Keys to Financial Success

Sections

Cost

Keys to Financial Success is offered free of charge to schools and teachers. With free professional development and no textbooks to buy, Keys to Financial Success represents an excellent option for getting teachers and students started with personal financial education quickly.

Standards

Each lesson in the Keys to Financial Success program is correlated with the national content standards in economics and personal finance.

National Standards in Economics
Council for Economic Education, 2010. Voluntary National Content Standards in Economics, 2nd Edition. New York.

National Standards in Personal Finance
Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, 2007. National Standards in K-12 Personal Finance Education. Washington, D.C.

For More Information

Todd Zartman,
Economic Education Specialist
(215) 574-6457
todd.zartman@phil.frb.org E-Mail Address

The Keys to Financial Success Lessons

With nine themes and 54 lessons, the Keys to Financial Success course gives you the tools to teach personal finance using the economic way of thinking and active- and collaborative-learning teaching methods.

A Sample Lesson

Each lesson in the Keys to Financial Success Teacher’s Manual has a number of key features, which help the teacher to 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: Goals & Budgeting Theme	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