This unit introduces core personal finance concepts and practical skills including budgeting, credit and debt management, banking and mortgage basics, taxes, insurance, retirement, and estate planning. Students will assess their current financial situation, compare products and strategies, and develop action plans to improve financial stability and prepare for more advanced planning in later units.
Learning Objectives
- Analyze monthly income and spending using a personal budget worksheet to identify at least three specific adjustments that align with short-term financial goals
- Apply credit-management and debt-reduction strategies (including consolidation considerations and basic bankruptcy context) to create a written action plan that improves monthly cash flow and creditworthiness
- Demonstrate the ability to compare banking, mortgage, and investment options by completing side-by-side analyses using key criteria (fees, interest rates, risks, and timelines) and recommending best-fit choices
- Evaluate tax, insurance, retirement (401(k), IRA), and basic estate-planning tools (wills, beneficiary designations) for a household case study and propose a prioritized set of risk-management and retirement-preparation steps
Curriculum
- 1 Section
- 51 Lessons
- 30 hours
Expand all sectionsCollapse all sections
- Unit 1 — Foundations of Personal Financial Management51
- 1.1Asking Some Preliminary Questions20 mins
- 1.2Working with Your Partner to Achieve Financial Goals20 mins
- 1.3Comparing Monthly Spending and Income20 mins
- 1.4Finding Ways to Spend Less20 mins
- 1.5Understanding the True Value of Good Credit20 mins
- 1.6Reaching Out to Touch Someone20 mins
- 1.7Three Questions to Help You Pick the Right Mortgage20 mins
- 1.8Assessing the Damage from a Mortgage Meltdown20 mins
- 1.9Saving on Medical Expenses20 mins
- 1.10Giving Yourself an Online Financial Makeover20 mins
- 1.11Taking Stock of Your Finances20 mins
- 1.12Debunking Misinformation about Banking and Credit20 mins
- 1.13Knowing When Debt Consolidation Makes Sense20 mins
- 1.14Getting Ready to Negotiate20 mins
- 1.15Viewing Bankruptcy in a Historical Context20 mins
- 1.16Eliminating Most of the Fat20 mins
- 1.17Stock: Owning a Piece of the Rock20 mins
- 1.18Targeting Your Retirement Date20 mins
- 1.19Doing the Numbers20 mins
- 1.20Finding the Best Broker for You20 mins
- 1.21Keeping Thieves at Bay20 mins
- 1.22Online and Traditional Banks20 mins
- 1.23Introducing the Six Parts of a Homeowner’s Policy20 mins
- 1.24Managing Your Lawsuit Risks20 mins
- 1.25Assessing the Need20 mins
- 1.26Preparing Your Own Return20 mins
- 1.27Maintaining the Burden of Proof20 mins
- 1.28What Rendition of 1040 Shall You Play?20 mins
- 1.29Realizing What a 401(k) Does for You20 mins
- 1.30Looking at the Basics of Your IRA20 mins
- 1.31Grasping the Reverse Mortgage Basics20 mins
- 1.32Improving Your Chances of an Ideal Retirement20 mins
- 1.33Looking Forward to Retirement20 mins
- 1.34What Is an Estate?20 mins
- 1.35Planning for Your Will20 mins
- 1.36Making Your Peace with Statutes That Affect Your Will20 mins
- 1.37Understanding Wills and Trusts20 mins
- 1.38Evaluating Your Relationship with Money20 mins
- 1.39Believing in Yourself20 mins
- 1.40Tackling a Budget Deficit20 mins
- 1.41Bringing in More Bucks20 mins
- 1.42Reviewing Your Reports for Problems20 mins
- 1.43Saving on Climate Control20 mins
- 1.44Fixed-Rate Mortgages: No Surprises20 mins
- 1.45Understanding How Mortgages Differ from Other Loans20 mins
- 1.46Discovering What Makes a Great Health Insurance Plan20 mins
- 1.47Using the Internet to Budget20 mins
- 1.48Using a Budget to Get Out of Debt20 mins
- 1.49Obtaining Credit: Starting Out on the Right Foot20 mins
- 1.50Considering Your Options20 mins
- 1.51Getting Down to Business: Contacting Creditors20 mins
Instructor
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