Create a Lightbulb Moment

Use Foundations in Personal Finance curriculum in your class to engage students and show them a hopeful future.

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Students with the lightbulb moments of, I know how to pay cash for my car, i now know how i can go to college debt free, and I have a plan to be financially independent.

But making those moments is TOUGH.

Your role matters more than you know! So we’re here to help. With our curriculum, you can:

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Boost student engagement and reduce cell phone distractions.

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Give students skills they’ll want to apply now and in the future.

Time Saving

Spend more time with students and less time prepping and grading.

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Students with the lightbulb moments of, I know how to pay cash for my car, i now know how i can go to college debt free, and I have a plan to be financially independent.

But making those moments is TOUGH.

Your role matters more than you know! So we’re here to help. With our curriculum, you can:

Boost student engagement and reduce cell phone distractions.

Give students skills they’ll want to apply now and in the future.

Spend more time with students and less time prepping and grading.

Get Foundations in your school today!

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Foundations in Personal Finance 
can help you create those moments.

Our curriculum can help you overcome classroom distractions with hands-on activities, engaging videos and real-life application.

Engaging Videos
Activity about how to build wealth for retirement
Confidence building activities
The debt snowball
Lessons for real life
Interactive budgeting tool

Our Foundations curriculum gets results.

In a survey of 3,851 students who took a Foundations in Personal Finance course:

90%

Believe it’s possible to graduate
from college debt-free.

87%

Have specific goals

for their money.

80%

Are more likely to have an
emergency fund after the course.

Source: The Ramsey Education Curriculum Effectiveness Survey, 2023

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Does Your State Have a Personal Finance Mandate?

See how Foundations meets state and national standards for personal financial literacy.

View Standards Correlations

State and National 
Standards Correlations

The Foundations in Personal Finance curriculum meets or exceeds standards in all 50 states. The curriculum also meets all national standards for personal finance.

National Jump$tart
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Texas Proc '24
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

Table of Contents

The Foundations in Personal Finance high school curriculum consists of 13 chapters of essential personal finance principles like how to budget, save, avoid debt, invest, be a wise consumer and much more!

Introduces the topic of personal finance, explores the evolution of credit and consumerism in America, and highlights the importance of both knowledge and behavior when it comes to managing money. 

  • Lesson 1: Personal Finance and You
  • Lesson 2: A History of Credit and Debt
  • Lesson 3: It’s Time for a Change
  • Lesson 4: The Road to Financial Success
  • Lesson 5: Financial Literacy
  • Lesson 6: Money Personalities and Relationships

Dives into why budgeting is key to taking control of money—and how students can get started right now. 

  • Lesson 1: The Benefits of Budgeting
  • Lesson 2: Components of a Budget
  • Lesson 3: Building a Zero-Based Budget
  • Lesson 4: Tracking Your Expenses
  • Lesson 5: Make Budgeting a Habit
  • Lesson 6: Relationships and Budgeting

Emphasizes the importance of saving and explains three reasons why students should save money: emergencies, large purchases, and wealth building. 

  • Lesson 1: Saving Money Takes Discipline
  • Lesson 2: Three Basic Reasons to Save
  • Lesson 3: Saving for Emergencies 
  • Lesson 4: Saving for Large Purchases  
  • Lesson 5: Building Wealth
  • Lesson 6: Compound Interest and Growth   

Identifies the dangers of debt, debunks some credit myths, explains the credit report and score, and provides practical strategies to get out of debt—and stay out. 

  • Lesson 1: Beware of Credit and Debt 
  • Lesson 2: Sources and Types of Credit
  • Lesson 3: Credit Scores and Credit Reports  
  • Lesson 4: The Truth About Credit Cards   
  • Lesson 5: The Truth About Car Loans 
  • Lesson 6: Getting and Staying Out of Debt    

Highlights the importance of being a smart consumer as part of a healthy financial plan, explains strategies to manage spending behavior, exposes common consumer scams, and identifies consumer rights. 

  • Lesson 1: The Psychology of Sales
  • Lesson 2: Buyer Beware
  • Lesson 3: The Marketing Machine  
  • Lesson 4: Becoming a Smart Spender
  • Lesson 5: Protecting Yourself as a Consumer
  • Lesson 6: Your Spending Behavior

Examines how students can find the right career path and create strategies to land a job they’ll love so they can thrive and enjoy their work. They’ll also discover tips for building a resumé and presenting themselves well during a job interview. 

  • Lesson 1: Work Matters
  • Lesson 2: Resumé and Interview Basics
  • Lesson 3: An Entrepreneurial Mindset
  • Lesson 4: The Path to Your Dream Job
  • Lesson 5: Exploring Career Options 
  • Lesson 6: Be a Lifelong Learner

Explores the variety of educational options available after high school, highlights the dangers of student loans, and explains how students can pay cash for college and avoid student loan debt. 

  • Lesson 1: The Path to Intentionality
  • Lesson 2: Explore Your Options
  • Lesson 3: Consider the Cost
  • Lesson 4: Reduce Your Cost
  • Lesson 5: Build Your College Resume
  • Lesson 6: Maximize Your Investment

Explores the services provided by banks and credit unions, including the different options and features. Students will learn about responsible banking, how to manage their accounts, and the importance of keeping records.  

  • Lesson 1: The Purpose of Banks
  • Lesson 2: Types of Financial Institutions
  • Lesson 3: Your Bank Accounts
  • Lesson 4: Responsible Banking

Breaks down the purpose of insurance, explains how insurance works, shows how insurance protects a person’s assets, and highlights the eight basic types of insurance everyone needs to have in place. 

  • Lesson 1: Insurance Is Important
  • Lesson 2: Auto Insurance
  • Lesson 3: Homeowners and Renters Insurance
  • Lesson 4: Health Insurance
  • Lesson 5: Life Insurance
  • Lesson 6: Other Types of Insurances

Digs into a huge reality in life: If someone earns an income, they’re going to pay taxes. This chapter also breaks down the basics of different types of taxes—like sales, excise, and federal taxes—including how they impact a person’s income and spending. 

  • Lesson 1: What Happened to My Money?
  • Lesson 2: Taxes on Your Paycheck
  • Lesson 3: Income Tax Basics
  • Lesson 4: Filing Your Income Taxes
  • Lesson 5: Taxes on Other Types of Income
  • Lesson 6: Taxes on Things You Buy

Identifies the differences between renting and homeownership. Students will discover the financial costs related to having their own place to live, and they’ll learn what to do when they’re ready to buy a house.

  • Lesson 1: Living on Your Own
  • Lesson 2: Renting vs. Owning
  • Lesson 3: Renting 101
  • Lesson 4: Buying a House

Dives into the basics of preparing for retirement, investing for the future by understanding the stock market and mutual funds, and planning to live a life bursting with generosity. 

  • Lesson 1: Money for the Future
  • Lesson 2: Understanding Investments
  • Lesson 3: Investing Through Retirement Plans
  • Lesson 4: Protecting Your Investments
  • Lesson 5: Planning for Retirement 
  • Lesson 6: Outrageous Generosity

Examines how the global economy impacts personal financial decisions and how different global economic systems influence decisions about goods and services that are used around the world. 

  • Lesson 1: Macroeconomics and Global Activity
  • Lesson 2: Economic Systems
  • Lesson 3: The U.S. Economy
  • Lesson 4: Thinking Globally