Common Cents: Learning About Money Personal Finance for Teens and High Schoolers

Do you want to learn how to manage and maintain your own finances? Have you learned how to create and stick to a budget? Or what percentage of your paycheck you should save for the future? Do you ever wonder what cryptocurrency is or how it works? Or how stocks and the stock market work? Have you thought about how credit cards work and if should you have one? If you’re curious about any of these topics, then this course is for you. In this course, students will learn how to manage their day to day finances to include creating and maintaining a budget, investment options, the ins and outs of checking and savings accounts, as well as credit cards and how they work.

Week 1: Financial Behavior
- Decision making and risk taking
-Sunk costs and the art of “letting it go”
- Herd mentality, FOMO, marketing and arrogance
- Happiness vs. Spending levels

Week 2: Budgeting
How do I budget?
Budgeting 101
Creating a budget
Budgeting with Roommates!

Week 3: Banking 
Checking vs. Savings accounts
Banking fees
Online banking and mobile banking
Saving strategies

Week 4: Investing
Investing Basics: Stocks, Bonds, Mutual funds and more!
Start investing – building a portfolio 
Wolves on Wall Street or Bubble chasers? 

Week 5: Credit and Debt
Credit and Debt introduction
Credit cards vs. The Youth
Debt management 

Week 6: Taxes
Taxes and Teenagers
Filing your taxes
Tax return strategies

Week 7: Insurance
Insurance Basics
Auto insurance
Health Insurance
More “adulting” insurances

Week 8: Career
Choosing a career with career outlook
Soft skills vs hard skills
Resumes, applications and cover letters
Alternatives to college?!