Tools for Teaching the Missouri Personal Finance Competencies

The Tools for Teaching the Missouri Personal Finance Competencies course includes lessons, links to resources, and is aligned with the National Financial Literacy Standards and the Common Core Standards. Each of the 5 sessions, or modules, focuses on teaching specific personal finance content. The course is designed with flexibility for teachers to use it in its entirety or to select individual sessions.

How to use the materials:

Option 1: Download the entire curriculum (pdf) containing all 5 sessions and an appendix.

Option 2: Download individual sessions for the specific topics you wish to use (listed below) and the appendix (pdf).

For both options, teachers can download the Talking Points Presentations (pptx) for the sessions they like (listed below).

Session 1 - Scarcity and Choice (Decisionmaking)
Scarcity of resources requires individuals, organizations, and governments to make decisions. In this session, students will experience decisionmaking in several ways by completing activities regarding choosing a college and buying a computer.

• Session 1 (pdf)

• Session 1 Talking Points Presentation (pptx)

Session 2 - Earning Income and Paying Taxes
In this session, students will learn about sources of income for most people and the type of income related to each source. They will learn about human capital and the return to investments in human capital. They will learn about government transfer programs. They will also learn about income and payroll taxes, gross income, and net income.

• Session 2 (pdf)

• Session 2 Talking Points Presentation (pptx)

Session 3 - Financial Goal Setting, Spending, and Credit
In this session, students will have the opportunity to set financial goals, both short-term and long-term goals, and develop a budget. They learn about bank accounts, record keeping, writing checks, using debit cards, and balancing accounts. They also about credit, rule of 72, credit rights and responsibilities, credit reports and credit scores.

• Session 3 (pdf)

• Session 3 Talking Points Presentation (pptx)

Session 4 - Saving, Investing, and Protecting
In this session, students will learn about the importance of saving, the various options for financial investments--including stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. They learn hot to protect and insure against loss--including types of insurance.

• Session 4 (pdf)

• Session 4 Talking Points Presentation (pptx)

Session 5 - The Federal Reserve System
In this session, students will learn about the Federal Reserve System and its role in the economy.

• Session 5 (pdf)

• Session 5 Talking Points Presentation (pptx)

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If you have difficulty accessing this content due to a disability, please contact us at economiceducation@stls.frb.org or call the St. Louis Fed at 314-444-8444 and ask for Economic Education.

Find More Economics and Personal Finance Resources

Education Level: 9-12
Subjects: Personal Finance
Concepts: Scarcity , Risk , Taxes , Budget/Money Management , Saving , Time Value of Money , Consumer Protection , Decision-Making , Banks , Income , Human Capital , Credit
Resource Types: Lesson , Instructional Guide
Languages: English