Curriculum
Take a closer look at what's in our lessons, download a sample unit, and get familiar with how Financial Skills for Smart Living® can help your students gain confidence, begin to master important life skills, and qualify for college credit.
Download a Sample Unit
See for yourself how we set you up for success with out resource-rich lesson plans.
More Than a Lesson Plan
Our proven curriculum provides activities quizzes discussion starters, and detailed lesson plans that can be adapted to fit your teaching style with ease.
Students Earn College Credit
College is expensive. This course helps high school students earn credit before they start paying tuition.
Help Students Get Ahead
Prepare students to make informed financial decisions and avoid costly mistakes as they transition into adulthood.
It's aligned to standards, which is a huge thing, and the detailed lesson plans are amazing. There's resources, presentations, and speaker notes for every lesson, so if you're new to the curriculum or not as confident in how you teach it yet, everything is there to set you and your students up for success with this curriculum.
Lesson Overview
1 Get Ready for the Good Life
1-1 Take Control of Your Financial Future
1-2 Setting SMART Goals
1-3 The Choices you Make
2 Get Ready to Plan for Your Future
2-1 Choose a Career
2-2 Your Paycheck and Deductions
2-3 Paying Taxes
2-4 Net Worth Statements
2-5 Income and Expense Statement
2-6 Budget
3 Get Ready to Save
3-1 Types of Depository Institutions
3-2 Savings Tools
3-3 Develop a Savings Mentality
3-4 Ways to Save
4 Get Ready to Invest
4-1 Managing Risk
4-2 Investing Basics
4-3 Stocks and Bonds
4-4 Start with Mutual Funds
5 Get Ready to Use Credit Wisely
5-1 Open-end (Revolving) Credit
5-2 Closed-end Credit (Loans)
5-3 Credit Reports and Credit Scores
5-4 Starting and Applying for Credit
5-5 How to Avoid and Manage Debt
6 Get Ready to Spend Wisely
6-1 Car Ownership
6-2 Buying a Car
6-3 Buying or Renting a Home
6-4 How to be a Smart Consumer
6-5 Different Methods of Payment
6-6 Writing Checks (Optional)
7 Get Ready for College
7-1 The Cost of College
7-2 How Do I Pay for College?
7-3 Repaying Student Loans
8 Insurance and Fraud
8-1 Insurance Basics
8-2 Health Insurance
8-3 Life, Disability, and LTC Insurance
8-4 Home/Rental and Vehicle Insurance
8-5 Identity Fraud
9 Get Ready for Retirement
9-1 Planning Strategies for Retirement
9-2 Retirement Accounts
9-3 Social Security
10 Get Ready for Your First Job (Optional)
10-1 Creating a Resume
10-2 Writing a Cover Letter
10-3 Job Search Strategies
10-4 Interview Techniques
10-5 Job Offers