Managing your money is worth celebrating

All students need to understand the importance of personal financial responsibility and accountability. This video reaffirms the importance of managing your money responsibly, and that being able to do this effectively, is worth celebrating.

All teenagers will be using bank cards for many of their financial activities in the near future. Understanding how these cards work is important if they are to be used effectively and safely. The difference between debit and credit cards is a first step in understanding the types of cards being offered by financial institutions. This video introduces both types of bank card – credit and debit.

The economics of today, prompts students to think about their daily decision-making. Often daily financial decisions are emotive and reactive, and therefore favour spending today. This not always the best decision.
This topic asks students to ponder whether they should delay gratification for better long-term outcomes; something most people find difficult doing.

Some people believe teenagers do not have views about financial learning. This is wrong!
Research shows that teenagers are concerned about the financial world in which they will live, and want to learn financial life skills. This video shares some of that research and encourages student discussion and reflection.

This video slideshow is based on the need to encourage thinking and discussion about financial goal setting. While many students will have had many goal setting lessons, very few will have considered goal setting in a financial context.

All students have heard of the term ‘investment’ but very few have an understanding of its relevance to their life.
This topic introduces students to investment ideas that relate to investing a relatively small amount of money. It focuses on placing money in either a savings account or a high-interest term deposit and the differences related to each.

Almost every teenager has a phone, with most not responsible for paying the account.

Mobile phone bills are a regular topic of concern for parents of teenagers, with many stories of alarm presented in the media. This topic encourages students to consider the financial concepts related to phone usage.

In class, teachers constantly encourage students to ask questions. Obviously, if students ask questions then they will receive answers that will improve their understanding of various concepts.
This topic encourages students to ask questions that relate to financial concepts. It provides examples of young people who are thinking financially by asking probing questions when it comes to banking, shopping, investing etc.

Every student will have a ‘Tap and go’ card within a short time of leaving school. This video provides ideas to think about, research to ponder and questions to answer in relation to ‘tap and go’ cards.
The information provided by banks and the media presents various perspectives as to their benefits. Students in secondary school will soon be invited to use such cards by the targeted marketing of financial institutions. For this reason, students need to be educated into the advantages and disadvantages of such cards.

The decision-making concept of weighing up the costs and benefits, is a well-known economic concept.
In this video slideshow, this concept is applied to financial decision-making.

Students are familiar with the concept of a driver’s license.
This video prompts thinking and discussion as to the benefits of all youth having to pass a financial license before applying for loans and credit cards, seeking funds for investment, investing on the share market. Perhaps different types of financial licenses should be offered

This video includes the opinions and perspectives of members of a music group whose livelihood was affected by theft.
Questions related to insurance are provided in the video for students to consider.

This video introduces students to investment by offering ideas as to how they could invest $2,000. It is the second in a series of how to invest this amount of money.

We often hear the term 'mentors', and it is something that teachers often speak with students about.  This video slideshow explores the idea of financial mentors, trusted people who can help young people to make financial decisions.

Budgeting is a fundamental concept in financial education. The earlier students are introduced to this concept the better their financial decision-making in the future.
This lesson introduces a simple budgeting model called the 50-20-30 rule.

How hard is it to start your business? For students in lower secondary, it is possible to start a small business venture, and in so doing become a young entrepreneur.
This topic encourages students to consider the challenges and benefits of creating small business ventures.

Many teenagers would like to know about how to earn money as a teenager.
This topic uses a YouTube vodcast to stimulate a conversation among students about money-making ideas for teens — the good, bad and ugly!

People have different opinions about money, wealth, saving, spending, learning and so on.
Diversity of opinion is a good thing! This activity asks students to consider different opinions, giving them an opportunity to form their own.

Students are familiar with the term ‘saving’, but do not often have an understanding of the habits that relate to saving. Habits can range from bad to good.
This activity asks students to think about the habit of saving and what good and bad habits may look like.

When you water a tree, you are giving the plant something it needs to grow healthily. 
For adults to be financially healthy they need have information and education that will help them to grow financially. To water your financial tree, you need financial education!

Every person makes financial decisions every day. Some of those decisions we regret. Although we hope to minimise poor decisions they do happen.
This activity prompts students to think about the poor decisions teenagers might make and how they can be minimised.

The idea of “7 deadly money sins’ has been around for many years.
It is the notion that money can cause people to behave inappropriately and selfishly. This topic introduces the notion to students encouraging them to reflect on and discuss the ‘sins’.

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It is not a secret. We have been listening to successful people in all areas of work life talk about the need to work hard to be successful. Whether it be passing school exams, graduating from college, having respectful, nurturing relationships, learning an instrument, managing an effective business, undertaking scientific research, becoming physically fit, being an educated financial decision-maker or building wealth, there is a need for dedicated effort and resilience. It is hard work.

We don’t tend to teach the concept of ‘hard work’. We should. Teaching it explicitly will help students to understand more fully what hard work looks like and feels like in a range of contexts.

One of the key drivers of how people manage money successfully or not, is their attitude to money. This topic encourages students to consider how attitudes towards money are formed and the possible impacts of those attitudes.

Planning your financial future should include planning to improve your financial capability. The more financially capable you are, the better your financial decisions will be.

This topic is based on a short article that encourages students to be financial learners, and not to be discouraged by the doom and gloom often portrayed in the media. No person will be a perfect financial decision-maker, but we should all learn skills to make us better decision-makers.

Many teenagers look for casual work during their middle and senior years of schooling. Even more students look for work while they are studying, after their school years. Depending on where students live, finding a job may be easy or difficult.

We all want to be financially capable! Becoming financially capable does not happen by accident. To be capable at anything requires a commitment to financial learning.
If you have a commitment to financial learning it will make a long-term difference to your life.

There are many reasons why people can unfortunately become homeless and are forced to live on the street. Two of those reasons are poor financial life skills, or worse, a lack of money because of unemployment. This topic encourages students to think about the fragile circumstances that can lead to people living on the street. 

This topic explores the life story of a young boy Farrah Gray, who lived in poverty in Chicago, USA. Farrah was very different from other boys his age. He had qualities and aspirations that let to him on a path to business and personal success. This is a story that students will find interesting.

The financial decisions (choices) we make can have a dramatic impact on the future course of our lives. Using a budget is an effective way to plan the use of money, helping to inform our financial decisions.

Perceptions of wealth vary across society and culture. This short video shares some perceptions of wealth within western society, providing food for thought for students.

People have different opinions about money, wealth, investment, learning and so on. Diversity of opinion is a good thing! This activity asks students to consider different opinions, giving them an opportunity to form their own.

We all have habits, but not all of them are good habits. To manage money effectively we need to have responsible and appropriate financial habits.
This video encourages students to think about their need for responsible and appropriate financial habits now and into the future.

Budgeting is a basic concept in financial education.

This video encourages students to think about the need for budgets, and to practise skills in developing a budget.

This topic introduces students to the idea that everyone becomes a personal business and that they must learn to effectively manage their revenue and expenditure.

This video slideshow introduces students to four teenage entrepreneurs from England, the United States, Ghana and New Zealand. The slideshow encourages students to consider the challenges of entrepreneurship, but also the sense of passion and purpose that these young entrepreneurs possess.

Many people at different times in their life go from having enough money to having no money. Even worse, many people actually owe money to others. In other circumstances, people move from having just enough money to having lots of money, due to their hard work and effort.

People make decisions that have financial consequences for better and for worse. This topic encourages students to think about the process of decision-making.

As the financial world is constantly changing and being updated, the importance of self-directed learning is increasing. To limit exposure to scams and those who are fraudulent and unethical in the enterprise, students need to understand and build capacity to direct their own future learning and become passionate lifelong financial learners. This activity introduces this notion.

In Australia, there is not a good track record of listening to the voice of students regarding their financial education needs. This video slideshow shares existing student views about saving and spending captured in local and international research. It then prompts students to discuss that research and to think about their own financial life skills learning.

It is not a secret — money can cause arguments and can even stress friendships, relationships and business activities. Usually, money problems relate to financial management — that is, how money has been used, or not used.
This topic reinforces the idea that money should be well-managed, limiting the potential for it to cause problems for self and others.

Problem gambling is a significant issue in society, largely fed by relentless advertising and uninformed perspectives related to the mathematical concepts of chance and probability.

While gambling is popular, and can be enjoyed as an informed recreational activity, it is important that students receive good information about gambling before they may establish habits that are harmful. This topic presents some of the facts and myths associated with gaming machines or pokies.

Every person wants to work, for the main reason it leads to regular income. For some, gaining and keeping work can be difficult.
Like most things, learning how to gain and keep work takes time and practice. This activity encourages students to learn some of the skills needed to gain and keep work. It also prompts students to think about the management of income gained from that work.