Skip to content

Chapters

This textbook is organized into 12 chapters covering 200 concepts in personal finance.

Chapter Overview

  1. Foundational Financial Concepts - Core principles including money management, goal setting, opportunity cost, time value of money, and financial decision-making frameworks.

  2. Banking and Cash Management - Financial institutions, account types, electronic banking, mobile apps, payment systems, and account security.

  3. Budgeting and Financial Planning - Personal budgeting methods, expense tracking, emergency funds, automatic savings, and budget adjustment strategies.

  4. Credit and Debt Management - Credit scores, credit reports, building credit, credit cards, types of debt, interest calculations, and debt repayment strategies.

  5. Saving and Investing - Investment fundamentals, risk and return, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, asset allocation, diversification, and portfolio management.

  6. Income and Taxes - Understanding income, paycheck withholding, tax forms, federal and state taxes, tax filing, deductions, credits, and tax planning.

  7. Insurance and Risk Management - Insurance principles, health insurance, auto insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and risk management strategies.

  8. Major Purchases and Loans - Auto loans, mortgages, loan terms, renting vs buying decisions, comparison shopping, and negotiation skills.

  9. Consumer Protection and Financial Security - Identity theft prevention, online security, recognizing scams, consumer rights, and dispute resolution.

  10. College and Education Planning - College cost estimation, financial aid, scholarships, student loans, college ROI, and alternative education pathways.

  11. Career Planning and Income - Career exploration, understanding benefits, compensation evaluation, side hustles, salary negotiation, and professional development.

  12. Retirement and Long-term Planning - Retirement accounts, employer matching, Social Security, retirement savings targets, and estate planning basics.

How to Use This Textbook

This textbook is designed to be read sequentially, as each chapter builds on concepts from previous chapters. The foundational concepts in Chapters 1-3 are essential prerequisites for understanding later material. Chapters 4-8 cover core personal finance topics that every young adult should master. Chapters 9-12 address specialized topics important for long-term financial success.

Dependencies between concepts have been carefully mapped to ensure you have the necessary background knowledge before encountering advanced topics. We recommend completing chapters in order, though you may reference specific concepts as needed.

Note: Each chapter includes a list of concepts covered from the learning graph. The complete learning graph with concept dependencies is available in the Learning Graph section.