Using Financial Services

Your students will be choosing from a growing number of services offered by banks and other financial institutions. These resources will help your students safely and efficiently achieve financial goals.

Educator Guide: Unit 2

Family Connection
Hand taking bills from an ATM machine

How Our Family Banks

10-minute read, plus discussion

Banking has changed significantly, and students have several options. This guide gives tips for parents on discussing their families’ banking choices, helping teens choose a payment method when shopping, and providing opportunities for them to make financial decisions (and mistakes).

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Topic 1

Understanding Financial Institutions

Your students will consider how can banks and credit unions help them achieve their financial goals? Use these resources with your students to explore the various services offered by financial institutions.

Self-paced Module

Understanding Financial Institutions

10 to 15 minutes (plus optional discussion)

In this module exploring financial institutions and the products and services that they offer, students learn that interest is both paid to savers and charged to borrowers as they examine common banking transactions, explore several banking alternatives, and discover the benefits and risks associated with each.

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Topic 2

Deciding Where and How to Bank

What factors should students consider when selecting a financial institution? Help them learn how to compare features and costs of services offered by financial institutions.

Self-paced Module

Deciding Where and How to Bank

10 to 15 minutes (plus optional discussion)

This module will give your students an overview of factors to consider when choosing where to bank. They will learn how to compare features and costs of services offered by financial institutions.

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Topic 3

Opening New Accounts

What financial products will your students need? How does one open an account at a financial institution? Use these resources to help students determine what financial products they might need and what information they should have to open an account.

Self-paced Module

Opening New Accounts

10 to 15 minutes (plus optional discussion)

Students learn what to expect when opening a new account with a financial institution, including questions to ask when selecting an account, specific information they will be required to supply, and common fees they should understand when opening their new account. Finally, they review steps to take once their account is open.

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Classroom Activity

What to Expect When Opening a Checking Account

1 to 2 Class Sessions

What information and documents will you need to open a new account? Students learn about opening checking accounts. A collaborative activity prepares students for opening an account.

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Topic 4

Using Mobile Banking

Your students are likely to prefer to bank from their phones or tablets. Help them learn how to bank safely from their devices. Share these tools to explore common online and mobile banking features, and learn how to prioritize personal mobile banking needs.

Self-paced Module

Using Mobile Banking

10 to 15 minutes (plus optional discussion)

This module will guide your students in how to bank safely from their mobile devices. They will explore common online and mobile banking features, and learn about other mobile financial tools.

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Classroom Activity

Banking on the Go

1 to 2 Class Sessions

This module will guide your students in how to bank safely from their mobile devices. They will explore common online and mobile banking features, and learn about other mobile financial tools.

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Topic 5

Making Everyday Purchases

Show your students the difference between using cash, debit, checks, and credit. Help them understand the costs and benefits of using various methods of payments for everyday purchases.

Self-paced Module

Making Everyday Purchases

10 to 15 minutes (plus optional discussion)

In this module, students are encouraged to consider the payment method they use before making a purchase. The module begins with students identifying payment methods they have used or seen used in the past. Students learn about different types of payment methods and factors to consider when selecting a method of payment.

Launch Module  

Classroom Activity

Deciding How to Pay

How do you choose the best payment method for everyday purchases? Students consider how cash, electronic payments, or debit and credit cards can be applied to real-world scenarios.

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