Personal Finance Lesson Plan

Lesson Plan: How does your level of education impact your earning potential?

This lesson introduces students to the connection between education attainment and earning potential. Students will participate in a classroom activity where they develop a budget according to a given scenario.

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify the relationship between education and income level.
  • Develop a budget.
  • Manage monthly expenses to maintain a balanced budget.

Estimated Time Required:

  • One 50-minute class period

Materials Needed:

  • Personal Finance presentation (fully scripted Speaker Notes)
  • Handout #1: Student Budget Sheet, one per student
  • Calculator, one per student
  • Coin, one per student

Budgeting Basics Worksheet (pdf, 437 kb)
Budgeting Basics Presentation (ppt, 34 mb)
Hoja de trabajo de presupuesto (pdf, 143 kb)
Fundamentos de Presupuesto Presentation (ppt, 68 mb)

The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the management of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco or of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

About the Author
Lorraine Thayer is the Education & Outreach Manager in the Strategy, People + Culture Department at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.