| Topic | Lesson Topic | Subtopics | Objectives |
| 1 |
Planning to Succeed |
- A Process for Planning
- Opportunity Costs
- The Time Value of Money
- Setting and Achieving Financial Goals
- Career Planning
|
Identify the factors that impact personal financial planning.
Understand how interest and inflation impact the value of money and purchasing power.
Understand financial planning activities and types of financial goals.
Develop a set of personal financial goals. Create a plan for making personal financial and career decisions.
|
| 2 |
Money Management |
- Tools for Money Management
- Measuring Your Personal Finances
- Effective Budgeting
|
- Give examples of three major money-management activities.
- Create a personal balance sheet and calculate personal cash flow.
- Develop a workable budget.
- Create a plan to connect money management techniques and savings to reach a financial goal.
|
| 3 |
The Certainty of Taxes |
- Types of Taxes
- Federal Income Tax
- Filing Your Tax Return
- Tax Strategies
|
Identify the major types of taxes consumers face.
Calculate taxable income and taxes owed to the IRS.
Prepare a federal income tax form. Understand how investments and retirement decisions affect income tax.
|
| 4 |
Save as Much as You Can |
Financial Services
Financial Institutions
Savings Plans
Ways to Pay
|
Compare and contrast the services offered by the major types of financial institutions.
Compare and contrast the roles of financial institutions and the overlapping financial services they offer.
Describe and assess liquidity and security of various savings options.
Describe and evaluate various payment methods and identify key activities necessary to properly manage them.
|
| 5 |
Consumer Credit |
Credit: the Pros and Cons
Types and Sources of Consumer Credit
Applying for Credit
Managing and Protecting Your Credit
|
- Analyze the pros and cons of using consumer credit.
- Compare and contrast the various types of consumer credit.
- Calculate the cost of a borrowing and understand how poor credit costs more.
- Outline a plan for managing your debts.
- Design a strategy to protect your credit rating.
|
| 6 |
Buyer Beware! |
Strategies for Making Major Purchases
Buying a Car
Satisfaction Guaranteed?
|
Summarize strategies for safe and wise purchasing.
Describe the phases of making an informed purchase of an motor vehicle.
Devise strategies for resolving various consumer complaints in a variety of scenarios.
Evaluate possible legal options to protect your credit.
|
| 7 |
A Place to Call Home |
Housing Alternatives: Rent or Buy?
The Pros and Cons of Renting
The Process of Buying a Home
Selling Out
|
Evaluate possible housing options.
Describe the advantages and disadvantages of renting a residence.
Describe five steps to buying and financing a home.
Compare and contrast several methods of selling your home and formulate various plans based on statistical data in your area.
|
| 8 |
Protecting your Home and Auto Investment |
Insurance and Risk Management
Property and Liability Insurance
Homeowner's Insurance
Auto Insurance: Coverage and Cost
|
Identify types of risks and risk management methods and then develop a risk management plan.
Assess the insurance coverage and policy types available to owners and renters.
Compare coverage and costs of property insurance.
Give examples of options for motor vehicle insurance coverage and describe factors that impact cost.
|
| 9 |
Insuring Your Health |
The High Cost of Health Care
Health Insurance Options and Types
Sources of Health Insurance and Health Care
Disability Insurance
|
Explain why health insurance is necessary and analyze the costs and benefits of various types of health insurance coverage.
Define major provisions and trade-offs of different health care plans.
Compare and contrast private and government health care plans.
Explain how to obtain disability insurance and describe how it can protect you from loss.
|
| 10 |
Life Insurance: You Bet Your Life! |
- Determining Your Needs
- Types of Companies, Policies, and Provisions
- Buying Life Insurance
- Annuities
|
Understand what circumstances create the need for life insurance and determine your life insurance needs.
Analyze a variety of life insurance policies available today.
Create a plan to buy life insurance and select important provisions in a contract.
Understand how annuities provide financial security.
|
| 11 |
Investing Basics |
Pre- Investment Preparation
Consider Before You Choose
Choosing Between Alternatives
Risks and Research
|
Understand the advantages of long-term investment over short-term investment.
Assess the safety-risk trade-off and the components of the investing risk factor.
Identify a variety of investment alternatives and describe the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative.
Identify factors that can reduce investment risk.
Identify sources of investment information.
|
| 12 |
Stocks and Bonds |
Common and Preferred Stock
Evaluating Stock Investments
Notable Numerical Measures
Long and Short-term Strategies for Investment
|
Describe the most important features of common and preferred stock.
Evaluate the historical performance of a stock investment.
Understand how corporate earnings and other factors affect stock performance.
Describe how stocks are traded, and compare and contrast trading techniques used by long-term investors and short-term speculators.
Evaluate why consumers find bonds to be an attractive conservative investment.
|
| 13 |
Mutual Funds and Real Estate |
Characteristics and Classifications of Mutual Funds
Mutual Funds Transactions
Types of Real Estate Investments
Advantages and Disadvantages of Real Estate Investments
|
Describe the characteristics of mutual funds investments and classify mutual funds by investment objective.
Understand how mutual funds are bought and sold and how mutual fund investors earn a return on investment.
Differentiate between different types of real estate investments.
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of investing in real estate.
|
| 14 |
Retirement Planning |
Starting Early
Asset Analysis
Needs Analysis
Your Retirement Income
|
Analyze your current assets and liabilities.
Estimate your projected living costs after retirement.
Determine your planned retirement income and develop a balanced budget for retirement.
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| 15 |
Course Review |
|
- Review of the course topics
|
Personal Finance
