Teaching personal money management skills is becoming more important in today's increasingly complex economy. Skills like drafting and following a spending plan; saving for the future; managing personal credit; and understanding basic investment practices are important to building a financial foundation that supports the lives of individuals and families. Too often we assume people can acquire these skills just by observing others. If you are an educator or community member involved in financial education, you are to be congratulated on your efforts. Like driving a car, you don't learn how to safely drive without instruction on how to operate the vehicle and practice driving it down the road. The instruction you provide plays a key role in helping those you work with attain a skill level that would be more difficult to reach without practical financial education.The items listed on this page are meant to provide information to educators seeking financial education resources; speakers for community groups looking for qualified individuals to address their organizations; and a network of financial literacy resources for anyone trying to identify classes and materials that will further financial education in Vermont.
Resource Links for Educators
There's a wide variety of materials available on-line for educators. Visit these links for more details.
The competition was intense for this year's Vermont Reserve Cup Challenge. In the end, South Burlington High School won the tournament.
Highlights from this resource link include lesson plans for grades K-12 on personal finance, monetary policy, money, economics, banking, and the Federal Reserve. You can also access online games and simulations that teach economic principles.
NCEE is a nationwide network that promotes economic literacy with students and their teachers. The council charges for some of its educational products, but also offers some resources to teachers for free. At this resource link, view more than 500 free lesson plans for students mainly in grades 6-12. There are also a few lessons plan for students grade 3-5.
The seven-unit curriculum provides educators with a 120-page student workbook, step-by-step teaching plan, materials list and dynamic PowerPoint presentation visuals. The recently updated material is interactive and written and designed for teens. The program is provided to schools and organizations at no cost.
Starting with a virtual cash account of $100,000, students work in teams to strive to create the best-performing portfolio using a live trading simulation. SMG is the only market simulation that is endorsed by the New York Stock Exchange and is correlated to voluntary national and state standards in math, economics, business education, English, language arts, family and consumer sciences, technology and social studies. It is run by a non-profit foundation that does not accept advertising products in delivering this program. Vermont teachers and students may participate in the game for free.
A variety of classroom activities for students K-12. Highlighted materials include games for very young students on coins and related math skills; math problem-solving activities for older elementary-age children; and lesson plans for teens on currency and the monetary system.
Jump$tart offers a variety of resources to teachers. At this resource link you may obtain a teacher's guide, PowerPoint presentation, and 16-page student guide on "The ABC's of Credit Card Finance" by the Center for Student Credit Card Education. Also, note the clearinghouse tab at the top of the page to search for additional resources.
Students and adults can learn the basics of maintaining good credit in this movie-like tour. Correctly touring the hotel will give you the key to room 850 and the perfect credit card. Site created by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
classes and resources in your local area. 
interested in learning more about personal money management topics? If you can't identify a resource from the clearinghouse above, contact the 
to the Vermont students who entered the 2010 Be Money Wi$e Financial Literacy Poster Contest. Watch for details on the 2011 contest. 