2nd Semester
In this full year Personal Finance FLEX course it is the most comprehensive Personal Finance curriculum, filled with engaging resources, activities, and more. This course will guide students to feel confident and financially capable.

Financial literacy is essential in meeting the financial challenge of the 21st Century.  The competencies, which form the basis for this full year curriculum will enable students to analyze their personal financial decisions, evaluate the costs and benefits of their decisions, recognize their rights and responsibilities as consumers, and apply the knowledge learned in school to financial situations encountered later in life. 

Week 1
UNIT 7: Investing -Learn about the stock market along with investment strategies & retirement
Lesson 39 - Why Should I Invest?
Students will be able to
------Define investing and distinguish it from saving and trading
------Identify reasons for investing, including outpacing inflation
------Analyze how compounding builds wealth over time. 
------Reflect on how investing contributes to wealth inequality

Lesson 40 - What is a Stock?
Students will be able to
------Describe what stocks are, how you can earn profit from stocks, and the risks of investing
------Summarize long-term trends in the stock market
------Analyze the performance of individual stocks over time
------Consider how personal values may influence investing decisions

Lesson 41 - What is a Bond?
Students will be able to
------Explain what a bond is and the pros and cons of investing in bonds
------Understand the various factors that can influence bond prices such as interest rates
------Identify the difference between an individual bond and a bond fund
------Read a bond fund fact sheet

Week 2
Lesson 42 - Managing Risk
Students will be able to
------Explain what risk is and its role in investing
------Analyze effective strategies to manage investment risk
------Identify which strategies you might use to manage risk when you start investing

Lesson 43 - Investing in Funds
Students will be able to
------Explain the difference between active investing and passive investing 
------Identify a variety of popular investment funds  including mutual funds, index funds, exchange traded funds, and target date funds
------Read a fund fact sheet for an index fund and a target date fund

Lesson 44 - Deep Dive Into Funds
Students will be able to
------Arrange companies to create a diversified mutual fund or index fund
------Evaluate how the composition of a mutual fund or index fund is associated with risk and reward
------Analyze the composition of the S&P 500
Week 3
Lesson 45 - What's Your Investment Strategy?
Students will be able to
------Discuss best practices how to prepare for the psychological elements of investing
------Determine your investor profile based on time horizon and risk tolerance
------Discuss specific investing strategies
------Understand what a brokerage account is and how to open one
------Demonstrate your understanding of investing strategies by creating a simulated portfolio

Lesson 46 - The importance of Investing for Retirement
Students will be able to
------Investigate how investing can be a powerful tool to meet your retirement goals 
------Explain why most Americans cannot rely on Social Security and pensions alone for retirement 
------Explore factors that can impact how much you might need in retirement and your ability to meet your retirement savings goal
------Understand the growing popularity of the F.I.R.E. movement

Lesson 47 - How to Invest for Retirement
Students will be able to
------Explain the advantages of a 401(k)
------Analyze who has access to 401(k) accounts
------Compare different types of retirement accounts, including Roth IRAs, traditional IRAs, 401(k)s, and pensions
------Simulate signing up for a 401(k) or IRA account

Lesson 48 - Modern Investing
Students will be able to
------Discuss the function and growth of robo-advising, along with its relationship with human investment managers
------Explain the function, pros, and cons of micro-investing
------Identify best practices to use when evaluating a mobile investing app 
------Understand the capital gains tax and how it applies
Investing Unit Assessment

Week 4
UNIT 8: Behavioral Economics -Learn about various cognitive biases that can influence our financial decisions
Lesson 49 - Are You Really in Control of Your Decisions?
 Students will be able to
------Experience cognitive biases through thought experiments
------Identify various cognitive biases
------Give examples of cognitive biases in your own life
------Explain what cognitive bias is and how it can impact our decision making

Lesson 50 - Sore Loser
Students will be able to
------Discuss the cognitive bias of loss aversion and how we feel the effect of losses more than gains
------Make decisions that involve risk and the possibility of loss
------Analyze loss aversion from the perspective of consumers and investors
------Choose strategies that will help overcome loss aversion

Lesson 51 - Let it Go?
Students will be able to
------Identify how the endowment effect and sunk costs affect our decision making
------Discuss how the endowment effect and sunk costs are connected to our personal finances
------Demonstrate making decisions after you’ve already spent time, money, or effort
------Choose strategies that are helpful in combating the endowment effect and sunk costs

Lesson 52 - Everyone Else Doing it?
Students will be able to
------Understand what herd mentality and FOMO are
------Explain how these two cognitive biases impact our personal finances 
------Identify practical steps someone can take to combat the influence of herd mentality and FOMO
Week 5
Lesson 53 - Arrogance and Echo Chambers
Students will be able to
------Understand what confirmation bias is and how it can influence your decision making
------Identify types of overconfidence and give examples that show up in everyday life
------Explore strategies to avoid confirmation bias and overconfidence

Lesson 54 - Enough is Enough
Students will be able to
------Understand what hedonic adaptation is and how it influences our financial decisions
------Explain the connection between our happiness levels and how much we earn and spend 
------Identify steps someone can take to counteract the impact of hedonic 
Lesson 55 - I Saw it on Social Media
Students will be able to
------Reflect on the various cognitive biases you have learned about in this unit
------Identify the variety of ways social media marketers use cognitive biases to influence consumer behavior 
------Work with your peers to create a social media marketing strategy for a specific product 
Behavioral Economics Unit Assessment
Week 6
UNIT 9: Career -Learn about writing resumes, applying for jobs, and what to do when you get an offer
Lesson 56 - Career Basics
Students will be able to
------Identify different available career pathways
------Analyze the relationship between education, pay, and unemployment
------Recognize how different careers can be connected by similar skill sets
------Contextualize the minimum and median wage in your state
Week 7
Lesson 57 - Choosing a Career
Students will be able to
------Analyze potential careers based on salary, stability, growth, training, and responsibilities
------Explore different career options based on your interests
------Understand how to use an informational interview to gather details on a target career

Lesson 58 - Workplace Skills
Students will be able to
------Differentiate between hard skills and soft skills
------Identify skills necessary for a range of jobs
------Analyze the skills you currently have and those you will need to gain for a specific career
------Demonstrate the use of soft skills in different roleplay scenarios
Week 8
Lesson 59 - Finding a Job
Students will be able to
------Use online job boards to find and read job postings for open roles that meet your career .goals and qualifications
------Prepare for and navigate career fairs and other networking events
------Write an elevator pitch that will leave a positive first impression
------Overcome imposter syndrome when applying for jobs

Lesson 60 - Your LinkedIn Profile
Students will be able to
------Explain the benefits of having a LinkedIn profile as a professional
------Create a LinkedIn profile and use it to advance your career and grow your network.
------Understand the importance of having a professional online presence

Lesson 61 - Resumes & Cover Letters
Students will be able to
------Explain what a resume and cover letter are and how they are used in the hiring process
------Identify how a resume differs from a LinkedIn profile 
------Write a resume with little to no work experience
------Create a resume and cover letter for yourself
Week 9
Lesson 62 - Interviewing for a job
Students will be able to
------Incorporate multiple strategies to potentially generate interview opportunities
------Prepare yourself physically and mentally for a job interview
------Practice answering common job interview questions
------Recognize behavioral interview questions and develop a strategy for answering those questions
------Review appropriate ways to follow-up after an interview

Lesson 63 - Outcomes of a Job Interview
Students will be able to
------Professionally negotiate your salary
------Describe key job benefits 
------Compare multiple job offers based on a variety of criteria to determine the best fit
------How to react and next steps to follow if you do not get offered the job
Week 10
Lesson 64 - Starting a New Job
Students will be able to
------Read a pay stub and understand how taxes and other deductions are withheld to calculate your net pay
------Complete employee paperwork to initiate tax withholdings, direct deposit, health insurance, and 401(k) contributions

Lesson 65 - Career Success
Students will be able to
------Identify important tasks you might not have thought to do prior to starting your new job
------Explain the benefits of joining a professional organization and identify professional organizations that could help you grow in your career
------Effectively ask for a raise
------Create a plan that shows the career path you can take to get to your dream job
Career Unit Assessment

Week 11
UNIT 10: Taxes -Learn about the US tax system and filing a tax return
Lesson 66 - The U.S. Tax System
Students will be able to
Explain where income taxes are collected from and how they provide revenue for public expenses 
Describe how the progressive tax code, current tax brackets, and different taxes between states lead to individuals paying varying amounts of taxes
 
Lesson 67 - Important Tax Forms
------Important Tax Forms
------Students will be able to
------Distinguish between common IRS forms and determine when and how each form is used in the tax cycle
------Explain the purpose of a W-4 and how withholdings impact your paycheck
------Carefully read the details of a W-2 form
Week 12
Lesson 68 - Do I Need to File a Tax Return?
Students will be able to
------Understand the factors that determine whether or not someone has to file a tax return
------Explain what a dependent is and establish if they can be claimed as a dependent by someone else on their tax return
------Determine whether someone has to file a tax return based on their specific situation 

Lesson 69 - Filing Your Taxes
Students will be able to
------Identify what they need to file their tax returns
------Distinguish tax credits from tax deductions and understand how they can lower their overall tax burdens
------Complete a 1040 form to file their tax returns
------Explain how to pay back any taxes they owe or how to maximize a tax refund
------Identify fees and penalties they will incur if they fail to file a tax return or pay back taxes owed

Week 13
Lesson 70 - Dive Deeper into Taxes
Students will be able to
------Decide when it is best to itemize their deductions and when to take the standard deduction
------Differentiate between employees, contractors, and freelancers, and how that status affects their taxes
------Understand the tax implications of taking on multiple revenue streams
------Choose which types of investment accounts are best for their current and future tax situations
Taxes Unit Assessment
Week 14
UNIT 11: Insurance -Learn about what insurance is and take a deeper dive into health & auto insurance
Lesson 71 - Insurance Fundamentals
Students will be able to
------Explain the fundamental ways that insurance companies provide coverage but also make money as a business
------Recognize the relationship between insurance premiums, deductibles, and coverage limits
------Determine the role of states in providing, regulating, and enforcing insurance requirements
------Acknowledge the costs of insurance fraud
Week 15
Lesson 72 - Health Insurance 101
Students will be able to
------Understand the importance of having health insurance 
------Identify the various costs affiliated with having health insurance 
------Explain how health insurance works and the different types of plans available to them 
------Understand how government healthcare programs like Medicaid and CHIP work and who qualifies for them 
------Explore steps they can take to lower their medical costs 

Lesson 73 - Finding a Health Insurance Plan
Students will be able to
------Understand how millions of Americans get their health insurance 
------Explain the pros and cons of opting into your employer health plan versus buying your own 
------Read the fine print on a health benefits form and shop around for a health insurance plan that works for you
------Determine what steps you can take if you are faced with expensive medical bills 
Week 16
Lesson 74 - Auto Insurance
Students will be able to
------Describe the main types of auto insurance policies
------Explain the relationship between deductibles, coverage limits, and premiums for auto insurance
------List factors that determine auto insurance premiums
------Determine legally required and recommended coverage levels
------Read the fine print of an insurance policy and determine what coverage is provided 
------Identify steps to take immediately after an auto accident and successfully file a claim

Lesson 75 - Home & Renters Insurance
Students will be able to
------Distinguish the similarities and differences between renters and homeowners insurance
------Read the fine print of a rental insurance agreement and a homeowners insurance declaration page
------Appreciate why it is valuable to have insurance for your dwelling, regardless of whether you own or rent a home
Week 17
Lesson 76 - Other Types of Insurance
Students will be able to
------Investigate other types of insurance, such as life insurance, long term disability, travel, extended warranties, cell phone, and pet insurance, and determine if they are worthwhile expenses
------Describe the cost and impact of larger societal forms of insurance, like Social Security
Insurance Unit Assessment
Week 18
UNIT 12: Mini Units -Learn about finding a job and job interviews, alternatives to a traditional 4-year college, entrepreneurship, and more!
Lesson 77 - Social Media & Influencers
Students will be able to
------Analyze current teen spending habits 
------Examine their role as a consumer and their consumer decisions 
------Explain how social media and influencers can impact a consumer’s spending decisions 
------Identify steps a consumer can take to decrease the influence of social media on their spending decisions

Lesson 78 - Advertisements & Dark Patterns
Students will be able to
------Identify ways advertisements work on your psychology
------Identify dark patterns you regularly encounter
------Learn why companies use dark patterns

Lesson 79- Comparison Shopping
Students will be able to
------Understand what comparison shopping is, how it can help consumers, and when it makes sense to comparison shop
------Identify a variety of factors to consider when comparison shopping 
------Explain how using tools such as browser extensions and price matching can help them find the best deal
------Consider the impact a consumer decision may have on the environment 
Week 19
Lesson 80 - Being a Savvy Consumer
Students will be able to
------Weigh subscription options for products and services 
------Learn about hidden fees and how to avoid them
------Consider the benefits of buying goods second hand
------Evaluate various online marketplace options
------Learn how to stay safe when using buy/sell/trade marketplaces

Lesson 81 - Scams & Fraud
Students will be able to
------Define scams and fraud 
------Identify red flags to look for in different types of scams and fraud
------Examine current trends for scams and fraud 
------Recommend what steps someone should take if they are scammed 

Lesson 82 - Identity Theft
Students will be able to
------Identify different types of identity theft, how they can occur, and the impact they have on your life 
------Understand current trends about identity theft
------Identify the dangers of ID theft of minors
------Protect personal information through a variety of preventative measures
------Outline what steps to take if you are a victim of identity theft 
Consumer Skills Unit Assessment

Week 20
Diagnostic and Final Exams
Summative unit exams for each unit

This Flex course is the 2nd semester of Personal Finance Full Year course.  Each week at 9:00 AM Central Standard Time, weekly lesson, materials and activities will be post to the Outschool classroom. Students have the flexibility of completing the lessons own their time schedule.