Personal Finance Foundations

This unit establishes foundational personal finance knowledge and skills, including cash flow analysis, budgeting, saving, debt reduction, basic investing, taxes, retirement accounts, insurance, housing, and education financing. Students will learn to use digital tools and communication strategies to make informed, real-world financial decisions and prepare for more advanced topics in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze personal financial information by constructing cash-flow statements and net-worth calculations to identify spending patterns and prioritize savings goals.
• Create and justify a personal budget and debt-reduction plan that applies savings strategies, consumer protections, and appropriate transaction and investment account choices to achieve short- and long-term goals.
• Evaluate basic tax obligations, retirement account types, and common investment vehicles (bonds, mutual funds, ETFs) as well as core insurance options (life, homeowners) to recommend suitable choices based on risk tolerance and time horizon.
• Apply financial decision-making skills—including use of financial apps, media literacy, and family/peer communication—to make informed choices about education financing, housing (rent vs. buy), employment, and managing consumer spending.