When you marry, your financial future is all in with that other person. For the most part, their after-marriage debts are your debts. Your financial success is their financial success. It’s the ultimate share! Blinded by love, most couples head down the aisle having had zero discussion about how they’ll handle money. That’s pretty crazy considering that, according to experts, the third most common reason for divorce in the U.S. is money issues. Moreover, it’s usually not a lack of money, it’s a lack of financial compatibility. In this fun lesson from The 21st Century Student’s Guide to Financial Literacy – Getting Personal, students pair up as faux fiancees to compare their money goals and management skills discovering whether they’re a match made in financial heaven — or if their lack of financial compatibility could be a deal breaker.

What do your students know about wealth disparity in America? It’s an important political and economic issue. Here’s a worksheet for teaching about the basics and language of wealth disparity. It was created for a St. Patrick’s Day activity, but works year round!

Homesickness, loneliness, poor grades, too much freedom, bad roommates… The first year of college can be a challenging time. As a result, binge drinking and drug use are serious problems on a lot of college campuses. Here’s a lesson plan originally written for The Middle School Student’s Guide to College. With a little modification it’ll work great for high school students applying to college and graduating seniors heading off to college. College-ready students should be aware of potential challenges to their health and well-being and have a plan in place to help them cope! 

It’s important for students to know a bit about barter. After all, barter was the beginning of trade and the source from which all modern commerce springs. Barter has mainly fallen out of use today because it is an inefficient economic system. Why is it so inefficient? This fun activity from The 21st Century Student’s Guide to Financial Literacy – Going Global demonstrates the realities of the barter system. In this lesson, students try to find a “double coincidence of wants” — a requirement for a successful barter.

In this fun lesson, students consider a variety of obstacles to obtaining a college education. Students consider and identify their profile:  Are they a Procrastinator? Empty Pockets? The Next Big Thing? Then help students select from a variety of activities to advance their college knowledge so they can plan early and create a path that avoids their personal obstacles to a college education. (This was originally posted for rising 8th graders, but the activities can be adapted to any grade.)

This lesson could be called The Sugar Detectives. High levels of added sugar increase the risk of developing Type II diabetes. In this lesson, students search for the hidden sugar in some of their favorite foods and are challenged to food swap unhealthy food for healthier versions.

What if aviation engineering never progressed any further than Orville and Wilbur Wright? Almost none of the products we use, medicines we take, or appliances we rely on to make our lives easier, safer, or more enjoyable are in their original invention form. Over time, they have been revised and reworked by people other than the inventor, to be better and to meet the changing needs of society. Financial literacy includes understanding and appreciating the value of innovation. In this lesson, students explore the diverse traits of innovators and consider whether they, personally, have what it takes to innovate. Students reflect on themselves as products in R&D (that’s Research and Development).