Money Matters: Smart Financial Skills for Teens

Course Description: This course is designed to equip teens (ages 12–17) with essential financial skills to make smart money decisions now and in the future. Through engaging lessons, real-life examples, and interactive activities, students will learn the fundamentals of earning, saving, budgeting, investing, and protecting their money. By the end of the course, students will be able to: ✔ Understand how money works and why financial literacy is important. ✔ Create and manage a budget to track income and expenses. ✔ Make informed decisions about saving, investing, and spending. ✔ Recognise and avoid common financial pitfalls, such as scams and bad debt. ✔ Develop a personalised financial plan for short-term and long-term goals. Course Modules: 📌 Module 1: Introduction to Financial Literacy – Understanding why money matters and the basics of income, expenses, saving, and budgeting. 📌 Module 2: Budgeting Basics – Learning how to create and manage a personal budget, differentiate between needs and wants, and track expenses. 📌 Module 3: Saving for the Future – Exploring the power of saving, understanding simple vs. compound interest, and setting achievable savings goals. 📌 Module 4: Understanding Debt and Credit – Learning how debt works, when it can be useful, the risks of bad debt, and the importance of credit scores. 📌 Module 5: Earning and Spending Wisely – Exploring different ways to earn money, understanding Australian tax basics, and developing smart spending habits. 📌 Module 6: Investing for Beginners – Introduction to shares, property, ETFs, and micro-investing, as well as understanding risk vs. reward. 📌 Module 7: Protecting Your Money – Recognising online scams, keeping financial information secure, and understanding the basics of insurance. 📌 Module 8: Building a Financial Plan – Setting financial goals, tracking progress, staying motivated, and adapting to financial changes.