Managing Money, Credit, and Choices

This unit deepens applied personal finance skills by focusing on budgeting, spending tracking, credit and debt management, loan and account selection, taxes/paycheck deductions, basic investing choices, insurance, and consumer protection. It builds on introductory income and saving concepts from Unit 1 and prepares students to evaluate longer-term investment and financial-planning strategies in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze personal spending patterns and implement a working budget by selecting and applying at least two budgeting styles to produce a 3-month cash-flow plan and revision strategy
• Evaluate credit health by interpreting a credit report, calculating credit utilization and interest costs, identifying errors or risky items, and developing a prioritized plan to pay down debt
• Apply comparative decision-making to choose financial products—such as loans, bank accounts, brokerages, and life insurance—by calculating total costs, fees, and interest and recommending the best option for a given scenario
• Demonstrate knowledge of earnings and consumer protection by summarizing mandatory paycheck deductions, distinguishing taxable versus non-taxable income, completing a FAFSA readiness checklist or work-study evaluation, and identifying common online financial scams and safeguards