Band 1 · Money Explorers · Grades K–2 · grade 4 benchmarks
Unit 1.1 · What Is Money?10 activities
Money Is a Tool · Coins and Bills · Earning · Spending · Needs and Wants · Saving · Giving · My First Money Day · Before Money · Money You Cannot See
FCF™ domains: Earning, Spending, Saving, Giving
| Earning Income 4-3 | There are different ways to be paid for labor, including wages, salaries, commissions, and tips |
| Earning Income 4-6 | Income can be received as gifts or as an allowance for which no specified work may be required |
| Spending 4-2 | Money can be spent to increase one’s own or another individual’s personal satisfaction or to share the cost of goods and services |
| Spending 4-6 | Payment methods for making purchases include cash, checks, debit cards, and credit cards . |
| Saving 4-1 | When people save money, they are choosing not to spend money today to be able to buy something in the future |
Unit 1.2 · Needs and Wants10 activities
Need or Want? · My Own List · Miller at the Shop · Sorting Day · First, Then · It Depends · The Waiting Shelf · Naiya's Three Coins · Ask a Grown-Up · Unit wrap-up
FCF™ domains: Spending, Planning
| Spending 4-1 | People differ in their preferences, priorities, and resources available for consuming goods and services |
| Spending 4-3 | When people make a decision to use money for a particular purpose, they incur an opportunity cost in that they cannot use the money for another purpose |
| Spending 4-4 | Purchasing decisions have costs and benefits that can be different for different people |
| Spending 4-5 | Price, spending choices of others, peer pressure, and advertising about a product or service can influence purchase decisions |
Unit 1.3 · Saving for Something10 activities
What Is Saving? · My Saving Goal · The Saving Jar · Brooke-Lynn’s Birthday Plan · Patience Pays Off · Where To Keep It · If I Spend My Savings · Saving Every Time · The Crew Saves Together · Show What You Know
FCF™ domains: Saving, Planning
| Saving 4-1 | When people save money, they are choosing not to spend money today to be able to buy something in the future |
| Saving 4-2 | A savings plan is a plan for setting aside money to pay for a future need, goal, or emergency |
| Saving 4-3 | People differ in their values and attitudes about saving |
| Saving 4-4 | Safety and ease of access are factors to consider when deciding where to keep savings |
| Investing 4-2 | Low-interest savings accounts are commonly used for short-term financial goals and emergency funds because they are low risk |
Unit 1.4 · Sharing and Giving10 activities
What Is Giving? · Giving or Spending? · Giving In Our Traditions · The Giving Jar · Places That Receive · Ava’s Fundraiser · What Does a Charity Do? · Giving Time · The Crew’s Community Project · Show What You Know
FCF™ domains: Giving, Spending
| Earning Income 4-6 | Income can be received as gifts or as an allowance for which no specified work may be required |
| Spending 4-2 | Money can be spent to increase one’s own or another individual’s personal satisfaction or to share the cost of goods and services |
| Spending 4-4 | Purchasing decisions have costs and benefits that can be different for different people |
Band 2 · Money Builders · Grades 3–5 · grade 4 benchmarks
Unit 2.1 · The Earning Engine10 activities
Sort the Earner · Your Hidden Value · Is This a Real Business? · Miller’s Market Stall · When the Rain Comes · Where Did the Money Go? · What Taxes Buy · Ask For What You’re Worth · From Hobby to Income · Show What You Know
FCF™ domains: Earning, Planning
| Earning Income 4-1 | People have different job choices depending on their knowledge, skills, interests, and experience |
| Earning Income 4-2 | People may be able to improve their ability to earn income by gaining new knowledge, skills, and experience |
| Earning Income 4-3 | There are different ways to be paid for labor, including wages, salaries, commissions, and tips |
| Earning Income 4-4 | People can earn income by starting a new business as an entrepreneur or by owning a business |
| Earning Income 4-7 | Most income is taxed by the government to pay for government-provided goods and services . |
Unit 2.2 · Smart Spending10 activities
The Trade-Off Problem · The Best Price Hunt · Unit Price Math · The Impulse Trap · Spot the Trick · Ava’s Dilemma · The Gray Zone · Macon’s $20 Art Station · The Spending Log · Show What You Know
FCF™ domains: Spending
| Spending 4-1 | People differ in their preferences, priorities, and resources available for consuming goods and services |
| Spending 4-3 | When people make a decision to use money for a particular purpose, they incur an opportunity cost in that they cannot use the money for another purpose |
| Spending 4-4 | Purchasing decisions have costs and benefits that can be different for different people |
| Spending 4-5 | Price, spending choices of others, peer pressure, and advertising about a product or service can influence purchase decisions |
| Spending 4-6 | Payment methods for making purchases include cash, checks, debit cards, and credit cards . |
Unit 2.3 · The Saving System10 activities
Why Saving Is Hard · Set a SMART Goal · Money That Grows · Short and Long · Sai’s Three Jars · What Is a Bank Account? · What If I Dip In? · Saving as a Habit · Naiya’s Long Game · Show What You Know
FCF™ domains: Saving, Investing
| Saving 4-1 | When people save money, they are choosing not to spend money today to be able to buy something in the future |
| Saving 4-2 | A savings plan is a plan for setting aside money to pay for a future need, goal, or emergency |
| Saving 4-3 | People differ in their values and attitudes about saving |
| Saving 4-4 | Safety and ease of access are factors to consider when deciding where to keep savings |
| Saving 4-5 | Financial institutions often pay interest on deposit accounts to attract customers to deposit money in their institution . |
| Investing 4-1 | People invest their money so that it can grow over time and help them achieve their long-term financial goals |
| Investing 4-2 | Low-interest savings accounts are commonly used for short-term financial goals and emergency funds because they are low risk |
Unit 2.4 · Budgeting Basics10 activities
What Is a Budget? · Fixed or Variable? · 50 / 30 / 20 · Planned vs Actual · Miller’s Business Budget · When Income Drops · The Ones You Forget · Family Budgets · The Crew’s Budget Challenge · Show What You Know
FCF™ domains: Planning, Spending
| Spending 4-1 | People differ in their preferences, priorities, and resources available for consuming goods and services |
| Spending 4-3 | When people make a decision to use money for a particular purpose, they incur an opportunity cost in that they cannot use the money for another purpose |
| Saving 4-2 | A savings plan is a plan for setting aside money to pay for a future need, goal, or emergency |
| Managing Risk 4-4 | One way to cope with unexpected losses is to save for emergencies |
Unit 2.5 · Money and Community10 activities
Follow the Dollar · The Community Subscription · Giving as a Choice · Ava’s Community Project · Local or Online? · Banks in a Neighborhood · Why Some Places Have More · If Everyone Gave $1 More · The Crew’s Action Plan · Band 2 Capstone
FCF™ domains: Giving, Earning, Borrowing
| Earning Income 4-5 | People can earn income by lending money or by renting their property to others |
| Earning Income 4-7 | Most income is taxed by the government to pay for government-provided goods and services . |
| Spending 4-2 | Money can be spent to increase one’s own or another individual’s personal satisfaction or to share the cost of goods and services |
| Saving 4-4 | Safety and ease of access are factors to consider when deciding where to keep savings |
Band 3 · Money Systems · Grades 6–8 · grade 8 benchmarks
Unit 3.1 · How Money Systems Work10 activities
What Money Actually Is · Gross Pay and the Money You Never See · Inside a Bank · What Borrowing Actually Costs · Opportunity Cost Is Always Charged · The Time Value of Patience · Building Your First Budget · Forces You Did Not Choose · Choosing Where to Bank · Sai's Financial Snapshot
FCF™ domains: Earning, Saving, Borrowing, Planning
| Spending 8-1 | Creating a budget can help people make informed choices about spending, saving, and managing money in order to achieve financial goals |
| Saving 8-3 | Financial institutions pay interest to depositors and loan out the money to borrowers who pay interest on their loans |
| Saving 8-5 | Compound interest is interest on both the original principal and previously earned interest, as compared to simple interest which is only interest on the original principal |
| Saving 8-6 | Checking and saving deposit accounts in many financial institutions are insured up to certain limits by the federal government . |
| Managing Credit 8-1 | Interest rates and fees vary by type of lender, type of credit, and market conditions |
| Managing Credit 8-4 | The longer a loan repayment period and the higher the interest rate, the larger the total amount of interest paid by a borrower |
Unit 3.2 · The Real Paycheck10 activities
Where Did $177 Go? · The W-4 Question · Tax Day Isn't Optional · Refund or Bill? · Hourly vs. Salary: Sai's Decision · Your Benefits Are Pay · Ava's Side Hustle · Minimum Wage vs. Living Wage · Income Growth Pathways · Pay Stub Mastery
FCF™ domains: Earning
| Earning Income 8-1 | Careers are based on working at jobs in the same occupation or profession for many years |
| Earning Income 8-2 | Careers vary in their education and training requirements |
| Earning Income 8-3 | People make many decisions over a lifetime about their education, jobs, and careers that affect their incomes and opportunities |
| Earning Income 8-4 | Getting more education, training, and experience can increase a person’s human capital, productivity, and income-earning potential |
| Earning Income 8-5 | Education, training, and development of job skills have opportunity costs in the form of time, effort, and money |
Unit 3.3 · Credit and Borrowing10 activities
What Are You Building? · The Score That Follows You · The Credit Card Trap · Before You Sign · The Math of Exploitation · Save or Finance? · Building Credit Before 18 · When Someone Uses Your Name · Reading a Credit Report · The Borrowing Decision Framework
FCF™ domains: Borrowing, Protecting
| Managing Credit 8-1 | Interest rates and fees vary by type of lender, type of credit, and market conditions |
| Managing Credit 8-2 | Financial institutions advertise loan costs to potential borrowers using the Annual Percentage Rate (APR), expressed as an annual percentage of the loan principal |
| Managing Credit 8-3 | Low introductory rates offered to attract customers may increase later |
| Managing Credit 8-4 | The longer a loan repayment period and the higher the interest rate, the larger the total amount of interest paid by a borrower |
| Managing Credit 8-5 | Credit cards typically charge higher interest rates on balances due compared with rates on other types of loans |
| Managing Credit 8-6 | Lenders charge different interest rates based on borrower risk of nonpayment, which is commonly evaluated using information in the borrower’s credit report |
| Managing Credit 8-7 | When people borrow money to invest in higher education or housing, the risks and costs may be outweighed by the future benefits |
| Managing Risk 8-1 | Financial loss can occur from unexpected events that damage health, wealth, income, property, and/or future opportunities |
Unit 3.4 · Spending with Strategy10 activities
Every Dollar Is a Vote · The Psychology of Impulse · Unit Price Beats Sticker Price · Advertising Literacy · Lifestyle Inflation · Brooke-Lynn's Cultural Budget · Building a Simple Budget · The Subscription Audit · Creative Frugality · Present Your Spending Plan
FCF™ domains: Spending, Planning
| Spending 8-1 | Creating a budget can help people make informed choices about spending, saving, and managing money in order to achieve financial goals |
| Spending 8-2 | Making an informed purchase decision requires a consumer to critically evaluate price, product claims, and quality information from a variety of sources |
| Spending 8-3 | When evaluating information about goods and services, a consumer can better assess the quality and usefulness of the information by understanding the incentives of the information provider |
| Spending 8-4 | Consumers weigh the costs and benefits of different payment methods to determine the best option for purchasing goods and services . |
Unit 3.5 · Saving and the Time Factor10 activities
The Invisible Multiplier · Where to Park Your Money · What an Index Fund Actually Is · The Stock Market · Risk and Return · Sai Opens a Custodial Roth IRA · Emergency Fund First · What Is Your Savings Rate? · Inflation Is a Silent Tax · The Compound Interest Challenge
FCF™ domains: Saving, Investing
| Saving 8-1 | People save money for many different purposes, including large purchases such as cars and homes, education costs, retirement, and emergencies |
| Saving 8-2 | Savings decisions depend on individual preferences and circumstances, and can impact personal satisfaction and financial well-being |
| Saving 8-4 | Interest earned on savings is the interest rate multiplied by the balance in the account, which includes the original amount saved (principal) and previously earned interest |
| Saving 8-5 | Compound interest is interest on both the original principal and previously earned interest, as compared to simple interest which is only interest on the original principal |
| Investing 8-1 | Investors in financial assets expect an increase in value over time (capital gain) and/ or receipt of regular income, such as interest or dividends |
| Investing 8-2 | Common types of financial assets include certificates of deposit (CDs), stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and real estate |
| Investing 8-4 | Investors who buy corporate stock become part-owners of a business, benefit from potential increases in the value of their shares, and may receive dividend income |
| Investing 8-5 | Instead of buying individual stocks and bonds, investors can buy shares of pooled investments such as mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) |
| Investing 8-6 | Different types of investments expose investors to different degrees of risk |
| Investing 8-7 | The benefits of compounding for building wealth are greatest for people who invest regularly over longer periods of time . |
Unit 3.6 · Sai's Financial Blueprint (capstone)10 activities
The Blueprint · Sai's Income Plan · Sai's Spending Plan · Sai's Debt Strategy · Sai's Savings and Investment Plan · Sai's Credit Plan · Crew Blueprint Review · Portfolio Presentation · The Plan Meets Reality · One Year Later
FCF™ domains: Planning, Earning, Spending, Borrowing, Saving
| Earning Income 8-3 | People make many decisions over a lifetime about their education, jobs, and careers that affect their incomes and opportunities |
| Spending 8-1 | Creating a budget can help people make informed choices about spending, saving, and managing money in order to achieve financial goals |
| Saving 8-1 | People save money for many different purposes, including large purchases such as cars and homes, education costs, retirement, and emergencies |
| Managing Credit 8-6 | Lenders charge different interest rates based on borrower risk of nonpayment, which is commonly evaluated using information in the borrower’s credit report |
| Managing Risk 8-1 | Financial loss can occur from unexpected events that damage health, wealth, income, property, and/or future opportunities |
Band 4 · Money Mastery · Grades 9–12 · grade 12 benchmarks
Unit 4.1 · Your Income Life14 activities
Four Ways to Get Paid · Forty Years, One Number · Human Capital · The Debt-to-Income Reality Check · Benefits Are Money Too · Research, Ask, Counter, Close · Pricing Your Own Time · Brackets, Marginal, Effective · The 15.3% Nobody Mentions · Your Personal Income Statement · Macon's Career Pivot · One Stream Is a Vulnerability · Your 10-Year Income Roadmap · Earning Domain Checkpoint
FCF™ domains: Earning, Planning
| Earning Income 12-1 | Compensation for a job or career can be in the form of wages, salaries, commissions, tips, or bonuses, and may also include contributions to employee benefits, such as health insurance, retirement savings plans, and education reimbursement programs |
| Earning Income 12-2 | In addition to wages and paid benefits, employees may also value intangible (non- cash) benefits, such as good working conditions, flexible work hours, telecommuting privileges, and career advancement potential |
| Earning Income 12-3 | People vary in their opportunity and willingness to incur the present costs of additional training and education in exchange for future benefits, such as earning potential |
| Earning Income 12-4 | Employers generally pay higher wages or salaries to more educated, skilled, and productive workers than to less educated, skilled, and productive workers |
| Earning Income 12-5 | Changes in economic conditions, technology, or the labor market can cause changes in income, career opportunities, or employment status . |
Unit 4.2 · The Real Cost of Borrowing12 activities
Debt Is a Tool · The Credit Card Trap · Read Before You Sign · Who Is Really Selling You Money? · The Biggest Loan Most People Take · The Math of Exploitation · Two Borrowing Stories · Debt-to-Income · When Starting Over Makes Sense · Good Debt, Bad Debt, and the Limits · The Cash-Only Case · The Borrowing Decision Framework
FCF™ domains: Borrowing
| Managing Credit 12-1 | Borrowers can compare the cost of credit using the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) and other terms in the loan or credit card contract |
| Managing Credit 12-2 | Loans that are secured by collateral have lower interest rates than unsecured loans because they are less risky to lenders |
| Managing Credit 12-3 | Monthly mortgage payments vary depending on the amount borrowed, the repayment period, and the interest rate, which can be fixed or adjustable |
| Managing Credit 12-5 | Federal student loans have lower rates and more favorable repayment terms than private student loans, and may be subsidized |
| Managing Credit 12-6 | Down payments reduce the amount needed to borrow . |
Unit 4.3 · Building and Protecting Your Credit12 activities
The Number That Follows You · Reading the Report · Building From Zero · The 30% Rule · Hard and Soft · How It Actually Happens · The Strongest Protection There Is · Ava's Credit Journey · Renting With Credit · Credit and Your Car Insurance · Disputing an Error · The Five-Year Credit Blueprint
FCF™ domains: Borrowing, Protecting
| Managing Credit 12-1 | Borrowers can compare the cost of credit using the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) and other terms in the loan or credit card contract |
| Managing Credit 12-2 | Loans that are secured by collateral have lower interest rates than unsecured loans because they are less risky to lenders |
| Managing Risk 12-4 | Insurance premiums are lower for people who take actions to reduce the likelihood and/or financial cost of losses and for those who buy policies with larger deductibles or copayments |
Unit 4.4 · Investing Before 2512 activities
The Compound Interest Clock · Risk and Return · What You Actually Own · Why Simple Beats Clever · Free Money You Cannot Skip · Roth or Traditional · Investing on Autopilot · The Silent Killer · Volatility Is Not Loss · Crypto, Meme Stocks and FOMO · The Ten-Year Head Start · Your First Investment Plan
FCF™ domains: Investing, Saving
| Saving 12-4 | Inflation can erode the value of savings if the interest rate earned on a savings account is less than the inflation rate |
| Investing 12-1 | A person’s investment risk tolerance depends on factors such as personality, financial resources, investment experiences, and life circumstances |
| Investing 12-2 | Investors earn investment returns from price changes and annual cash flows (such as interest, dividends or rent) |
| Investing 12-3 | The nominal annual rate of return is the annual total dollar benefit as a percentage of the beginning price |
| Investing 12-4 | Investors expect to earn higher rates of return when they invest in riskier assets |
| Investing 12-5 | Because inflation reduces purchasing power over time, the real return on a financial asset is lower than its nominal return |
Unit 4.5 · Protecting What You Build12 activities
Risk Is Real · Your First Line of Defence · Health Insurance, Decoded · What You Are Actually Buying · The Cheap One Nobody Buys · Protecting Income Itself · Spot It, Stop It · Scams Built for You · Locking the Doors · Reading the Fine Print · Naiya's Close Call · Your Personal Protection Plan
FCF™ domains: Protecting, Saving
| Saving 12-3 | Unless offered by insured financial institutions, mobile payment accounts and cryptocurrency accounts are not federally insured and usually do not pay interest to depositors |
| Managing Risk 12-1 | People vary with respect to their willingness to accept risk and in how much they are willing to pay for insurance that will allow them to minimze future financial loss |
| Managing Risk 12-2 | The decision to buy insurance depends on perceived risk exposure, the price of insurance coverage, and individual characteristics such as risk attitudes, age, occupation, lifestyle, and financial profile |
| Managing Risk 12-3 | Some types of insurance coverage are mandatory |
| Managing Risk 12-4 | Insurance premiums are lower for people who take actions to reduce the likelihood and/or financial cost of losses and for those who buy policies with larger deductibles or copayments |
| Managing Risk 12-5 | Health insurance provides coverage for medically necessary health care and may also cover some preventive care |
| Managing Risk 12-6 | It is sometimes offered as an employee benefit with the employer paying some or all of the premium cost |
Unit 4.6 · The Blueprint (capstone)12 activities
What Is a Financial Plan? · Money Serves Your Life · The Personal Budget · Net Worth · The 18-to-30 Money Map · Paying for the Next Step · The First Paycheck Plan · Your Banking and Credit System · Generosity by Design · When the Plan Breaks · The Ten-Year Reunion · Present Your Blueprint
FCF™ domains: Planning, Spending, Saving, Giving, Borrowing
| Spending 12-1 | A budget helps people achieve their financial goals by allocating income to necessary and desired spending, saving, and philanthropy |
| Spending 12-2 | Consumer decisions are influenced by the price of products or services, the price of alternatives, the consumer’s budget and preferences, and potential impact on the environment, society, and economy |
| Saving 12-1 | Financial institutions offer several types of savings accounts, including regular savings, money market accounts, and certificates of deposit (CDs), that differ in minimum deposits, rates, and deposit insurance coverage |
| Saving 12-2 | Deposit account interest rates and fees vary between financial institutions and depend on market conditions and competition |
| Managing Credit 12-4 | Post-secondary education is often financed by students and families/caregivers through a combination of scholarships, grants, student loans, work-study, and savings |
Unit 4.7 · Paying for College or Trade School14 activities
The Sticker Price Lie · Sticker, Gift, Net · Gift or Self-Help? · Run the Calculator Yourself · Free Money Has a Front Door · Who Counts as a Contributor? · The Document Hunt · SAI, Not EFC · Reading the Letter Like a Contract · The One That Reads Generously · Questions for the Aid Office · Three Paths, Side by Side · Every Path Gets Funded · Show What You Know
FCF™ domains: Planning, Borrowing, Earning
| Earning Income 12-3 | People vary in their opportunity and willingness to incur the present costs of additional training and education in exchange for future benefits, such as earning potential |
| Spending 12-5 | Consumers incur costs and realize benefits when searching for information related to the purchase of goods and services . |
| Managing Credit 12-4 | Post-secondary education is often financed by students and families/caregivers through a combination of scholarships, grants, student loans, work-study, and savings |
Unit 4.8 · Student Loans and Smart Borrowing14 activities
Gift or Debt? · Principal, Interest, Rate · Subsidised or Unsubsidised · The Reference Table · The Projection Tool · Watch It Grow · How Much Is Too Much? · Ava Becomes a Nurse · Macon Chooses HVAC · Grace, Deferment, Default · The Debt-Free Route · Two Offers, One Decision · Your Borrowing Statement · Show What You Know
FCF™ domains: Borrowing, Planning
| Managing Credit 12-1 | Borrowers can compare the cost of credit using the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) and other terms in the loan or credit card contract |
| Managing Credit 12-4 | Post-secondary education is often financed by students and families/caregivers through a combination of scholarships, grants, student loans, work-study, and savings |
| Managing Credit 12-5 | Federal student loans have lower rates and more favorable repayment terms than private student loans, and may be subsidized |
| Managing Credit 12-6 | Down payments reduce the amount needed to borrow . |
Unit 4.9 · The Launch Plan14 activities
Frame the Choice · The Paths Menu · Narrow to Three · Research Your Path · The Money Math · The Borrowing Guardrail · Gross Is Not Take-Home · Your First-Year Budget · Does It Balance? · Credit-Building First Steps · Your Safety Net · Deadlines and Checklist · Peer Review · The Launch Plan
FCF™ domains: Planning, Earning, Spending, Borrowing, Protecting
| Earning Income 12-3 | People vary in their opportunity and willingness to incur the present costs of additional training and education in exchange for future benefits, such as earning potential |
| Earning Income 12-5 | Changes in economic conditions, technology, or the labor market can cause changes in income, career opportunities, or employment status . |
| Spending 12-1 | A budget helps people achieve their financial goals by allocating income to necessary and desired spending, saving, and philanthropy |
| Managing Credit 12-4 | Post-secondary education is often financed by students and families/caregivers through a combination of scholarships, grants, student loans, work-study, and savings |
| Managing Risk 12-2 | The decision to buy insurance depends on perceived risk exposure, the price of insurance coverage, and individual characteristics such as risk attitudes, age, occupation, lifestyle, and financial profile |