

Students are assigned an auto loan interest rate based on credit scores received from a series of activities. They calculate the real cost of buying a car and compare the total costs for individuals with high and low credit scores. (Free login required to access entire lesson.)

At this site, students can learn about buying, leasing, renting, and maintaining vehicles. The video in the "Are Car Ads Taking You for a Ride?" section, can be used to launch a class discussion.

Are your students planning to get a car soon? This app walks them through the car buying process in a fun and engaging way.

In this lesson, students research housing costs in specific cities across the country, compare their results, and discuss affordability.

This six-part online course helps students analyze housing expenses and opportunity costs, decide whether to rent or own, and prepare their finances before living on their own.

Students weigh the benefits and tradeoffs of buying or renting a home. They consider a variety of scenarios and justify decisions or offer better options. (Free login required to download.)

Deciding to buy a home is often the biggest financial decision most people will make. By adjusting the variables on this calculator, students learn factors they should consider when deciding to rent or buy.

This infographic provides rules of thumb for buying and renting and explores a decision between an $800 rent or a $1,000 mortgage payment.

Provided by the association of state insurance commissioners, students can explore information by insurance type, life event, or life stage. A special section on teen drivers includes additional educator and parent resources.

Four lessons explore risk and how insurance works. One of them focuses on what students should do if they are ever involved in an auto accident and need to file an insurance claim. (Free verified educator login required to access.)

This complete unit plan includes lessons, activities, projects, and a case study on insurance including auto, health, and renters insurance. (Free educator account required to access assessments.)

Students complete activities to compare auto and health insurance policies. In the What Insurance Should I Buy? project students select insurance and then face scenarios in which their choices have consequences. (Free educator account required to access assessments.)

In this lesson, students use the jigsaw method to research different types of insurance and share information with their group. Students also decide if they would purchase insurance for a cellphone and defend their decision. (Free verified educator login required to access.)

Students can explore this infographic to learn the average costs of common health procedures and consider if health insurance is worth the cost.

Students can calculate how much life insurance they might need and learn why life insurance is important for people in different situations.

LifeSmarts offers a competition for students to show what they know about consumer issues along with resources for teachers to instruct students on consumer-related issues.

This is the U.S. government's one-stop-shop for consumer financial issues with information on what to look out for, how to prevent fraud, and which government agency to contact if you have a problem.

After completing this lesson, students will have a better understanding of consumer rights and responsibilities, consumer protection laws, and agencies that enforce consumer rights.

Use this site to locate the consumer protection agencies in your state. They often have additional resources, and some may offer classroom presentations and materials.

Updated monthly, this site provides articles written for a teenage audience on the latest scams facing consumers. Most include links to additional information.

In this lesson, students explore the relationship between risk and reward when investing. They research and report on different investment options and assess their own personal risk tolerance. (Free verified educator login required to access.)

This complete unit plan includes lessons, activities, projects, and case studies on investing including stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. (Free educator account required to access assessments.)

This four-minute video explains how people make - and lose - money through investing. Stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and exchange traded funds are explained.

Consisting of 11 units, this self-study course is designed for beginner investors with small amounts to invest. It starts with the basics and moves on to explain specific investments.

In this lesson, students are given a portfolio of investments and assess the risk associated with the products in their portfolios. They later determine which savings and investment instruments might be most suitable for clients of different ages and economic status.

An infographic shows how diversification works. Examples demonstrate the difference between an aggressive and conservative portfolio.

In this stock market simulation, teams compete to grow a hypothetical $100,000 portfolio. Registered teachers can access lesson plans and support materials, and students can participate in the InvestWrite essay contest.

Students can build their own portfolios with this sophisticated online tool. They can choose sectors and analyze historical performance.

After reading this article, students should be able to explain what index funds are and how they help investors diversify.

This lesson explores philanthropic giving, how to devise a spending plan to meet a giving goal, and what to do if you are the recipient of a gift. It also delves into charitable giving in non-monetary ways, showing students that giving extends beyond cash. (Free login required to download.)

Students learn that being part of a community can provide many financial and non-financial benefits. (Free verified educator login required to access.)

This list provides 50 ways for teens to give back in their communities. Ideas include helping a nonprofit organization set up a social media account as well as examples of young people who have created their own organizations to help others.

Do your students understand the challenges faced by people with limited financial resources? This challenge builds empathy in students by having them try to make ends meet for a month with $1,000 in savings.

Students can research and compare organizations to which they may wish to donate time or money.

This complete unit plan includes lessons, activities, projects, and case studies that help students avoid becoming victims of financial scams and fraud such including identity theft. (Free educator account required to access assessments.)

In this lesson, students learn how people become the victims of financial fraud, ways to protect their personal and financial information, and what to do if they experience fraud. They apply what they learn by creating a plan to protect their personal financial information. (Free verified educator login required to access.)

In this game, students try to stop a million-dollar investment fraud and put the mysterious con man, "Mr. X," behind bars. In doing so, they learn how to research companies and look out for the warning signs of fraudulent investment pitches.

The third podcast in the Basics of Banking section provides advice to help young people learn how to prevent identity theft and what to do if they become a victim.

Individuals offering to help consumers with their finances could hold one of over 175 professional designations. Students can research what designations such as CFP, CPA, and EA mean and what it takes to earn each designation.

Reading this article will help students understand the benefits and tradeoffs of investing with help from a financial professional.

Would you trust a computer to guide your investment decisions? This infographic provides an overview of robo advisors and is followed by a chart of pros and cons for using a robo advisor.

This site provides resources for both teachers and students on the field of accounting and what it takes to become one. It includes videos, virtual field trips, lesson plans, and more.