The JA Personal Finance® program includes five facilitator-led sessions and six optional self-guided

sessions.
Sessions 1-5 of this JA Personal Finance® is for face-to-face or remote classroom delivery, where
the teacher facilitates the session either face-to-face or through a virtual, synchronous session using
an online platform.

Welcome to Junior Achievement

About Junior Achievement USA

Junior Achievement USA (JA; JA USA) is a nonprofit organization financed by businesses,

foundations, government, and individuals. Since its founding in 1919, Junior Achievement has
contributed to the business and economic education of more than 100 million young people around
the world.

Junior Achievement USA is the nation's largest organization dedicated to educating students in
grades K-12 about entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial literacy through experiential,
hands-on programs designed to help students understand the economics of life. In partnership with
businesses and educators, JA brings the real world to students, opening their minds to their potential.

For more information about Junior Achievement USA programs for high school, middle school, and
elementary school, visit JA online at www.ja.org or send mail to: Product Development, Junior
Achievement USA National Office, One Education Way, Colorado Springs, CO 80906.

Copyright© 2020
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Any text of this publication, or any part thereof, may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or
by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storing in an information-
retrieval system, or otherwise, except in the course of conducting a registered Junior Achievement
USA® class or with the permission of the publisher.

Welcome to JA Personal Finance

Program Overview

JA Personal Finance allows students to experience the interrelationship between today’s financial
decisions and future financial freedom. To achieve financial health and wellness, they learn about
money-management strategies, including earning, employment and income, budgeting, savings,
credit and debt, consumer protection, smart shopping, risk management, and investing. Students also
explore how their decisions can affect other people they have relationships with and practice using
healthy behaviors to discuss shared financial decisions. At the conclusion of this program, students
will be able to demonstrate that their personal finances affect their quality of life. They will understand
how their financial choices will be the basis of how they get what they want and need.

This program gives you the tools to introduce students to:

• Earning money
• Budgeting money
• Saving money for larger purchases and emergencies
• Managing credit and debt wisely
• Protecting finances
• Shopping smartly
• Managing potential risk to finances
• Investing to grow money

This program consists of five 45-minute facilitator-led sessions and three optional online
sessions, each of which will take you approximately 30–45 minutes to complete. The activities and
instructions for the first five sessions in this program are specifically geared toward a facilitator
presenting content in a face-to-face or remote classroom. The facilitator leads a live session while
projecting the on-screen presentation in a virtual classroom platform. Students log on to the platform
and participate in the session using features like chat, audio, raise your hand, and
polling. The remaining three sessions are self-guided and are meant to be completed by the
student fully online.

At the conclusion of the five JA Personal Finance sessions, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate that their personal finances affect their quality of life and will be the
basis of how they get what they want and need.
• Understand the importance of personal financial decisions and the importance of
money and their decisions as individuals and in relationships.

Program Delivery

The blended program has a flexible design with options for sharing and/or presenting content in
learning environments with a range of Internet and device access. The program content can be
delivered in brick-and-mortar classrooms or in virtual classrooms.

For sessions that are facilitator-led, you will find the following resources in this guide:

• Session Overview: The overview includes a snapshot of important concepts and vocabulary,
a list of required materials and instructions for using them, and a summary of the activities in
the session.
 • Facilitation Instructions: These instructions are your guide for leading the session. You will
see an image showing you the presentation slide or material that you should be projecting and
instructions for how to explain the content, lead discussions, etc.

When you are leading a session, we recommend that you open the facilitator instructions on your
phone or other secondary device so you can use your computer to project the onscreen presentation
and/or share materials.

For independent learning activities, you will find an overview that summarizes the key concepts from
the activity and includes suggestions for reviewing, discussing, or building on the learning.

Use the following suggestions as a guide to prepare for the session.

Classroom Delivery
• Connect your computer to a projector and ensure that the onscreen presentation is visible to
students.
• Put your computer in a place where you can control the presentation while facilitating.
Consider using a remote or letting a student volunteer control the presentation.
• Make sure your facilitator guide is available for your reference.
• Determine how you will use groups for collaborative activities and arrange seating.
• If you are using hard copies of student activities, have copies ready before the session begins.
Virtual Classroom Delivery
• Practice delivering each session in advance to work out any technical issues on your end, and
to practice manipulating the different screens documents, etc.
• Familiarize yourself with your selected virtual classroom platform and practice using its
features. Consider muting students by default when starting a session.
• If you are using breakout rooms or other collaborative tools for group activities, investigate how
to set them up in your platform and prepare them ahead of time, if possible.
• Share instructions for accessing the session and materials with students ahead of time.
• Open any browser windows and materials prior to joining the session.
• Establish rules and expectations for your learners and yourself, so the sessions can run
smoothly. For example:
o Muting microphones when not talking
o What to do if they need to step away (should they indicate in chat, change their status,
or vocalize this?)
o What to do when there are questions (do they post in chat, raise their hand, interrupt?)
• Plan for how you will check in with individual students and ensure all students are engaged in

Earning, Employment, and Income: Session Overview

Introduction

In this 45-minute session, students learn that healthy personal finances require planning and
managing. Students begin to analyze the financial implications of their educational and career
choices as a basis for understanding the relationship between earnings and personal finance.
Students also explore how their decisions can affect other people they have relationships with and
practice using healthy behaviors to discuss shared financial decisions.
This session supports the following competencies:

• Financial Literacy: Employment and Income

o Explore the income and earnings potential associated with various job and
career options
o Compare sources of personal income and compensation
• Financial Literacy: Financial Decision Making
o Recognize the responsibilities associated with personal financial decisions
• Work and Career Readiness: Career Development
o Determine the income and earnings potential associated with various
education, job, and career options

Session Snapshot
• The following summary of the key concepts and ideas from the session is provided to help you
prepare. Review the information and think about your own experiences as they relate to these
ideas.

Prepare to share stories or experiences that you have had related to earning,
employment, and income. For example, you might share how your career aligns with your
values, how your priorities might have changed over time or affected your career, or decisions
you made about your education and the impact those decisions had. Try to find a visual aid to
accompany your story (for example, a picture of you when you were starting your first job; a
prop that represents your current occupation; a picture of you doing something you love, that
you value or prioritize).
Big Ideas
• Personal finance is about more than just making money. It’s about planning and managing
funds to achieve short- and long-term goals.
• While income is the basis for your personal finances, you also need to consider your personal
strengths, values, and priorities when choosing a career path.
• The educational choices you make can affect your future earning potential and job satisfaction.
• Your financial decisions can affect people you have relationships with: your family, friends,
someone you may not even know yet!
• Recognizing characteristics of healthy relationships can help you make shared financial
decisions effectively.
Key Terms
• personal finance: the practice of determining and managing a person’s financial needs and
goals for the future
• income: money earned or received, including wages or gifts
• priorities: the choices that are more important when compared to others
• values: strong beliefs and ideals that influence one’s choices

Materials

You will need the following materials for this session:

• Facilitation Instructions: Follow the step-by-step instructions to facilitate a classroom or

remote session. We recommend opening the instructions on a secondary device so you can
use your computer to project.
• Onscreen Presentation: Project this presentation as you lead the session. The presentation
includes important concepts, key terms, and opportunities to apply learning.
o We recommend opening the presentation on your computer to project.
 o Practice navigating the presentation before the session begins. Some onscreen
presentations include interactive features, so familiarize yourself with the features.
o Play any videos and check all links that are included.
• Student Activity: Earning, Employment, and Income: Students use this document to
assess their priorities and values, which ultimately could impact their employment decisions.
They practice having healthy discussions about shared financial decisions.
o Share digital copies of this document with students. They can type in the document and
save their work. If you are in a brick-and-mortar classroom, you can print out and
provide hard copies to students instead, if you’d like.
Activities Overview
The following activities are included in this session. Detailed instructions for facilitating the activities
are included in this guide.
Warm-Up
5–10 minutes
Introduce the term personal finance and discuss how making sound financial decisions is important
for everyone.
Explore: Earning Money
10–15 minutes
Explain how making choices about how to earn the income you need to pay for your needs and wants
is the first step in managing your personal finances. Identifying your values, priorities, and educational
goals can help you narrow down employment options.

Objectives:
• Explain how values, priorities, and educational goals can affect career decisions.
• Identify employment options that align with your priorities and values.
• Recognize how your financial decisions can affect others.
Discuss: Healthy Financial Relationships
15–20 minutes
Discuss how your financial decisions can affect others. Discuss how taking responsibility for your
financial decisions can affect your family and friends, someone you may not even know yet.

Objectives:

• Recognize how your financial decisions can affect others.

• Use healthy relationship behaviors to discuss shared financial decisions.

Wrap-Up
5 minutes
Review concepts and close the session.
Earning, Employment, and Income: Facilitation Instructions

Warm-Up

5–10 minutes

Introduce the term personal finance and discuss how making sound financial decisions is important
for everyone.
Open the onscreen presentation on your computer and project it. Be sure students have
access to the student activity page.
Presentation Tip: If you will be leading a remote session, share your expectations with participants
before you begin (including your rules for using audio, chat, and webcam features). Consider turning
on your webcam as you introduce yourself, so students can see you.

Onscreen Presentation: Session Welcome Screen

• Introduce yourself and the JA Personal
Finance program.
• Encourage students to guess what might be included
when learning about personal finance.

Connections

As you introduce yourself, tell students your name, describe your job, and provide some information
about your background. Explain why the topic of personal finance is important to you.
Talking Points

• Junior Achievement is an organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to

succeed in a global economy.
• The JA Personal Finance program is designed to demonstrate to students that their personal
finances will affect their quality of life and determine how they get what they need and want.
Discussion Questions

What do you think personal finance means?

Answers will vary.

What do you think might be included in a program about personal finance?

Answers include: earning money; budgeting money; saving money for larger purchases and
emergencies; managing credit and debt wisely; protecting finances; shopping wisely; managing
potential risk to finances; investing money for future growth

Onscreen Presentation: True or False

• Read the statement and poll students to see who

agrees with it.
• Call on several students to explain why they
answered the way they did.

Presentation Tip: If you are leading a remote session, consider using a polling feature or having
students respond using the chat tool.

Talking Point

Not having enough money to pay for the things you need can be very stressful, but
even people who make a lot of money can have financial worries
 Onscreen Presentation: Watch: How the NFL

Keeps Its Players from Going Broke

• Share the video, and have students jot down

at least one interesting thing they learn as
they watch the video.
• Have students share the points they noted,
and use the talking points and discussion
questions, as needed, to promote discussion.

Presentation Tip: If you are projecting the video in a classroom, be sure to turn the volume up so
students can hear the audio.
Talking Points

• Personal finance is about more than just making money. It’s about planning and
managing funds to achieve short- and long-term goals.
• Even people who make a lot of money can make mistakes and end up in financial
trouble.
• Learning about personal finances early can help prevent problems later.
• Finances affect families and relationships, not just individuals. The video shows that
many of the players’ wives and family members attended the boot camp with them.
• Learning how to manage personal finances can be part of having healthy
relationships.

Discussion Points

What do you think you would do if you suddenly found yourself with millions of dollars?
Answers will vary.

The video points out that one difficulty for NFL players is that everyone knows how much
money they make. Why could it be a problem to share information about how much you make
with other people?
Answers will vary, but students should recognize that if a person makes a lot of money and everyone
else knows it, other people might expect that person to pay for things for them or even lend them
money.

Why do you think finances can lead to tension in relationships?

Answers might include the following: couples don’t agree on how to spend or save; one person
spends money without telling the other; one person makes decisions without talking to the other.
Connection

Share personal examples about how good financial choices have helped you or share lessons you
have learned from poor financial decisions.
 Onscreen Presentation: Objectives

Review the objectives for the session.

Explore: Earning Money

15–20 minutes

Introduce key terms related to personal finance. Have students evaluate their priorities and values,
which ultimately could affect their career decisions.

Onscreen Presentation: Key Terms

• Ask for volunteers to define the terms income,
priorities, and values in their own words before
you reveal the definitions.
• Use the talking points and questions to discuss
how income, priorities, and values are all
important considerations when deciding how
you will earn money.

Presentation Tip: Consider allowing student volunteers to take control of the presentation as they
give their definition, reveal the definition provided, and point out any differences.
Talking Points

• The first step in developing a personal finance plan is to decide how you will earn
the money you need for a comfortable quality of life. This means deciding what kind
of work you would like to do and understanding the education or training required
for it.
• While income is the basis for your personal finances, people also need to consider
their personal strengths, values, and priorities when choosing a career path.

Discussion Questions

What are some things that you should consider when deciding how to earn the money you
need to take care of yourself?
Possible answers include: your interests and strengths; what makes you happy; how much education
or training is required for a job.

How can values influence your priorities?

Answer: Your values are your beliefs and ideals. These beliefs and ideals help you determine your
priorities.
Connection

Share some personal examples of values that are important to you, such as honesty, family, or
helping others. If possible, explain how those values have influenced your career decisions.

Presentation Tip: Ensure students have access to the Earning, Employment, and Income student
activity page for this activity. Use your typical document-sharing method for students who are
participating remotely.

Finding a Way

• Direct students to the Priorities and Values section of the Earning, Employment, and Income
student activity page, and give them instructions for completing it.
• Give students about five minutes to complete the activity, and then ask them to share and
discuss their results.
Instructions

Give students the following instructions for completing

the Priorities and Values activity in the Earning,
Employment, and Income student activity page:
• Check off any priorities that are important to you.
• Check as many as you want.
• Write additional priorities in the spaces provided at
the bottom of the page.
• Choose your top five priorities, and rank them from
one to five, with one being the most important.
• Consider the High-Growth Career Options associated
with your top priorities. Note that these are just a few
examples of career options; there are many others.

Discussion Questions

Use the following questions to discuss students’ results. All answers will vary.
• What were your top five priorities?
• Did you have priorities that were not included on the list?
• Was it difficult to narrow down your list to the top five?
• How did you decide on your top five?

Talking Point

Priorities and values are different for everyone.

 Onscreen Presentation: Education and Annual Earnings

• Poll students to see how many chose a large salary

as one of their priorities for a career.
• Share the information about annual income based on
education level.
• Use the data in the onscreen presentation, talking
points, and discussion questions to explore how
education can affect earnings.

Talking Points

The educational choices you make can affect your future earning potential and job satisfaction.
Discussion Questions

Based on median income by education level, someone with a bachelor’s degree will make
more than $2,000 a month more than someone with a high school diploma. How would having
$2,000 less every month affect the way you live?

Possible answers include: you might have to choose less expensive housing; you might not be able
to afford a car; you might have to be more cautious about spending money; it might be harder to save
for retirement; overall, your quality of life would be different, based on earnings.
Examples

The chart shows the median wage for each educational attainment level. That means that half of the
people in that category make more than that number, and half of them make less. There are high-
wage occupations at each of the education levels.

• Commercial pilots and police detectives have median salaries of almost $80,000,
and those jobs only require a high school diploma or equivalent.
• Dental hygienists and funeral service directors make more than $70,000 a year,
and those jobs only require an associate’s degree.
• Elevator installers and repairers have a median wage of more than $70,000 a year,
and those jobs do not require any school beyond high school.
• Aircraft mechanics make more than $60,000 a year, and those jobs do not require a
post-secondary degree.

Resource

Find more high-wage occupations at the Bureau of Labor Statistics

website: https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2019/article/high-wage-occupations.htm
 Onscreen Presentation: Education and Lifetime
Earnings
• Show students the difference education can
make over a lifetime of earnings.
• Use the data in the onscreen presentation,
talking points, and discussion questions to
explore how education can impact earnings.
• Have students note their educational goals/plans
in their Earning, Employment, and Income
student activity page.

Talking Points

On average, a person with a bachelor’s degree or higher makes more than $30,000
•
more per year than a person with a high school diploma. That equals more than
$1.2 million more over a lifetime.
• More education doesn’t automatically mean more money. It is important to consider
the return on investment when thinking about education.
• Not going to college doesn’t mean that you can’t have a high-paying job. There are
high paying jobs for all education levels (see examples above).
Discussion Questions

What are some of the costs to consider when thinking about continuing your education?
Answers: There is the cost of tuition, books, room and board, etc., and there are also opportunity
costs for attending school. If you are going to school instead of working, you are giving up potential
earnings for the time you are in school.
Resource

Source: https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2019/article/high-wage-occupations.htm
Connection

Offer personal examples of how the career and education you chose has affected you and your
quality of life.

Onscreen Presentation: Career Advisor

• Tell students they can use their priorities, values, and educational goals to help inform their
career decisions.
• Read each of the scenarios in the onscreen presentation and ask students to vote on the best
career options for each.

Presentation Tip: Consider allowing student volunteers to take control of the presentation to select
career choices for each scenario.
Talking Points
Having a clear sense of your values, priorities, and desired education level can make it easier to
narrow down your career choices.
Instructions

• Select all possible answers for additional information.

• Select “continue” to move to the next screen (there are three scenarios).

Onscreen Presentation: Career Brainstorm

• Use the questions in the onscreen
presentation to lead a brainstorming
session about career choices.
• Develop a list as a group, and then note
what priorities several of the career
choices align with.
• Have students come up with their own list
of career options that match their priorities.

Presentation Tip: If you’d like, use a whiteboard or shared document, and allow students to add
career options.
Instructions

1. Read the questions aloud, and have

students brainstorm as many careers as
they can.
2. Make a list of the career choices.
3. Ask for volunteers to share their top
priority and identify any careers on the
list that match.
4. Allow students a few minutes to make a
list of career options that they might be
interested in.
5. If you are able, consider using the
Federal Student Aid Career Search
website in the Resources section.
Example

If you value helping people, a career as a doctor, teacher, or social worker could be a good match. If
working outside is a priority for you, suitable careers might include construction worker, farmer, park
ranger, fisherman, or geologist.
Talking Points

Decisions about how to earn a living are different for everyone. Even people who have similar values
and priorities can make very different career decisions. Over time, people’s priorities can change.
Many people try different careers over their lives.
Discussion Questions

1. If you had to choose one career option, what would it be?

2. Do any of your career choices meet all your priorities?

Answers will vary.

Connection

Share an experience that you have had related to choosing or changing careers to match your values
or priorities (for example, going back to school or getting additional training to do something different;
changing jobs because of new priorities, like taking care of family or wanting to have your own
business).
Resource

Federal Student Aid Career Search website

https://studentaid.gov/resources/prepare-for-college/students/career-search

Discuss: Healthy Relationships

15–20 minutes

Learn how your financial decisions can affect others. Discuss how taking responsibility for your
financial decisions can affect your family and friends, someone you may not even know yet.

Onscreen presentation: True or False

• Read the question onscreen and poll students
for their response.
• Call on a few students to explain their answers,
and use the talking points to introduce the idea
of financial relationships.

Presentation Tip: In a remote classroom, use the polling tool.

Talking Point

Your financial decisions affect people you have relationships with: your family, friends,
someone you may not even know yet.
 Onscreen Presentation: Whom Will This
Decision Affect?
• Share each scenario, and call on volunteers
to identify whom the decision affects.
• Reveal and discuss the answers.

Talking Points
• The time and expense of your education can have an impact on the people you are
close to or rely upon for assistance. If you use loans to pay for your education, that
can also affect someone you have a relationship with in the future.
• People who cosign for a loan are legally obligated to repay the loan in full. That
means that they risk having to repay any missed loan payments immediately.

Onscreen Presentation: Characteristics of Healthy

Relationships

• Share the healthy relationship characteristics in

the onscreen presentation.
• Direct students to the Earning, Employment,
and Income student activity page, and point
them to the Characteristics of Healthy
Relationships section. Review the instructions for
the role-play activity.

Presentation Tip: If you are leading a virtual session, consider putting students in breakout rooms to
draft and rehearse their conversations. Ensure that students have access to a shared document to
draft their script. Alternatively, students can work individually on a script. You could have students
share their scripts or record them and share them in a collaborative space or discussion board.
Instructions

1. Assign scenarios to students or groups or let them select their own.

2. Give students 5–10 minutes to draft their script. If students are working in groups,
they should assign roles and rehearse the conversation.
3. Have students share their scripts or act out the skit. Note that you might have
students videotape their skits rather than performing them live.
4. If students are performing their skits, ask the class to rate how well the skit
demonstrated the characteristics of a healthy relationship.
Discussion Questions

Was it difficult to imagine how the decision in the scenario affected others?
Answers will vary.

How do you think you might prepare for a conversation like this in real life?
Answers will vary, but students should recognize that they first need to be ready to take responsibility
for their decisions or actions. Students also may say that it might be easier to have a conversation
like this if they think about the concerns that others may have and plan possible solutions.
Connection

Share an example of a decision you made that affected other people.

Wrap-Up

5–10 minutes

Wrap up the session and take any pending questions from students.

Onscreen Presentation: What Did You Learn?

Summarize key points from the learning.

Onscreen Presentation: Congratulations!

Direct students to the session quiz.

Budgeting: Session Overview

Introduction

In this 45-minute session, students investigate the importance of budgeting and how to plan for
staying within a budget.

This session supports the following competencies:

• Financial Literacy: Spending and Saving

o Develop a plan for saving and spending, such as a budget
• Financial Literacy: Financial Decision Making
o Apply communication strategies when discussing financial issues
Session Snapshot
The following summary of the key concepts and ideas from the session is provided to help you
prepare. Review the information and think about your own experiences as they relate to these ideas.

Prepare to share a story or an experience that you have had related to budgeting. Try to find a
visual aid to accompany your story (for example, a picture of or an advertisement for something you
wanted to buy but couldn’t afford).
Big Ideas

• People’s needs and wants are unlimited, but their incomes are not. People must make tough
choices about what they can afford in order to avoid overspending.
• A budget is one way to avoid overspending. Make a realistic list of your expenses, build a
budget, and stick to it—even if that means you have to make a tough choice to give up
something you want.
• Budgeting is all about making sure your expenses are less than your income. One of the first
steps in budgeting is organizing and keeping track of expenses.
• Budgets include different categories of expenses, including fixed, variable, and periodic
expenses.
• Sometimes, people in committed relationships choose to combine their finances and share
financial decisions. In healthy relationships, both people should have equal input into the
decisions and access to all shared accounts.
• Some people might have a household budget to keep track of certain expenses that they share
with someone, like a roommate. Unshared expenses and personal financial information should
be kept separate.”
Key Terms

• Income: money earned or received, including wages or gifts

• Expense: money spent to buy or do something
• Budget: a spending plan for managing money during a given period
• Fixed expenses: expenses that do not change from month to month, such as rent
• Variable expenses: expenses that vary from month to month, such as entertainment,
electricity, or groceries
• Periodic expenses: expenses that occur on an irregular basis, rather than monthly
(examples: car repairs; doctor bills)

Materials

You will need the following materials for this session:

• Facilitation Instructions: Follow the step-by-step instructions to facilitate a

classroom or remote session. We recommend opening the instructions on a
secondary device so you can use your computer to project.
• Onscreen Presentation: Project this presentation as you lead the session. The
presentation includes important concepts, key terms, and opportunities to apply
learning.
o We recommend opening the presentation on your computer to project.
o Practice navigating the presentation before the session begins. Some
onscreen presentations include interactive features, so familiarize yourself
with the features.
o Play any videos and check all links that are included.
 • Student Activity: Budgeting: Students use this document to itemize their income
and expenses. They also discuss the importance of having a budget, where they
can get the information to track their expenses, and strategies for budgeting with
another person.
o Share digital copies of this document with students. They can type in the
document and save their work. If you are in a brick-and-mortar classroom,
you can print out and provide hard copies to students instead, if you’d like.

Activities Overview
The following activities are included in this session. Detailed instructions for facilitating the activities
are included in this guide.
Warm-Up
5–10 minutes
An introduction to the concept of budgeting and why it is important
Explore: Budget Basics
10–15 minutes
An overview of budgeting terms, expense categories, and healthy budgeting behaviors

Objectives:
• Recognize the importance of making and keeping a budget or spending plan.
• Identify categories of expenses in a budget.
• Explain how to use a budget to clarify shared financial decisions with another person.
Get Together: Budget Choices
15–20 minutes
In this activity, students play a game that requires them to make budgeting decisions.

Objectives:

• Prioritize expenses in a budget.

Wrap-Up
5 minutes
Review concepts and close the session.
Budgeting: Facilitation Instructions

Warm-Up

5–10 minutes

Introduce students to ideas related to budgeting.

Open the onscreen presentation on your computer and project it. Be sure students have
access to the student activity page.
Presentation Tip: If you will be leading a remote session, share your expectations with participants
before you begin (including your rules for using audio, chat, and webcam features).
 Onscreen Presentation: Session
Welcome Screen
Encourage students to guess what
might be included when learning about
budgeting.

Presentation Tip: Consider turning on your webcam as you introduce yourself, so students can see
you.

Onscreen presentation: Warm-Up

Screen
Welcome students, introduce yourself,
and lead a discussion about budgeting
concepts.

Presentation Tip: If you are leading a remote session, consider using a polling feature or having
students respond using the chat tool.
Talking Point

Your personal finances are dependent upon your earnings and savings, which form the basis for
how you get what you need and want.
Discussion Questions

Use these questions to generate discussion.

Have you ever wanted something but didn’t have enough money to buy it? What did you do?
Possible answers: I saved up money to buy it; I decided not to buy it; I found a cheaper alternative.

What might the consequences be if you started spending more money than you earned?
Possible answers: You would owe money to others; you would be in debt; you wouldn’t have money
in case of an emergency.

Why do so many individuals, families, cities, states, and even countries have so much trouble
spending money wisely?
Possible answers: It can be hard to resist spending money on something you want; it takes work to
plan ahead.

What are some strategies to prevent overspending?

Possible answers: Always know how much money you have and how much you are earning; don’t
buy anything without thinking about it first; think about whether you really need the things you buy.
Make a Connection
–
Tell a budgeting story of your own using a visual aid, if possible (for example, tell about a time that
you wanted something but couldn’t afford it; how you made a plan to cut expenses or save up for
something; or when you bought something you couldn’t afford and faced a consequence).

Onscreen Presentation: Objectives

• Tell students that a budget is a tool they can

use to help keep their finances in healthy
condition. Today, they will learn about planning
their spending by making a budget.
• Review the objectives for this session.

Onscreen Presentation: Watch:

Budgeting
Show the video, then use the
discussion questions and talking
points to discuss budgeting basics.

Presentation Tip: If necessary, remind students how you would like them to respond (by raising their
hands, answering aloud, etc.). If you are presenting in a virtual classroom, make sure students know
how to access the tools they’ll use to respond (for example, you may need to show them how to
unmute their audio or raise their hands).
Discussion

What is a budget?
Answer: A budget is a financial plan to help you keep track of your daily spending and ensure that
your income is greater than your expenses. A budget helps you plan for spending today and in the
future.

When you budget, which should be higher: your expenses or your income?
Answer: Your income

If your expenses are too high, where can you cut back on your spending in order to save
some money?
Accept all answers that include cutting back on controllable, discretionary expenses, such as those
associated with food, clothing, and entertainment. Examples of ways to save include finding
entertainment that is free; making your own food at home rather than eating out; not buying clothes at
retail; shopping for sales, etc.
Talking Points

• Life is expensive, which means you must make tough choices about what you can afford in
order to avoid overspending. The solution is to make a realistic list of your expenses, build a
budget, and stick to it—even if that means you have to make a tough choice to give up
something you want.
• We all have to make our own decisions about the ways we can save.
• You can look at your own spending habits and make choices.
Explore: Budget Basics

15–20 minutes

Give students an overview of budgeting terms, expense categories, and healthy budgeting behaviors.

Onscreen Presentation: Explore - Budget Basics

Tell students that you will be discussing the

basics of budgeting; where you can get
information to track expenses; and strategies for
budgeting with another person.

Onscreen Presentation: Review

Review the definitions of basic budget terms by asking for
volunteers to find the correct phrase to complete each
sentence on the screen.

Presentation Tip: Consider allowing student volunteers to take control of the presentation as they
give their definition, reveal the definition provided, and point out any differences.
Solutions

• Income is money earned or received, including wages or gifts.

• An expense is money spent to buy or do something.
• A budget is a spending plan for managing money during a given period.

Talking Point

A budget allows you to plan so you can spend wisely. The first step in budgeting is to account for
income and expenses.
 Onscreen Presentation: Key Terms
Share different categories of expenses that
can be a part of a budget.

Presentation Tip: Ask students to consider the terms shown on the screen and predict what each
means. Select each term to reveal the definition after students have had a chance to guess.
Talking Point
Budgeting is all about making sure your expenses are less than your income. One of the first steps in
budgeting is organizing and keeping track of your expenses.
Example
Imagine that you are buying a new phone and phone service. Some expenses, like the service
payment, will repeat every month. Other expenses, like any accessories you buy, will occur only once
or will cost a different amount each time. These different types of expenses fall into different
categories in a budget.

Onscreen Presentation: Sample Budget

Ask students to think about what they would

include in their budget.

Onscreen Presentation: Shared Expenses

• Explain that many people share expenses
with another person. For example, many
people live with roommates and share
household expenses or share some
expenses with friends (taking turns paying
for dinner, movies, etc.).
• Direct students to the Sample Budget in the
Budgeting student activity, and ask them to
identify expenses that likely would be joint
expenses if they were living with another
person.
Solution

Expenses that might be shared include: rent/mortgage, mortgage insurance, Internet service, utilities,
shared food or groceries, home furniture or decor, home electronics, home repairs and
improvements, professional services related to the home (such as lawn mowing or a cleaning
service).
Talking Points

• When you share household expenses with another person, having a shared budget
can help clarify your financial decisions.
• Even if you have a shared budget to keep track of joint household expenses, you
should still have a separate budget for your own personal expenses outside of the
shared ones.

Onscreen Presentation: Healthy Relationships

Review some of the characteristics of a healthy
relationship and use the talking points to explore
how shared budgeting creates opportunities to talk
about equality, independence, and respect.

Talking Points

• Equality is important in a healthy relationship. One person shouldn't feel like he or

she is expected to pay for everything, and both people should feel like they have
equal say in shared decisions.
• Maintaining independence is also part of a healthy financial relationship. Sharing
expenses with someone doesn't mean you need to share all of your financial
information with the other person or let him or her control your spending.
• When sharing expenses (or any financial decisions), both people need to respect
the other person’s opinions and feelings.

Onscreen Presentation: What Do You

Think?

• Point out that unhealthy behavior can

occur in relationships sometimes. It is
important to recognize behavior that isn't
healthy and to address it.
• Share the scenarios on the screen and
ask students what they think the best
response is before revealing the
suggested answers.

Presentation Tip: Allow enough time for students to process the question, then call on individuals to
answer.
Talking Points
• Married couples usually combine their finances, and they need to share financial
decisions and access to accounts. But if you are not combining finances with
someone else and instead are just sharing some decisions and expenses, you
should keep some things separate, such as your savings.
• Practicing healthy conflict resolution techniques can help people work through
problems.

Onscreen Presentation: Solving Budgeting

Problems

• Direct students to their Budgeting

student activity page and give them
instructions for completing the activity.
• When students have had a chance to
analyze their scenarios, ask them to
share their findings and solutions.

Scenario 1

• Red flags: changing the Internet package without talking to you, shorting the rent to
cover the expense
• Unhealthy behavior: not allowing for equal decision making
• Solution: Explain to your roommate why you are upset about the new expense.
Discuss whether the upgraded Internet package is an expense that both of you
want. If not, work together to figure out how to adjust for it. Discuss how the two of
you will go about making these types of decisions in the future.

Scenario 2

• Red flag: Your friend expects you to pay all the time
• Unhealthy behaviors: the friend is not taking responsibility and is not putting equal
effort into the relationship
• Solution: Discuss your concerns with your friend, and honestly explain why you
don't feel comfortable paying all the time. Discuss things you can do together that
don't require a lot of money or other ways you can make your relationship more
equal.

Scenario 3
• Red flags: roommate not paying on time, acting like you are the one causing a
problem
• Unhealthy behaviors: not taking responsibility and trying to make you feel guilty for
his actions
• Solution: Have a conversation with your roommate to work out how to get the rent
paid. If the unhealthy behaviors are part of a pattern, you might need to discuss
new arrangements for how to pay the bills, or you may need to consider finding a
new roommate.
 Onscreen Presentation: Budgeting with
Another Person
Review the checklist for how to budget with
another person.

Get Together: Budget Choices

15–20 minutes

Students prioritize expenses on a sample budget.

Onscreen Presentation: Get Together

Tell students that in this activity, they will play a game to prioritize expenses on a sample budget.

Onscreen Presentation: Get Ready to Play

• Give students instructions for how the

budgeting decisions game will work.
• If students will be working in teams, draw a
scorecard in a place where everyone can see
it.

Presentation Tip: If you are leading a virtual session, consider arranging students in small groups in
breakout rooms while they make their decisions and then bringing the whole group back together to
play the game. Alternatively, students could work independently to make their choices.
Instructions

• Divide students into teams or have them work individually.

 • Ask students to review the Sample Budget in the Budgeting student activity.
• Explain that because of limited income, they only have enough money to pay for 18 of the
expenses in this month’s budget.
• Students must decide which 18 expenses they think are the most important ones to keep on
their budget. They should mark their choices on the Sample Budget.
• You will read a series of scenarios, and students will earn points if they have budgeted to meet
the needs described in scenarios.
• Some expenses are more necessary than others, so they can earn more points if they have
budgeted for important expenses.

Onscreen Presentation: Budget Choices (Round 1)

• Select each scenario and read it. If you are

keeping a scorecard for teams, poll the teams to
see who earned points, and add them to the
scorecard.
• Alternatively, individual students can track and
tally their own points.

Presentation Tip: After you have read the scenarios for Round 1, you might allow students to
reconsider their budget choices and make revisions before moving on to Round 2.

Onscreen Presentation: Budget Choices (Round 2)

• Share the Round 2 scenarios and continue to

track points on the scorecard.
• After you have shared all 10 scenarios for
Round 2, tally the results.
• You can end the game now or use the Bonus
Round scenarios if time allows.
• Wrap-Up
• 5–10 minutes
• Review and summarize the ideas from this session.

Onscreen Presentation: Wrap-Up

Tell students that you will now review some of
the concepts introduced during the session.
 Onscreen Presentation: Review Budget
Basics
• Thank students for their attention during
the session. Tell them that you are
going to quickly review some of the
main ideas from the session before they
take their quiz.
• Read the statements aloud and ask the
students to fill in the blanks. If they need
a hint, show them the suggestion list for
each blank.
Solutions

• One important thing a budget can do is help you make sure that your income is/are
greater than your expenses.
• A household budget can help two people itemize shared expenses.
• Two people having equal say in shared expenses is a sign of a healthy financial
relationship.

Onscreen Presentation: Review Budget Categories

• Remind students that they have learned about
different types of expenses that they might
include on a budget. Tell the students that they
will have a chance to review by sorting
expenses into budget categories.
• Read each item, and ask students to choose
which category each expense belongs in.

Presentation Tip: Consider allowing student volunteers to take the controls and drag the expenses
to the correct category.
Solutions

• Income: pay stub, $300; birthday check from Grandma, $40; babysitting earnings,
$50
• Fixed expense: weekly bus pass, $25; monthly car payment, $150; cell phone
service, $35
• Variable expense: groceries, $50–$70 per week; gasoline, $20–$60 per month;
entertainment, $20–$40 per month
• Periodic expense: oil change, $35; yearly medical checkup, $60; yearly car
insurance, $600 per year
 Onscreen Presentation: What Did You
Learn?

• Summarize key learning from the

session.
• Say: “Budgets help you to manage
the money you earn. You can see
how much you need monthly and
anticipate your expenses in order
to prioritize. Budgets can also
make it easier to see where you
might cut or reduce spending as
needed.”

Onscreen Presentation:

Closing Screen

Congratulate students on
completing the session. Direct
students to the post-session
survey.

Savings: Session Overview

Introduction

In this 45-minute session, students will analyze the role that saving plays in their personal finances.
They will explore how having a healthy savings plan is necessary in all phases of life but is especially
critical for big-ticket items and emergencies.

This session supports the following competencies:

• Financial Literacy: Spending and Saving

o Develop a plan for saving and spending, such as a budget
o Apply consumer skills to spending and saving decisions
• Financial Literacy: Financial Decision Making
o Recognize the responsibilities associated with personal financial decisions
o Apply communication strategies when discussing financial issues
o Use a personal financial plan for short- and long-term goals
Session Snapshot

The following summary of the key concepts and ideas from the session is provided to help you
prepare. Review the information and think about your own experiences as they relate to these ideas.

Prepare to share a story or an experience that you have had related to saving. Try to find a
visual aid to accompany your story (for example, a picture of yourself and something that you saved
for, such as a car, vacation, college diploma, etc.).
Big Ideas
• Savings can help you pay for big purchases and emergencies.
• An emergency savings plan can help you avoid taking on debt and paying interest instead of
earning it.
• Sacrificing in the short-term offers more options for the future.
• “Pay yourself first” to ensure you set aside savings.
• By identifying your savings goals and sharing your strategies for achieving them with people
who care about you, saving for the future can be part of healthy relationships.
Key Terms
• Saving: setting aside a portion of current income for future use
• Interest: payment for the use of money, a fee paid to use someone else’s money, or money
earned from allowing someone else to use your money
• Pay yourself first (PYF): setting aside money for savings prior to paying monthly expenses

Materials

You will need the following materials for this session:

• Facilitation Instructions: Follow the step-by-step instructions to facilitate a

classroom or remote session. We recommend opening the instructions on a
secondary device so you can use your computer to project.
• Onscreen Presentation: Project this presentation as you lead the session. The
presentation includes important concepts, key terms, and opportunities to apply
learning.
o We recommend opening the presentation on your computer to project.
o Practice navigating the presentation before the session begins. Some
onscreen presentations include interactive features, so familiarize yourself
with the features.
o Play any videos and check all links that are included.
• Student Activity: Savings: Students use this document to record important ideas
and complete activities during the session.
o Share digital copies of this document with students. They can type in the
document and save their work. If you are in a brick-and-mortar classroom,
you can print out and provide hard copies to students instead, if you’d like.

Activities Overview
The following activities are included in this session. Detailed instructions for facilitating the activities
are included in this guide.
Warm-Up
5–10 minutes
Welcome students and introduce the session.
Explore: Why Save?
10–15 minutes
Share information about why saving is important and strategies for achieving savings goals.

Objectives:
• Recognize reasons for saving.
• Explain how saving can help you earn interest instead of paying interest.
Discuss: Healthy Financial Relationships
15–20 minutes
Use a budget to reduce expenses to allow for saving. Explore how your savings choices can affect
people you have relationships with.
Objectives:
• Recognize reasons for saving.
• Explain how saving can help you earn interest instead of paying interest.
• Use strategies to achieve a savings goal.
• Recognize unhealthy relationship behaviors related to saving.
Wrap-Up
5 minutes
Review concepts and close the session.
Warm-Up

5–10 minutes

Introduce the idea of saving by discussing what teens spend their money on.
Open the onscreen presentation on your computer and project it. Be sure students have
access to the student activity page.

Presentation Tip: If you will be leading a remote session, share your expectations with participants
before you begin (including your rules for using audio, chat, and webcam features). Consider turning
on your webcam as you introduce yourself, so students can see you.

Onscreen Presentation: Session Welcome

Screen
• Welcome students and introduce the
session. Explain that this session is all
about saving.
• Ask students for examples of things they
might have saved for.
 Onscreen Presentation: How Do Teens Spend
Their Money?
• Explain that people often save to be able to
buy something they really want.
• Ask students if they can figure out what three
things most teens spend their money on.
• Match the description to the category on the
chart. Use the discussion questions to
explore teen spending.

Presentation Tip: If you’d like, share the three spending categories, and poll students to see which
one they think teens spend the most money on. Repeat the process and ask students to identify the
category teens spend the second most money on.
Solutions

• Self (clothing, accessories, personal care): 43%

• Social (food, video games, music, movies, events): 38%
• Basic needs (electronics, car, other): 19%

Discussion Questions

Are you surprised by what teens spend their money on?

Answers will vary.

Do teens spend more money on wants or needs?

Answer: While basic clothing and food are needs, expensive or excessive clothing, eating out, and
social expenses are wants.

Do you think you will spend your money on the same things five years from now? Will you still
spend more money on clothes and personal items than anything else?
Answers will vary. Students should recognize that after they graduate from high school, they will likely
spend their money a little differently. They might have other expenses, like continuing education, rent,
insurance, etc., that they need to spend money on.

Have you ever tried to spend less so you can save money? How did you go about trying to
save?
Answers will vary.

What do you think teens might try to save money for?

Answer: Expensive clothes/shoes, a car, college

Connection

Share a personal example of a time when you needed money for a big purchase or an emergency,
and you were either glad that you had savings or wished that you did.
Talking Points

Wants are unlimited, but income is limited; if you buy everything you want, you won’t have any money
left.
 Onscreen Presentation: Objectives

Review the objectives for the session.

Explore: Why Save?

10–15 minutes

Explore the importance and the benefits of saving in

order to reach financial goals.

Onscreen Presentation: Key Terms

• Ask for volunteers to define the key terms, then
reveal the definitions.
• Discuss how saving can help you earn interest
instead of paying it.

Presentation Tip: If you are leading a remote session, you might need to remind students how to
find and use the tools to respond (for example unmuting their microphone, typing into the chat area,
or raising their hand).
Talking Points

• Earnings and savings are the basis for how you get what you need and want.
• Saving can help you earn interest instead of paying interest.
• Without savings, people often choose to borrow to pay for their wants or even their needs. If
they borrow money, they pay interest to someone else instead of being paid interest on a
savings account, like they would if they had planned and saved.
Discussion Questions

What does interest have to do with savings?

Answer: If you put your money in a savings account, the bank often pays you interest. If you don’t
save money, and you have to borrow to pay for an unexpected expense, then you will pay interest on
the loan.
 Why You Need an Emergency Fund

Show students the video and use the

discussion questions to explore the main
ideas.

Presentation Tip: Be sure your audio is turned up so students can hear the video.
Talking Points

•An emergency fund is savings for unexpected expenses. It is not the same as
saving up for a large expense, like a “new to you” used car.
• Saving over a longer period of time allows people to plan for large purchases and
be prepared for emergencies.
Discussion Questions

How much money should you have in your emergency fund?

Answer: Enough to cover your essential expenses for 3–6 months

What should you use an emergency fund for?

Answer: Unexpected events, like a healthcare cost, a car or home repair, an unexpected job loss

How can having an emergency fund save you money?

Answer: You can earn interest on your savings. You won’t need to get a loan to pay for unexpected
expenses, which would cost you more.

Onscreen Presentation: Saving Strategies

Review the saving strategies.

Talking Point

Wants are unlimited, but income is limited. People who try to save the money they have left after
paying for what they need (i.e., their bills) often are not able to save, because after they have paid
for everything they need, they buy what they want until their paycheck is gone.
 Onscreen Presentation: Pick a Plan

• Have students identify the best plan for reaching the

savings goals.
• Select both plans to learn which plan is the best, and
why.

Presentation Tip: Poll the students or call on individuals to choose the best savings plan for each
goal. Alternatively, you might allow a student volunteer to take control of the presentation to select the
best plan. Note that there are four pick-a-plan slides.
Talking Points

• “Pay yourself first” is the best strategy.

• If you are making a shared decision, both parties need to agree on the goal and the
strategy for achieving it.

Discuss: Healthy Behaviors

20–25 minutes

Use a budget to identify ways to reduce expenses to meet a savings goal. Examine how saving
decisions can affect people you have relationships
with.

Onscreen presentation: Maxed-Out

Share the scenario with students. Tell them they

are going to use budgeting to help Max start
saving.

Onscreen Presentation: Student Activity: Savings

• Review the instructions for the Maxed-Out activity
on the Savings student activity page.
• Give students 5–10 minutes to make their
decisions, and then bring them together to share
their decisions.
• Lead a discussion about the budget decisions
students made in order to reach their savings
goals.
Presentation Tip: Students can complete this exercise individually, or they can work in small groups
if you prefer. If you are in a remote classroom, consider using breakout rooms, or set up a shared
document in a collaborative workspace to allow students to work collaboratively.
Instructions

Max is spending more than he makes, and he needs to start saving for his emergency fund.
1. First, decide on an amount to set aside for savings. You must set aside at least $135 a month
(10 percent of Max’s income), but more is better.
2. Next, decide which expenses to adjust to meet the savings goal.
3. For each expense you change, note what Max can do to save money (e.g., eliminate one
subscription service; sell his car and get a cheaper, more fuel-efficient used car; cut eating out
costs in half, etc.).
Discussion Questions

How did you decide which expenses to cut?

Everyone’s priorities are different, so there is no one way to decide. Some people may have looked
for expenses that don’t seem essential, or they may have looked for expenses that are very high to
try to reduce them.

Do you think the budget that you made is realistic for Max to follow for an extended period of
time? Why or why not?
Making drastic cuts (like not allowing for any dining out or entertainment) isn’t realistic for the long
term.

Based on the amount you saved in one month, how long would it take Max to build up an
emergency fund that would cover his essential expenses for at least three months?
If students budgeted for Max to save the minimum $135 a month, it would take him more than two
years to save three months’ salary. By saving about $220 a month, Max would have three months’
salary saved in a year and a half.

Do you think you could adjust your own spending, like you did for Max?
Answers will vary.

Presentation Tip: If you are leading a remote session, remind students how you want them to
respond. Consider allowing them to use their audio to discuss more freely.

Onscreen Presentation: Characteristics of Healthy

Relationships

• Explain to students that their savings decisions can

affect the people they have relationships with.
• Ask students to share some characteristics of a
healthy relationship. Then reveal the descriptions
onscreen.
 Onscreen Presentation: Student Activity: Healthy
Relationships

• Direct students to the Characteristics of Healthy

Relationships section of their student activity page.
• Review the instructions for completing the role-
play.

Presentation Tip: If you are leading a remote session, consider putting students in breakout rooms
to draft and rehearse their conversations. Ensure that students have access to a shared document to
draft their script.
Instructions

1. Divide students into groups and assign scenarios to each group, or let them select their own.
2. Give students 5–10 minutes to draft their script, assign roles, and rehearse the conversation.
Note that you might have groups videotape their skits rather than perform them live.
3. Bring the class back together, and have groups share their skits.
4. After each performance, ask the class to rate how well the skit demonstrated the
characteristics of a healthy relationship.
Talking Points

• Trust your gut. If it feels like something is off, it probably is—it at least warrants a conversation
with another person for further discussion (either a friend, family member, or trusted adult,
including a school counselor or local advocate).
• If you recognize multiple unhealthy behaviors in your relationship that create a pattern over
time, that is a red flag.
• Every relationship has conflicts, but the way people work through those conflicts determines
whether the relationship is healthy or unhealthy.
• If a person constantly feels belittled or has to walk on eggshells around another person, those
are signs that something is off in the relationship and that the person should seek professional
advice.
Wrap-Up

5–10 minutes

Wrap up the session and take any pending questions from students.
 Onscreen Presentation: What Did You Learn?

Summarize key points from the learning.

Onscreen Presentation: Congratulations!

Thank students for their participation and direct

them to the session quiz.

Credit and Debt: Session Overview

Introduction

In this 45-minute session, students analyze the importance of good credit and the outcomes of wise
and poor use of credit.

This session supports the following competencies:

• Financial Literacy: Credit and Debt

o Analyze the costs and benefits of various types of credit
o Explain interest as it applies to loans
o Explain the consequences of failing to pay a loan
o Summarize a borrower’s rights and responsibilities related to credit reports
o Monitor credit score and report, and consider knowledge of credit worthiness when
applying for loans
o Apply strategies to avoid or correct debt management problems
• Financial Literacy: Financial Decision Making
o Recognize the responsibilities associated with personal financial decisions
o Apply communication strategies when discussing financial issues
Session Snapshot

The following summary of the key concepts and ideas from the session is provided to help you
prepare. Review the information and think about your own experiences as they relate to these ideas.

Prepare to share a story or an experience that you have had related to using credit or applying
for a loan. Try to find a visual aid to accompany your story (for example, a loan application or a credit
offer).
Big Ideas

• Not all credit resources are bad. In fact, using credit wisely to establish a good credit score can
work to your benefit. Also, some credit resources offer incentives that can help you save some
money.
• You must be careful about when you choose to use credit. Remember, buying something on
credit means you are buying something you can’t afford to buy outright. If you can’t afford
something, maybe you should reconsider whether you really need it. If you decide you need to
take on debt to buy something, it is critical that you pay that debt back on time.
• Financial institutions do not give loans or credit based on opinion, but on specific criteria and
your credit history.
• Sharing credit with another person or cosigning on a loan for someone else can have a long-
term effect on your credit score and your ability to borrow in the future.

Key Terms

• Credit: the ability to buy goods or services now but pay later
• Debt: money owed
• Interest: payment for the use of money, a fee paid to use someone else’s money, or money
earned from allowing someone else to use your money
• Credit history: a record of your personal financial transactions
• Credit score: a standardized measurement of the potential for a borrower to repay debt
• Cosign: sign (a loan or lease) jointly with another person in order to guarantee payment

Materials

You will need the following materials for this session:

• Facilitation Instructions: Follow the step-by-step instructions to facilitate a

classroom or remote session. We recommend opening the instructions on a
secondary device so you can use your computer to project.
• Onscreen Presentation: Project this presentation as you lead the session. The
presentation includes important concepts, key terms, and opportunities to apply
learning.
o We recommend opening the presentation on your computer to project.
o Practice navigating the presentation before the session begins. Some
onscreen presentations include interactive features, so familiarize yourself
with the features.
o Play any videos, and check all links that are included.
 • Student Activity: Credit and Debt: Students use this document to record
important ideas and complete activities during the session.
o Share digital copies of this document with students. They can type in the
document and save their work. If you are in a brick-and-mortar classroom,
you can print out and provide hard copies to students instead, if you’d like.
•
• Activities Overview
• The following activities are included in this session. Detailed instructions for facilitating the
activities are included in this guide.
Warm-Up
5–10 minutes
Welcome students and introduce the session.
Discuss: Credit Basics
20–25 minutes
Explain the difference between credit and debt and explore how credit behavior can affect a person’s
credit score.
Objectives:

• Differentiate between credit and debt.

• Recognize the factors that affect an individual’s credit score and credit history.
• Recognize the consequences of a low credit score.

Get Together: Sharing Credit Decisions

15–20 minutes
Examine the potential consequences of sharing credit or cosigning for loans.
Objectives:

• Recognize the potential impact of sharing a credit card or cosigning for a loan.

Wrap-Up
5–10 minutes
Review concepts and close the session.
Credit and Debt: Facilitation Instructions
Activity 10 of 27

Warm-Up

5–10 minutes

Welcome students and introduce the session.

Open the onscreen presentation on your computer and project it. Be sure students have
access to the student activity page.

Presentation Tip: If you will be leading a remote session, share your expectations with participants
before you begin (including your rules for using audio, chat, and webcam features). Consider turning
on your webcam as you introduce yourself, so students can see you.
 Onscreen Presentation: Session
Welcome Screen
• Welcome students to the session.
• Tell students that in this session
they will investigate types of credit
and their costs and benefits.
• Explain that most people will
need to use some form of credit at
some point in their lives. Not all credit
resources are bad. In fact, using
credit wisely to establish a good
credit score can work to your benefit.
Also, some credit resources offer
incentives that can help you save some money.

Onscreen Presentation: True or False?

• Read the statement on the screen, and poll
students for their responses.
• Call on volunteers to explain their reasoning
before revealing the answer.

Presentation Tip: If you are leading a remote session, you may need to show students how to use
the tools to participate (for example, unmuting their microphones, raising their hands, or using the
chat feature).
Connection

Share a personal example of a situation in which it was helpful to use credit. Be sure to describe your
method or plan for paying back the money you owed.
 Onscreen Presentation: Objectives

Review the objectives for the session.

Discuss: Credit Basics

20–25 minutes

Explain the difference between credit and debt and explore how credit behavior can affect a person’s
credit score.

Onscreen Presentation: Key Terms

• Ask for volunteers to define the terms in their

own words before revealing the definitions.
• Use the talking points and discussion questions
to explore examples.

Presentation Tip: As you select each term on the screen, ask for volunteers to share examples. If
you are conducting a remote session, you might encourage students to use the chat feature or their
audio to share examples.
Talking Points

• “Credit” does not just refer to credit cards; you are also using credit when you get loans for
things like cars, homes, and school.
• Buying on credit means that you have debt or owe money.
• Debt includes the cost of an item plus interest and maybe fees. Interest and fees increase with
time, so the longer you wait to pay, the more you will have to pay.

Discussion Questions

What is an example of credit?

Answer: a credit card, a car loan, a college tuition loan

What is the difference between credit and debt?

Answer: Credit means that you buy something now and pay for it later. Having credit doesn’t mean
you have debt. For example, you can use credit for convenience to make purchases now and then
pay the full amount each time your bill comes due. You're buying something you can afford now, but
you're paying for it later. You get debt when you use credit to buy things that you cannot pay for right
away.

When do you pay interest?

Answer: You pay interest when you borrow money and don’t pay it back right away. Credit cards that
you don’t pay off in full each month, car loans, student loans, and mortgages all require the borrower
to pay back the amount of the loan plus interest.

Onscreen Presentation: Benefits and Risks of Credit

• Ask students to brainstorm some of the benefits and
risks of credit, and then reveal the answers.
• Discuss when it might be a good idea to use credit and
when using credit could be risky.

Presentation Tip: If you’d like, make a T-chart in a visible place to record student responses. If you
are leading a remote session, you could use a whiteboard tool and allow students to write their ideas
on it.
Talking Points

• You must be careful about when you choose to use credit. It is critical to pay the full amount on
time each month.
• Lenders follow specific criteria to make loan determinations. They can’t just lend money to
anyone who wants it.

Discussion Questions

What is an example of a situation in which it might be beneficial to use credit?

Answers will vary, but the following are some examples: You get a low-interest loan on a car or to pay
for tuition; you use a credit card to pay for an emergency expense, like repairing your laptop that you
need for school; you use a credit card to pay for groceries in order to earn reward points, and you pay
off the balance in full every month.

What is an example of a situation in which it might be risky to use credit?

Answers will vary, but possible answers include: You use a credit card to pay for anything you want
but don’t have the money to buy (tickets, clothes, a big vacation)—these are wants and not needs,
and it could take you several months (or even years!) to pay off the charges; you take out huge
student loans to pay for your education, but you aren’t sure you’ll be able to get a job when you
graduate.
 Onscreen Presentation: Key Terms
• Explain that lenders cannot give money to
just anyone who wants it. Lenders must
know if the person they are lending to will
be able to pay off the loan. To do that,
lenders look at the borrower’s past behavior
as a way to predict the person’s future
behavior.
• Review the definitions of credit
history and credit score.

Presentation Tip: Ask for volunteers to define each of the terms in their own words before sharing
the definitions.

Onscreen Presentation: Watch: Credit Score

• Show students the video.

• Use the talking points and discussion questions
to review key ideas.

Presentation Tip: Be sure your audio is turned up so students can hear the video.
Talking Points

• How you handle credit—even as a teen—is recorded in your credit history and credit score,
which will follow you and affect your future opportunities.
• It is a risk for a lender to lend money. There’s always a chance that the money might not be
paid back. A person’s credit score gives lenders data they can use to decide how much of a
risk they are taking by loaning a person money.
• You can improve a poor credit score by making responsible decisions with money. Keep in
mind, though, it’s easier to keep a good score than to repair a low score.
Discussion Questions

What is the highest credit score you can have?

Answer: 850

What are the factors that affect your credit score?

Answer: payment history, amounts owed, length of credit history, types of credit, and new credit
 Onscreen Presentation: Who Cares about Your
Credit?
• Explain that, besides lenders, there are other
people who are interested in your credit history.
• Discuss the groups shown in the onscreen
presentation.

Onscreen Presentation: You Decide

• Tell students that the reason they see so many
commercials about raising credit scores and
repairing credit is because a lot of Americans
struggle with their debt.
• Ask students to determine whether each
statement is a tip for maintaining healthy credit or
a common credit mistake.

Presentation Tip: For each statement, poll students to see which category they think it belongs in.
You might allow student volunteers to take control of the presentation to match the statements to the
correct category.

Talking Points

• You should use your credit regularly so that you establish a good credit history, but only buy
what you can afford to pay off each month.
• Payday and installment loans carry extremely high interest rates and a short payback
schedule.
• Using rent-to-own to purchase furniture and appliances can cost significantly more—
sometimes two or three times more—than buying the product outright.
• Pawn shops will only pay you a fraction of the value of the item you leave as collateral, and the
shop will own your collateral if you fail to pay back the loan.
• When a credit card bill is not paid off each month or a payment is late, that can have a
negative effect on your credit and finances.

Onscreen Presentation: Profiles in Credit

Select the continue button at the bottom of the screen

to review all four scenarios and discuss with students.
Get Together: Sharing Credit Decisions

10–15 minutes

Explore the possible consequences of sharing credit or cosigning for loans.

Onscreen Presentation: Which of the following can

affect your credit?

Poll students to see how they would answer the

question in the onscreen presentation. Select each
answer to see the feedback.

Onscreen Presentation: Sharing Credit or Debt

• Share the examples of shared credit and
debt in the onscreen presentation.
• Explain to students that they are likely to be
in a position in the near future in which they
want someone to help them get a loan or
establish credit.
• Use the discussion questions and talking
points to explore when and why people
might share credit and debt.

• Talking Point
Sharing credit or debt with another person is a big decision, and it shouldn’t be made lightly.

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think someone would need a cosigner for a loan?

• Answer: They don’t have enough credit history, or their credit score is too low to qualify on
their own.

• What are some examples of things that you might need someone to cosign for in the
near future?
• Answer: car loan; some student loans might require a cosigner; apartment lease; credit card

• Why would someone share a credit card?

• Answer: a parent or trusted adult might allow a young adult to use his or her credit card to
cover emergency expenses or might cosign for a credit card to help the young person build
credit.
 Onscreen Presentation: Consequences

Go over the consequences of sharing credit or cosigning

with students.

Talking Point

The consequences of sharing credit or cosigning can affect you for years.

Onscreen Presentation: Student Activity: Credit and Debt

• Direct students to the student activity page, and
review the instructions for the Sharing Credit
Decisions activity.
• When students have had time to answer, ask them to
share their ideas.

Presentation Tip: Consider dividing students into groups and assigning one question to each group.
If you are leading a remote session, you might use breakout rooms or a collaborative space for
students to brainstorm their answers together.
Solutions

How can you approach this person in a way that demonstrates honesty and respect?
Answers will vary, but possible answers include setting up a time to talk; requesting instead of
expecting; explaining your goal and why you need help; and telling the person that you respect their
decision.
What are some examples of things you have done that demonstrate that you are trustworthy
and responsible?
Answers will vary, but possible answers include getting and keeping a job, getting good grades,
helping around the house/taking care of younger siblings, and taking care of your possessions.

What are some things that you have done in the past that might show that you can be trusted
to make payments on time?
Answers will vary, but possible answers include using a budget and having a history of saving money.

What could you propose to help limit the consequences for the other person?
Answers will vary, but possible answers include limiting the amount of the loan, limiting the payback
time, notifying the person each time you make a payment, and giving them access to the account
information.
 Onscreen Presentation: You Decide

• Poll students for their responses to each

scenario.
• Reveal and discuss the considerations. Ask if
anyone changed their mind based on the
considerations.

Presentation Tip: Select the continue button at the bottom of the screen to see all three scenarios.

Wrap-Up

5–10 minutes

Wrap up the session and take any pending questions from students.

Onscreen Presentation: What Did You Learn?

• Summarize key points from the learning.

• Allow students to ask any final questions.

• Direct students to the session quiz.

Onscreen Presentation: Congratulations!

Thank students for their participation and direct them

to the post-session survey.

Consumer Protection: Session Overview

Introduction
In this 45-minute session, students will explore consumer protection basics, including financial
literacy, avoiding scams, managing their money, using credit and loans carefully, and protecting their
personal information.

This session supports the following competencies:

• Financial Literacy: Identity Fraud and Theft

o Identify examples of identity fraud and theft
o Identify examples of behaviors that put an individual at risk for identify fraud and theft
o Recognize methods for reporting fraudulent behavior
o Understand personal liability as it relates to identity theft
o Apply knowledge to protect one’s identity
• Financial Literacy: Credit and Debt
o Summarize a borrower’s rights and responsibilities related to credit reports
o Monitor credit score and report, and consider knowledge of credit worthiness when
applying for loans

Session Snapshot

The following summary of the key concepts and ideas from the session is provided to help you
prepare. Review the information and think about your own experiences as they relate to these ideas.

Prepare to share a story, personal experience, or current event related to identity theft or
protecting one’s information online. Try to find a visual aid to accompany your story.
Big Ideas

• When you share information online, it becomes like a “digital tattoo” that is very difficult to
remove. Think BEFORE you post.
• The information on a credit report includes credit accounts opened, amount owed on credit,
purchase and payment history, and information on overdue debt.
• Identity thieves can use the personal information anyone posts online to commit identity theft.
• Both cosigners and co-borrowers on a loan are agreeing to be responsible for the loan. The
big difference is that a cosigner has no right to the property bought with the loan money, while
a co-borrower usually does.
• You should never feel like you must share an account with another person to be in a healthy
relationship.
Key Terms

• Cyber security: the practice of defending computers, servers, mobile devices, electronic
systems, networks, and data from malicious attacks
• Identity theft: a crime that occurs when someone uses your name, Social Security number,
credit card number, or other personal information without your permission
• Credit report: a record of your personal financial transactions or your credit history

Materials

You will need the following materials for this session:

 • Facilitation Instructions: Follow the step-by-step instructions to facilitate a
classroom or remote session. We recommend opening the instructions on a
secondary device so you can use your computer to project.
• Onscreen Presentation: Project this presentation as you lead the session. The
presentation includes important concepts, key terms, and opportunities to apply
learning.
o We recommend opening the presentation on your computer to project.
o Practice navigating the presentation before the session begins. Some
onscreen presentations include interactive features, so familiarize yourself
with the features.
o Play any videos and check all links that are included.
• Student Activity: Consumer Protection: Students use this document to record
important ideas and complete activities during the session.
o Share digital copies of this document with students. They can type in the
document and save their work. If you are in a brick-and-mortar classroom,
you can print out and provide hard copies to students instead, if you’d like.

Activities Overview
The following activities are included in this session. Detailed instructions for facilitating the activities
are included in this guide.
Warm-Up
5–10 minutes
Welcome students and introduce the session.
Discuss: Securing Your Online Information
10–15 minutes
Students learn how to identify suspicious online behavior as well as strategies for protecting their
online information.
Objectives:

• List ways to protect online information.

• Recognize how a credit report can help identify suspicious activity related to your finances.

Get Together: Sharing Finances

20–25 minutes
Students learn some of the risks associated with sharing finances with others and develop a tip sheet
to help people who are trying to decide whether to share an account, a credit card, or a loan with
another person.
Objectives:

• Recognize risks involved with sharing finances.

Wrap-Up
5–10 minutes
Review concepts and close the session.
Optional Activities
The following optional activities are available for additional exploration:
• Tips for Securing Your Identity: Students watch a video to learn how to secure their identity.
(5 minutes)
 • Identity Theft Recovery: Review the Federal Trade Commission’s website for detailed steps
on how to recover from identity theft.
(5 minutes)

Consumer Protection: Facilitation Instructions

Warm-Up

5–10 minutes

Welcome students and introduce the session.

Open the onscreen presentation on your computer and project it. Be sure students have
access to the student activity page.

Presentation Tip: If you will be leading a remote session, share your expectations with participants
before you begin (including your rules for using audio, chat, and webcam features). Consider turning
on your webcam as you introduce yourself, so students can see you.

Onscreen Presentation: Session Welcome Screen

Tell students that they will learn about protecting their

finances from threats that can put them at risk.

Onscreen Presentation: Fact or Fiction?

• Ask for a volunteer to explain what cyber security
is, and share the definition.
• Say: Cyber security is the practice of
defending computers, servers, mobile
devices, electronic systems, networks, and
data from malicious attacks.
• Call on student volunteers to determine whether
each statement is fact or fiction and drag it to the
correct place.

Presentation Tip: If you are leading a remote session, you may need to show students how to use
the tools to participate (for example, unmuting their microphones, raising their hands, or using the
chat feature).
Talking Points

• Even strong passwords can be hacked. Change your passwords regularly and consider using
a password management tool.
• If your device is unprotected or out of date, you don’t even need to be using a browser to get
infected. Sometimes your device can be infected just by turning it on.
• Many attacks are based on human error, so antivirus software isn’t enough.
• Unsecured computers typically don’t exhibit symptoms of having been hacked at first glance.
People don’t typically know when someone controls their webcam, gains access to their email
or bank account, or takes control of their computer to attack other targets.
• Hackers can go after phones, routers, and smart TVs. Anything with an operating system is a
potential target, not just computers.
Solutions

Fact
• You can get hacked even if you are not using a browser.
• Your computer can have a virus and still seem to be working normally.

Fiction
• If you have a strong password, you are safe.
• If you have antivirus software, you don’t need anything else.
• You can only get hacked on a computer.

Onscreen Presentation: Objectives

Review the objectives for the session.

Discuss: Securing Your Online Information

10–15 minutes

Students learn how to identify suspicious online behavior as well as strategies for protecting their
online information.
 Onscreen Presentation: Tips for Securing Your
Identity

• Tell students to watch for the answers to the

questions in the onscreen presentation as the video
plays.
• Call on volunteers to share their answers after
watching the video.

Presentation Tip: Be sure your speakers are on and loud enough for students to hear the video.
Discussion Questions

What is social engineering?

Answer: In the context of cyber security, social engineering means deceiving someone to manipulate
them into giving away confidential or personal information that is then used for fraudulent purposes;
social engineering also refers to network intrusion, system disruption, and identity theft

How can you prevent social engineering?

Answer: Know whom you are talking to before sharing information; report scams; don’t share too
much information with too many people; don’t share information in unsecure ways

What is phishing?
Answer: Phishing means impersonating a reputable company and sending out emails, texts, or phone
calls to get the recipients to reveal their personal information, such as their passwords or credit card
numbers

What is impersonation?
Answer: Impersonation means pretending to be a trusted person or source in order to gain access to
a person, information, or a computer system

How can you prevent oversharing?

Answer: Assume that any information you share on a social network site is public; do not share
information online that you would not share in person; only connect to secure wireless hotspots; make
sure to sign off of the wireless network when you are no longer using it; use privacy settings, and limit
the amount of personal information you post online; do not add strangers to your social media sites;
before you accept an invitation to connect, ensure the person is who they say they are
Connection

Share an experience you or someone you know has had with phishing or impersonation.
 Onscreen Presentation: Tips for Protecting Your Online
Information
• Explain the importance of being cautious about what
you share online.
• Ask volunteers to share their tips for protecting
personal information online. When you have compiled
a list of ideas, reveal the tips onscreen and compare
them.

Presentation Tip: If you are leading a remote session, consider allowing students to type their tip
ideas on a whiteboard space, or consider having them use the chat feature to compile the tips in a
shared space.
Talking Points

• Once information is shared online, it becomes like a “digital tattoo” that is very
difficult to remove. Think BEFORE you post.
• The information you share online could put your finances at risk or even cause you
to lose a job.

Onscreen Presentation: Key Terms

• Ask for volunteers to define the terms in their own
words before revealing the definitions.
• Discuss how credit reports can relate to identity theft.

Presentation Tip: Ask for volunteers to define each of the terms in their own words before sharing
the definitions.
Talking Points

•Identity thieves can use the personal information anyone posts online to commit
identity theft.
• The information on a credit report includes credit accounts a person has opened,
amount owed on credit, purchase and payment history, and information on overdue
debt.
Discussion Question

How can a credit report relate to identity theft?

Answer: You can use your credit report to protect your finances, because it often will show evidence
of any suspicious activity that may have occurred.
Connections

Share a personal example or a story you have heard that relates to identity theft or other negative
consequences of online behavior. Ask students to volunteer a story, if they know of one.
 Onscreen Presentation: Know Your Rights
Explain the safeguards that have been put in place
to help consumers dispute information on their credit
report and restore their credit score if it is found to
be inaccurate or if it indicates that fraudulent activity
may have occurred.

Onscreen Presentation: Finance Detective

• Point out the scenario in the onscreen presentation.
Explain that the credit report, credit card statement,
emails, and smartphone belong to Marie, a 19-year-
old college student.
• Have students look for suspicious activity (such as
credit card charges that seem out of place) or risky
behavior (like sharing information that should be kept
private).

Presentation Tip: Consider allowing student volunteers to take control of the presentation and select
the suspicious items.
Solutions

Credit Report
Answer: A below average credit score could lead to higher interest rates or Marie’s being denied
credit in the future. A late payment on a high-interest payday loan could lead to expensive additional
fees and could lead to Marie’s being considered a higher credit risk in the future.

Phone
Answer: Marie’s careless posting on social media could lead to trouble with her boss or could even
cause her to lose her job.

Email
Answer: An email asking for confidential information could be a phishing scam or fraud meant to
collect personal information in order to steal Marie’s identity.

Credit Card Statement

Answer: Suspicious charges to a Senior Citizens’ Golf Tourney and Men’s Big N’ Tall Shoe Emporium
could indicate a stolen credit card number. Marie should check her statement carefully each month
and follow up on any purchases she doesn’t recognize.
Get Together: Sharing Finances

20–25 minutes
Students learn some of the risks associated with sharing finances with others and develop a tip sheet
to help people trying to decide whether to share an account, a credit card, or a loan with another
person.

Onscreen Presentation: Why Would Anyone Share Finances?

Ask students to consider why people would want to
share a bank account or credit card with another
person or why anyone would cosign on a loan for
another person.

• Allow several students to share their ideas before

revealing the messages.
• Use the talking points to provide more detail about
how sharing finances might work.
Talking Points

• Having a joint bank account can eliminate the need for people to send money back and forth
continuously, and it can make working toward a shared goal (like saving for an upcoming
vacation or a down payment on a house) easier.
• If one person has good credit, and someone that person loves has bad credit, the first person
might make the second person an authorized user on a credit card to boost the second
person’s credit.
• When making a large purchase, you might ask someone to cosign with you to help you secure
a loan.
• Both cosigners and co-borrowers are agreeing to be responsible for the loan. The big
difference is that a cosigner has no right to the property bought with the loan money, while a
co-borrower is usually listed on the title.

Onscreen Presentation: What's the Worst That Can

Happen?

Ask for volunteers to share their ideas about some of

the risks of sharing finances.

Talking Points

• Account co-owners can spend, give away, or transfer funds to other accounts
without the consent or knowledge of the other account holder(s).
• Authorized users on a credit card are not responsible for their debts. The primary
cardholder must pay if the authorized user fails to do so.
• Cosigners or co-borrowers are responsible for a loan. If payments aren’t made by
the co-borrower, the lender can come to the cosigner for payment; the cosigner
could be sued, and his or her credit could be damaged.
• His or her credit could be damaged.
 Onscreen Presentation: Consider This

Explain that as long as everyone involved is

HONEST with and has TRUST for one another,
they may or may not decide to share joint financial
information.

Talking Points

• Before jumping into sharing a financial account with another person, start with small
steps (like saving together toward a shared goal). This helps build trust, equality,
and healthy conflict resolution over time.
• You should never feel like you must share an account with another person to be in
a healthy relationship.
•

Onscreen Presentation: Student Activity: Consumer

Protection

• Direct students to their activity pages and review the

instructions.
• If you’d like, consider dividing the students into groups
and assigning one scenario to each.
• When students have developed their tips, have them
share them with the larger group.

Presentation Tip: If you are leading a remote session, consider setting up breakout rooms or
another collaborative space for small groups to use to complete the activity.
Solutions

Answers will vary, but possible tips include:

• Before deciding to share finances, consider whether the person is trustworthy. Do
they have a history of paying their bills on time? Do they have a consistent income?
Have they lied to you?
• If you decide to share an account with another person, make sure both people have
equal access to it.
• Even if one person is in charge of making payments, both people should know what
is happening with the account.
• Establish a system for communicating about the shared account/card/loan. For
example, one party might let the other know when they are making a charge or a
withdrawal.
• If you are cosigning for a loan, make sure you get notifications of the payment
status.
 •
If you are sharing an account, you might also keep a separate account for your
individual expenses.
• When sharing a joint account, maintain an honest, communicative relationship
about the money. Try setting up automatic mobile notifications for the joint
account's activity so everyone stays informed.
Discussion Question

Would you consider sharing finances with another person?

Answers will vary.
Wrap-Up

5–10 minutes

Wrap up the session and take any pending questions from students.

Onscreen Presentation: How can a credit score be

improved?

Tell students that you are going to share some

questions to help them review what they have
learned.

Presentation tip: If you are leading a remote session, consider polling students for the correct
answers. Note that there are six questions.

Onscreen Presentation: Congratulations!

• Thank students for their attention and answer
any questions they have.
• Direct students to the post-session survey.