Keys to Financial Success - Lessons and Curricula

A Sample Lesson

Each lesson in the Keys to Financial Success Teacher’s Manual has a number of key features, which help teachers carry out effective instruction to achieve student-specific learning objectives. This sample lesson gives you an overview of those components.

Keys to Financial Success Lessons
Theme 1: Goals & Decision-Making	Theme 2: Careers & Planning
How to Really Be a Millionaire Invest in Yourself The Economic Way of Thinking Making Decisions How Can We Decide? How to Set Goals	What Do You Mean I Have to Earn an Income? Making a Job Why Some Jobs Pay More Than Others What Else Is Out There and How Would I Find It? Dreams and Plans
Theme 3: Budgeting	Theme 4: Saving & Investing
Why Should I Have a Budget? Funding My Goals by Planning Uncle Sam Takes a Bite Forms, Forms, Forms Get a Plan, Get a Grip, Plan a Budget Preparing My Own Budget	Pay Yourself First, Early, and Often Why Should I Have a Savings Plan? How Do I Decide Whether to Save, Invest, or Both? There Is No Free Lunch in Investing Financial Institutions in the U.S. Economy Reading the Financial Pages: In Print and Online Researching Companies How to Buy and Sell Stocks and Bonds
Theme 5: Credit Theme	Theme 6: Banking Services
Extra “CREDIT”: Cash or Credit? What Is Credit? Cash or Credit? Which Should I Use and When? Making Credit Choices Finding Your Way Through the Credit Maze Applying for Credit All About Interest Shopping for a Credit Card Consumer Credit Protection	What Financial Institutions Can Do for Me Checking Accounts: Not All Are Created Equal Practice, Practice: How to Record Deposits, Keep a Running Balance, and Reconcile a Checking Account
Theme 7: Transportation Theme	Theme 8: Housing Issues
How Do You Get Wheels and What Are the Costs? What Do I Want and What Can I Afford? What Are Warranties and Service Contracts and Why Do I Need Them? Or Do I? Have I Got a Deal for You! Loan or Lease? How Costly Will My Car Insurance Be?	Moving into My Own Place How Comfortable Will My Place Be? Tired of Renting: Should I Buy My Own House? Can I Really Afford That House? Obtaining Financing: Shop for Your Mortgage
Theme 9: Risk Protection	Appendices and Other Materials
Let the Buyer Beware In Trouble Credit Scams, Schemes, Identity Theft, and Privacy Issues Why Insurance and How Does It Work? The Basics of Life Insurance Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Automobile Insurance Why Renter’s Insurance?	Stock Market Activity Making the Case for Financial Literacy Alignment with Economics and Personal Finance Standards

Sources of Curricula

Each Keys to Financial Success teacher receives the 165-page Keys to Financial Success Teacher’s Manual. This manual provides the teacher with the complete 52-lesson Keys to Financial Success course and is available free of charge from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. The manual directs teachers to additional resources in the following curriculum materials, all of which are provided free of charge to those teachers who attend the Keys to Financial Success teacher-training offered each summer. Those teachers who choose not to participate in the teacher-training program may purchase these resources directly from their publishers.

Color	Title	Source
	Capstone: Exemplary Lessons for High School Economics Teacher’s Guide	Lopus, J., J. Morton, R. Reinke, M. Schug, and D. Wentworth, 2003. Capstone: Exemplary Lessons for High School Economics Teacher’s Guide. New York: Council for Economic Education. Available at http://store.councilforeconed.org
	Capstone: Exemplary Lessons for High School Economics Student Activities	Lopus, J., J. Morton, R. Reinke, M. Schug, and D. Wentworth, 2003. Capstone: Exemplary Lessons for High School Economics Student Activities. New York: Council for Economic Education. Available at http://store.councilforeconed.org
	Financial Fitness for Life Teacher’s Guide	Morton, J. and M. Schug, 2001. Financial Fitness for Life: Bringing Home the Gold Grades 9-12. New York: Council for Economic Education. Available at http://store.councilforeconed.org
	Financial Fitness for Life Student Workouts	Morton, J. and M. Schug, 2001. Financial Fitness for Life: Bringing Home the Gold Grades 9-12. New York: Council for Economic Education. Available at http://store.councilforeconed.org
	Financial Fitness for Life Teacher’s Guide, Grades 6-8	Flowers, B. and S. Gallaher, 2001. Financial Fitness for Life: Shaping Up Your Financial Future Grades 6-8. New York Council for Economic Education. Available at http://store.councilforeconed.org
	Financial Fitness for Life, Student Workouts, Grades 6-8	Flowers B. and S. Gallaher, 2001. Financial Fitness for Life: Shaping Up Your Financial Future Grades 6-8. New York Council for Economic Education. Available at http://store.councilforeconed.org
	Financial Fitness for Life Parents’ Guide	Flowers B., S. Gallaher, J. Morton, and M. Schug, 2001. Financial Fitness for Life: Shaping Up Your Financial Future Parents' Guide Grades 6-12. New York: Council for Economic Education. Available at http://store.councilforeconed.org
	Keys Materials	A CD-ROM of materials created by the authors. Available free of charge by contacting Todd Zartman
	Learning, Earning, and Investing	Caldwell, J., J. Davis, S. Gallagher, J. Lopus, J. Morton, M. Schug, M. Suiter, P. VanFossen, D. Wentworth, and W. Wood, 2004. Learning, Earning, and Investing: High School. New York: Council for Economic Education. Available at http://store.councilforeconed.org
	State Farm Insurance Lessons	Available on Virtual Economics: CD-ROM - Version 3.0. Available at http://store.councilforeconed.org
	VISA Practical Money Skills	VISA, 2000. Practical Money Skills. San Francisco: VISA U.S.A., Inc. Available at http://www.practicalmoneyskills.com

A Typical Keys to Financial Success Course in a Semester

Theme	Week #s
Theme 1: Goals & Decision-Making	1–2
Theme 2: Careers & Planning	2–4
Theme 3: Budgeting	4–6
Theme 4: Saving & Investing	6–9
Theme 5: Credit	9–12
Theme 6: Banking Services	12–13
Theme 7: Transportation Issues	13–14
Theme 8: Housing Issues	14–15
Theme 9: Risk Protection	15–16

The color-coded table below shows the precise timing of themes across the semester.

A Typical Keys to Financial Success Course in a Semester

Authors and Project Directors

Authors

Barbara Emery is the program coordinator at the University of Delaware Center for Economic Education & Entrepreneurship. Prior to joining the center in 2001, Barbara taught social studies for more than 31 years at Christiana High School in the Christina School District, Newark, DE. She has a master of instruction degree in economic education and a bachelor’s degree in history, both from the University of Delaware.

Todd Zartman is the economic education specialist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. Prior to joining the Reserve Bank in 2004, Todd taught business and technology at Palisades High School in Kintnersville, PA. He previously taught at Liberty High School in Bethlehem, PA. He has an M.A. degree in economic education and entrepreneurship from the University of Delaware, a B.A. in speech communications from the University of Richmond, and a B.S. in education from Delaware Valley College.

Project Directors

Andrew Hill is the economic education advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and adjunct professor of economics at Temple University. Prior to joining the Reserve Bank in 2002, Andrew was a visiting assistant professor of economics at Washington College in Chestertown, MD. He has a Ph.D., an M.A., and a B.S. degrees in economics from the University of Delaware.

Bonnie Meszaros is the associate director of the Center for Economic Education & Entrepreneurship and assistant professor of economics at the University of Delaware. Prior to joining the center in 1974, Bonnie was a middle school teacher in Ohio and Delaware. She has Ph.D. and M.Ed. degrees from the University of Delaware and a B.A. degree from Ohio Wesleyan University.