From first money habits to financial independence.
Four levels of financial learning, organized for grades 5–12. Grade ranges guide placement; teachers can choose what fits their students.
Financial Foundations
Understand money and develop basic habits around earning, saving, spending, budgeting, and financial decision-making.
8 units Level 2 · Grades 7–8Financial Essentials
Move from understanding money to actually learning how to manage it.
9 units Level 3 · Grades 9–10Financial Preparation
Prepare students for increasingly independent financial decisions during high school and early adulthood.
10 units Level 4 · Grades 11–12Financial Independence
Give students the financial knowledge they need to transition from high school into independent adult life.
11 unitsThis catalog contains the curriculum structure and lesson outlines. Full teaching content is in development; classroom assignments use lessons published by your school.
All units in this levelFinancial Foundations
Understand money and develop basic habits around earning, saving, spending, budgeting, and financial decision-making.
Unit 1Understanding Money
8 planned lessons
Understanding Money
8 planned lessons- What Is Money?
- Purpose of money
- Forms of money
- Medium of exchange
- Store of value
- Unit of account
- Why Does Money Have Value?
- Trust in money
- Fiat money
- Purchasing power
- Inflation introduction
- Needs vs. Wants
- Identifying needs
- Identifying wants
- Prioritizing spending
- How circumstances affect needs and wants
- Scarcity and Choice
- Limited resources
- Money, time, materials, and natural resources
- Why scarcity requires choices
- Opportunity Cost
- Trade-offs
- Giving something up to choose something else
- Comparing choices
- How People Earn Money
- Jobs
- Wages
- Salaries
- Businesses
- Other basic income sources
- How Businesses Make Money
- Customers
- Revenue
- Expenses
- Profit
- How Money Moves Through the Economy
- Consumers
- Businesses
- Workers
- Banks
- Government
Unit 1 Review & Assessment
Open unit outline