Financial Literacy Resources, K-12

The Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy has determined that the average student who graduates from high school lacks basic skills in the management of personal financial affairs. Many are unable to balance a checkbook and most simply have no insight into the basic survival principles involved with earning, spending, saving and investing. As the global economy falters and in light of the Iowa Core Curriculum's emphasis on 21st Century Skills, it is even more important for students to leave high school with financial skills such as how to budget, how to set financial goals, how to choose a well-paying career, how to control their spending, how to build good credit, how to save money, how to pick a good credit card, and how to stay out of debt.

For educators wishing to know more, the list below contains online resources focused on financial literacy.

HotChalk
http://www.hotchalk.com/mydesk/index.php/financial-literacy-for-students-list
Being financially-savvy is crucial to making the kind of smart money decisions key to ensuring quality of life. Help your students get up to speed on this important life skill with regularly updated K-12 lessons and other resources in this special sponsored section of HotChalk.

U.S. Treasury Bad Credit Hotel
http://www.controlyourcredit.gov/
Just as the global financial crisis was spinning out of control, the Advertising Council and U.S. Treasury Department has launched a new multimedia campaign to educate young adults about the need for good credit. The campaign features an online interactive game -- the Bad Credit Hotel -- where users navigate through a darkened hotel and gather enough credit knowledge and clues to unlock the key to a perfect credit score of 850.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York
http://www.newyorkfed.org/education/index.html
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York's education department promotes sound financial and economic decisions by the region’s households through financial literacy and economic education programs and by increasing understanding of the role and effectiveness of these programs. Educators will find resources for elementary, middle, and high school students.

The Successful Investor Project
http://www.edutopia.org/financial-literacy-curriculum
Economics teacher Greg Fisher finds that the best way to teach financial literacy is to help students actually create their own business. It includes the materials (presented on the site as PDFs) in his senior-year course at the California Academy of Math and Science, in Carson, California.

Dollars and Sense
http://www.edutopia.org/ariel-video
Video of Chicago school students in grades K-8 honing math skills and learnig practical, lifelong lessons in finance by managing a $20,000 class stock portfolio.

Care: A Financial Literacy Resource
http://www.careprogram.us/
CARE is a free financial literacy program which makes bankruptcy professionals available to educators, students and the public to illuminate the dangers of credit abuse. The Web site features information for students, parents, and educators.

National Youth Advisory Board
http://www.nyib.org/financial_literacy.php
Sample topics: Tips on buying that first car; Lessons before using credit; Developing a workable budget; etc.

National Endowment for Financial Education High School Financial Planning Program
http://hsfpp.nefe.org/home/channels.cfm?chid=97&tid=1&deptid=14
When it comes to learning about how to handle and manage money, any knowledge a student gains from a course on the subject isn’t worth much if there isn’t a way to turn what they learn into real actions that result in positive habits. That is what the NEFE High School Financial Planning Program® (HSFPP) does through its seven unit Student Guide and Instructor’s Manual.

PBS Biz Kids
http://hsfpp.nefe.org/home/channels.cfm?chid=97&tid=1&deptid=14
Links to the PBS series that teaches how to make and manage money including a newsletter, blog, clips from the show, and educational tools.

The Mint.org
http://www.themint.org/
Information on earning, saving, investing, giving, and safeguarding your investments.

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta: A Guide to Your First Bank Account
http://www.frbatlanta.org/invoke.cfm?objectid=D8BCB1E3-5056-9F1A-E27F5509EF85AB16&method=display
This is a guide to bank accounts by the Federal Reserve Bank for young adults.

About.com: Get Started in Investing
http://financialplan.about.com/cs/investing/a/StartInvesting.htm
Information for the first time investor on how to get started.

FDICs Taking Control of Your Finances: A Special Guide for Young Adults
http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/news/cnspr05/index.html
A special guide published by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to help young adults take control of their finances.

66 Ways to Save Money
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/money/66ways/index.html
Features 66 money saving tips for young adults.

Washington State Department of Financial Institutions: Right On the Money College Workbook
http://www.dfi.wa.gov/consumers/collegebookorder.htm
Free informative workbook from the Washington State Department of Financial Instutions (DFI) helps young adults learn to manage their finances.

Utah State Office of Education: Financial Literacy: Student/Teacher/Parent Resources
http://www.uen.org/financial_lit/student/teen_activities.shtml
A list of financial literacy resources and games for all grade levels.

Financial Football
http://www.financialfootball.com/english/at_school/trainingcamp/
Visa and the National Football League have teamed up to help students learn financial concepts. Students tackle financial questions like professionals in this fast-paced, quiz-style game. Two teams compete by answering finance-themed questions to earn yardage and score touchdowns.