Module 1: Introduction to Personal Finance
- Introduction to personal finance
- Financial goal setting
- Foundations in personal finance
- Economic tools and perspectives
Personal Finance
Future Ready Personal Finance
Personal Finance Course Overview
The Personal Finance course is designed to help students build practical money management skills through real-world topics that prepare them for life after high school.
Course Success Tips
Students should follow the pacing guide, keep strong handwritten notes, take advantage of open-note quizzes, stay in contact with their teacher when help is needed, and avoid procrastination.
What Students Learn
- Cost of education and training
- Income and taxes
- Products and services
- Budgeting and banking
- Credit and debt
- Risk management and insurance
- Saving and investing
- Retirement planning and taxes
The pacing guide also notes that progress reports are given on the 1st and 15th of each month, and quizzes are open notes.
Module 2: Cost of Education & Training
- Employers and employees
- Employment comparison tools
- Postsecondary planning
- Personal finance readiness check
Module 3: Budgeting
- Saving basics
- Budgeting 101
- Banking and checking accounts
- Managing a zero-based budget
Module 4: Understanding Personal Taxes
- Personal taxes
- Income taxes
- Federal tax withholding
- Tax return basics
Module 5: Products & Services
- Banking products
- Credit and debit cards
- Consumer services
- Needs, wants, and spending choices
Module 6: Managing Credit
- Credit scores and reports
- Managing debt
- Debt payoff strategies
- Responsible credit use
Module 7: Personal Risk Management
- Risk management
- Insurance basics
- Types of insurance
- Coverage and protection decisions
Module 8: Retirement & Estate Planning
- Retirement planning
- Investing and risk
- Employer benefits
- Estate and long-term planning concepts
Module 9: Buying a Vehicle
- Buying basics
- Needs versus wants
- Vehicle pricing and ownership costs
- Financing and budgeting for transportation
Module 10: Renting an Apartment
- Housing needs
- Renting basics
- Leases and landlord expectations
- Housing costs and budgeting
Module 11: Financial Success
- Review of personal finance concepts
- Final reflection and preparation
- Course wrap-up
- Readiness for assessment and next steps
Assessment Components
- Intro videos
- Daily work
- Assignments
- Tests, discussions, DBA, notebook, and ICEV final exam
ICEV Tier 2 Certification Opportunity
Students in the course will have the opportunity to obtain a Tier 2 certification through the ICEV testing platform. Additional testing information is available at ICEV online Personal Finance Course.