April is Financial Literacy Month, and the Office of State Treasurer wants to make teachers and parents aware of financial education resources they can share with students.
This page includes one financial education resource or activity for each day of the month. Each day, the office also shares the resource associated with that day on social media.
The Office of State Treasurer and the Utah Financial Empowerment Coalition administer the Utah Treasurer's Investment Challenge for students grades 4-12. The 10-week simulation of Wall Street investing provides a framework for Utah students to learn about the U.S. economy and financial markets. During the game, students invest a hypothetical $100,000 in common stocks and diversified investment funds traded on major exchanges. Teams are ranked based on the ending value of their investment portfolios and recognized at an awards banquet. The program is paid for by generous donations from community partners. There is no cost to teachers or their schools for students to participate. Learn more at treasurer.utah.gov/investment-challenge/.
Have your students play the game Spent and reflect on their experience of living paycheck to paycheck by completing the Next Gen Personal Finance worksheet.
- Game: https://playspent.org/
- Worksheet: https://bit.ly/39xMxHl
The FoolProof program is a highly interactive, self-grading group of online lessons called "modules." The modules teach young people about money, financial responsibility, and the free enterprise system.
The entire FoolProof curriculum contains a total of 18 different modules, which takes the average user about 16 hours to complete. You—or your kids—can also decide to use a few modules, or even just one.
Your kids can work at their own pace, as all the modules allow them to stop at any point and then pick up at that same point at another time.
Access resource: https://www.foolproofme.org/
Troutwood offers a simple, yet realistic, financial plan that models various decisions based on each student's dreams and aspirations.
Access resource: https://app.troutwood.com/
The FDIC's Money Smart for Young People series consists of four free curriculum products. Each age-appropriate curriculum includes lesson plans for educators along with guides for parents and caregivers.
Access Resource: https://www.fdic.gov/resources/consumers/money-smart/teach-money-smart/money-smart-for-young-people/index.html
Consumers are powerful in a market economy, and the economic choices of consumers in the marketplace drive the behavior of producers. In this Council for Economic Education (CEE) EconEdLink lesson, students will learn the concept of Consumers.
The CEE website contains several other online resources to integrate personal finance and economics into K-12 curriculum.
Access resource: https://bit.ly/3c3aeJr
The Hands on Banking program, available in English and Spanish, offers free content to teach students important financial concepts, including lesson plans, instructor guides, student courses, activities, lessons, and quizzes.
Access resource: https://bit.ly/2JRGpzA
Budgeting is the most basic and most important tool in anyone's financial toolbox. With this Federal Reserve Bank resource, students are given the hands-on opportunity to create budgets for fictional "Regan" during her sophomore year in nursing school, and, later, as a recent graduate with an apartment and a new car.
Go to the course: https://bit.ly/2JNZxOL
A critical component of creating a more financially stable economy is to ensure our young people are equipped with the tools and building blocks for a financially successful future. Utah's state-sponsored 529 plan, my529, is an amazing and highly rated tax-advantaged investment vehicle to help Utahns save for education, whether that is college, trade school, an apprenticeship, or K-12 education. Saving and earning funds for education costs less than borrowing, and the best investment you can make is in you or your child’s education.
Learn more by downloading this handout: https://bit.ly/3uMKmfZ.
Ready to get your game on? Test your money skills and give your brain a workout with these fun and educational games.
Access resource: https://www.practicalmoneyskills.com
Personal Finance 101 Conversations is a series of short videos by the Federal Reserve Bank related to timely financial topics for students and consumers in their teens and 20s.
Access resource: https://bit.ly/3c5wOBh
The rise of online tools and apps has provided us with the ability to manage our finances like never before. Whether we are trying to budget smarter or put more away towards retirement, there’s an app for all kinds of financial goals. In this activity, students will conduct research on some of these online tools to discover their features and determine which one(s) they like best!
Access resource: https://bit.ly/2yCppuz
In this lesson, students learn that bankruptcy is a federal court proceeding designed to help individuals address debt problems and to provide fair treatment to creditors. They learn the six different types of bankruptcy; however, the lesson focuses on the two types of bankruptcies used mostly by consumers: Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. They analyze bankruptcy terms and learn the similarities and differences between Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 procedures. They also participate in an activity to match a bankruptcy step with its correct description.
Access Resource: https://www.stlouisfed.org/education/bankruptcy-basics
Ramp It Up is a gamified tool to encourage students to learn about and take positive action toward financial readiness for college.
Access resource: https://www.playrampitup.com/
April 15 is Tax Day. This is the filing deadline for all personal tax returns. In celebration of Tax Day, teach your kids about taxes using NGPF's Taxes Activities
Access resource: https://www.ngpf.org/curriculum/taxes/activities/
Money Magic gives students the ability to compete with each other while learning the basics of budgeting. The game challenges students to balance immediate wants with long-term plans and helps to provide an understanding of the dangers of short-term gratification.
Access resource: https://playmoneymagic.com/
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Your Money, Your Goals is a set of financial empowerment materials designed to help people meet their financial goals by increasing their knowledge, skills, and resources.
Access resource: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/educator-tools/your-money-your-goals/
When it comes to investment and financial fraud, we are all at risk. But that does not mean students cannot learn to spot and avoid a scam—and even have fun doing it. Americans lose up to $50 billion per year to fraud, according to the Financial Fraud Research Center. And about 80 percent of consumers over the age of 40 said they'd been solicited for a potentially fraudulent scheme at some point. These are big problems, but research suggests that learning to spot the tactics used by fraudsters can help investors defend against them, and avoid becoming fraud victims.
That is where Con 'Em If You Can comes in. It is a new interactive game developed by the FINRA Investor Education Foundation and D2D Fund that offers an innovative and downright entertaining way students can learn about these tactics.
Access resource: https://jumpstartclearinghouse.org/resource/con-em-if-you-can-game-and-educators-guide/https://bit.ly/2UTTE9h
Students can get a glimpse of their future as their investing intelligence is put to the test in this online game created by the FTC and SEC.
Access resource: https://buildyourstax.com/
The Uber Game allows students to simulate being a full-time Uber Driver trying to pay the mortgage. This game tries to teach students how difficult it is to stay afloat in the gig economy
Access resource: https://ig.ft.com/uber-game/
Students can learn from Jay the Eagle about what the Federal Reserve System does for the economy.
Access resource: https://bit.ly/2UShgL8
Credit Clash teaches students the importance of credit scores in an interactive way. This game helps to show how dangerous taking out the wrong loans can be.
Access resource: https://www.creditclash.com/
Payback is a fun way to teach students how to succeed in college without taking on excessive student debt. It engages students in the process of preparing financially for their next step in life.
Access resource: https://www.timeforpayback.com/
These classroom activities come with a teacher guide and supporting student material, so it’s easy to implement.
Access resource: https://bit.ly/2xW6z1g
This game teaches students the importance of saving and spending wisely by simulating a road trip with finite finances. Students must create a budget and manage their spending to ensure they make it through the entire trip.
Access resource: https://www.mycreditunion.gov/financial-resources/hit-road-financial-adventure
This resource, provided by the U.S. Mint, includes several games that teach kids about currency and managing money.
Access resource: https://www.usmint.gov/learn/kids/games
Reality Check is an activity that shows students how their wants can dramatically affect the amount of money they'll need to earn in a career. It helps students to see what kind of career they would need to live the lifestyle they want.
Access resource: https://www.jumpstart.org/what-we-do/support-financial-education/reality-check/
Empowering Financial Wellness - USU Extension offers resources based on your stage of life to jumpstart conversations with your family about money.
Access resource: https://extension.usu.edu/finance/family-finances
Learning about money is fun with Peter Pig. In this interactive game, kids practice identifying, counting and saving money while learning fun facts about U.S. currency. After completing the game, players are rewarded with a trip to the virtual store to buy accessories within budget and dress up Peter Pig in fun scenes.
Access Resource: https://bit.ly/2JRRoc1
Learning experiences that students can do on their own, with a parent or other caring adult, or with teachers via a digital/virtual environment. Resources are organized by school level and can be used whether or not you have engaged in a JA program in the past.
Access resource: https://www.juniorachievement.org/web/ja-usa/program-resources