MoneyWiseTeen

This international award winning web-based program teaches basic economic concepts as outlined in the 1998 History/Social Science Standards in a “credit” context. Ten web-based animated modules illustrate economic Principles through stories that are understandable and relevant to teenagers. The program helps develop the reasoning skills necessary for economic and financial self-reliance.

Scarcity and Alternatives - Paula and Jerome, former Queen and King of the prom, get married and lose control of their finances.

Budgeting and Opportunity Cost - Derek and Ginny are married and have done some careful planning.

Credit and Margin - Martin, a first year college student gets into severe financial difficulty. His problems began when he obtained a credit card.

Decision Making - Diana is buying a car and uses a six step decision-making process to help her decide which car to buy.

The How and Why of Prices - Ricky Rip-off is a consumer and sees himself as a victim. He learns how prices are determined in a competitive market economy.

Benefit/Cost Analysis - Veronica and Ryan, two high school students, talk about getting married and having a baby until Ryan weighs the benefits and cost of such a decision at this time in their lives.

Preparing for the world of work – CT, Andre, and their classmates learn that employers are interested in a worker’s human capital, what he or she can contribute to the bottom line.

Saving and Investing – Tara has a part-time job and spends every penny on clothes and movies and manicures. Her wealthy grandmother explains the concept of "Pay yourself first," and the power of compound interest. Tara becomes a convert.

Summary - Miguel is unhappy because he feels that he does all of the work in his house. He and his parents are immigrants from Mexico and his parents do not speak English. He does all of the translating for them and many of the mundane tasks. His father often gets upset with him when things go wrong. Miguel thinks that most of the time, things go wrong because his parents don’t listen to him or make decisions based on incomplete or false claims. Miguel thinks he can’t go to his dream college because of money. He learns about the types of available financial aid and, with some help from his brother, realizes his dream.

Each module includes questions for students and activities that help students learn by doing. The program helps students develop the reasoning skills necessary for economic self-reliance. Once students obtain these skills, they understand that their decisions have consequences and that they alone are responsible for those consequences.

Click here to visit the MoneyWiseTeen website.