Advanced Personal Finance Capstone

This capstone unit synthesizes advanced personal finance topics and applies them to real-life events, protections, and transitions. Students will integrate investing, credit and identity protection, insurance and tax considerations, retirement planning, and entrepreneurship fundamentals to prepare for major life decisions and unexpected situations.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze investment options and risks—including diversification, fund evaluation, firm differences, and buy/sell decisions—by constructing a justified investment allocation for provided scenarios.
• Apply credit management and identity-protection strategies by completing a simulated credit freeze/alert, identifying unnecessary accounts to close, and developing a checklist to secure mail, checks, and digital files.
• Demonstrate planning for major life events and long-term goals (such as having children, caring for aging parents, receiving a windfall, divorce, starting a small business, or retiring) by producing a written financial plan that includes budgeting, insurance needs, savings/investment strategies, and applicable tax considerations.
• Evaluate insurance coverages, tax resources, and audit-response procedures by comparing at least two insurance options for a household, outlining appropriate tax-help resources, and producing a step-by-step plan for responding to an audit or other consumer crises.