The modern society presents us with abundant opportunities and many stressful moments. Just to name a few: the ability to afford quality education, social mobility, job security, retirement, student debt, housing affordability. We adults discuss these topics frequently or want to learn about them eagerly. However, these topics barely enter the conventional school curriculum. This course not only prepares children for the real world but also help them to explore what is important to them and why. We will learn about how to set goals that inspire us to reach financial freedom and the basics of different investment vehicles through inquiry-based learning. Concepts and knowledge points will be introduced through key questions each week. The follow-up courses for this class are Part 2 to dive deeper into equity securities including stock, mutual funds and Part 3 to learn more about real estate. 

Week 1: What do we think about money? What is financial freedom? Will financial freedom and money enhance our happiness? Set your goals that will meet your financial needs and aspiration. 
Week 2: Why do we need a bank account? What types of accounts are there? What do these accounts do for us? How does interest work? Learn about different account types such as checking, saving, CDs, retirement accounts/other accounts that can shelter your capital gain, and credit card. Introduce the concept of emergency fund and the time value of money.
Week 3: What is risk and return? How risky is investing in stocks? What other types of security options are there? Are they safe or are they risky? Learn about one's own risk tolerance and choose investment vehicles based on short-term/long-term financial needs when considering one's risk tolerance. Make money to go to an expensive musical festival vs. invest to retire. 
Week 4: Why buying a home is the American Dream? What is the utility value of real estate? What are different ways to invest in real estate? Compare investing in real estate to other investment vehicles. Learn the concept of building equity in one's real estate and how to use such equity, and different ways to earn income from one's real estate. 
Week 5: How about investing in myself? What is the value in life-long learning and education? How do I start a business on my own? Learn about the importance of investing in oneself such as reading, on-going self-development, investing one's own business ideas. Learn about the basic steps to set up a business.