We couldn't have said it better

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So, no question, this tops the list right now as my favorite personal finance homeschool curriculum. Even before starting to write this post, I’ve told all my friends who homeschool teens about it.

After just a few lessons my daughter gushed about how excited and capable she felt about handling her finances as an adult. Her exact words were:

“I feel like I can actually do this!!”

And she said it like 8 times. That’s pretty much a win in my book.

Homeschooling offers the unique opportunity to tailor education to the specific needs of each child. This is especially critical for families with special needs teens and tweens. Finding a curriculum that not only educates but also empowers these young learners can be challenging. 

That’s where Beyond Personal Finance comes in, offering a revolutionary approach to teaching financial literacy and life skills. Our family was blessed to find this curriculum and use the knowledge to teach our older two boys.  

This curriculum is unlike anything else I’ve seen.  Instead of just lecturing students on the importance of saving and being debt-free, Beyond Personal Finance is a simulation that takes students from age 22-42.  

Each decision that is made has a financial impact.  Your student will begin to see that every decision they make from what job they take to where they go to school to what they eat for dinner can impact their financial success.

I think completing the course in the last couple years of high school would be most beneficial and help kids apply the lessons to real life.  However, if you have multiple teens then having them work on it together during the same year would make a lot of sense. 

Pros:

• Very experienced and engaging instructor.
• Easy to get started.
• Doesn’t need much involvement from homeschool parents.
• Workbook closely follows the video lessons.
• Activities are engaging and the skills learned can be applied directly to real life.
• References given for the data used in the course such as average salaries for different careers.
• Works with a variety of schedules…only requires about 40 hours over the course of a semester.

Our one and only son will turn 18 in just six short months. And, one of the life skills we need to work on is financial literacy. So far, our son has, thankfully, proven to have a very wise noggin when it comes to money. He likes to make it, but he does not like to spend it. And when he does spend it, he thinks long and hard about it beforehand. It seems he has a natural inclination to be a saver but there is more to being financially literate than simply not being wasteful. You need to understand how much the “needs” in life cost. You also need to understand that researching wolves in Alaska full-time is not likely to support a wife, five kids and eight dogs. 🙂

Don’t get me wrong. From an early age, our son was exposed to my husband’s college-level lectures on how to work while in college, how to invest your savings, how to never lease a car, how to buy the right home, etc. BUT, I think our son could benefit from hearing those things (and more) from somebody other than his boring, old dad.

So, that’s where Beyond Personal Finance is going to help!

As a mom of 9, one of the biggest challenges teens face is to get a big picture of life. They are young…that is normal. But having course that bridges the gaps between current relevant personal finance skills (like getting a 1st job) and things far off in the future like retirement is so helpful. Because in reality, there are things they can do when they are young that will affect them 40 years later!!

I also appreciate how this curriculum talks about the importance of family finances and how financial decisions affect family members. Mixed into these “financial math lessons” are conversations about marriage, divorce and other life situations.  This holistic approach helps students appreciate the broader implications of their financial choices, promoting a deeper understanding of personal financial literacy.

Have you ever had your college kid complain about not using a certain homeschool curriculum? My daughter is home from college for the summer and she overheard her younger brothers explaining how they were going to pay for their Dodge Charger and BMW.

Knowing that neither of them has enough money to afford a decent remote-controlled car, she poked her head around the corner and asked what we were doing. As I began explaining our new finance course, she blurted out:  “So, it’s like the Game of LIFE on steroids! Why didn’t I get to take this class? It seems way better than the one you made me take…”

I love this curriculum! I cannot say it enough. The fact that my boys get to make decisions about their future life choices NOW and see how those choices impact their bottom line is HUGE!

And it’s working! Rather than buying brand-new cars, they selected a 2015 BMW and a 2018 Dodge Charger. They decided they didn’t want a car loan. Nor did they want to use all their saving on a car! Y’all – they made these decisions without me having to say a word about their choices. Thank you, Charla, for helping my sons learn to make wise financial decisions!

As a first-generation Latina, I know firsthand the importance of financial literacy. Growing up in a household where my single mother worked two jobs, we didn’t have the privilege of learning money management skills from generations before. It wasn’t until I was an adult, dealing with student loan debt and navigating savings and retirement, that I realized how crucial these skills are. That’s why I’m so excited to share my experience with Beyond Personal Finance – a game-changing online curriculum for teens. 

As someone who’s still learning about financial literacy myself, I can’t overstate how valuable this curriculum has been. It’s thorough, realistic, and engaging. The fact that it was created by another mom who wanted to prepare her own child for financial success resonates with me deeply. 

To be honest, I typically find anything related to finance to be extremely boring. Like, “I will zone out and start thinking about items to add to my grocery shopping list if you start talking about finance to me” kind of boring.

My poor husband. He works in finance all day long and then has to deal with my far-off stares when he tries to tell me about his day.

I digress. I did not have high expectations for this curriculum. I expected it to be dry (because…finance). I expected it to get the point across to my kids and to achieve the goal of educating them about finance-related topics.

It did teach my kids, but…you guys…it was not dry and boring AT ALL. If you had told me, prior to starting the curriculum, that my kids would actually look forward to the activities in their workbook, I wouldn’t have believed you. If you had told me that I would have fun with my kids while competing the activities in their workbook, I would’ve thought you were pulling a fast one on me.

Yep. It’s that good. In a nutshell, here are some of my top 5 favorite things about the Beyond Personal Finance Teen (13+) Self-Paced, Online Curriculum...

Beyond Personal Finance Teen (13+) Self-Paced, Online Curriculum stands out among financial literacy programs for teens. It offers an immersive, hands-on experience for individuals seeking to improve their financial literacy.

Unlike traditional financial education methods, this platform engages my teens in realistic financial scenarios. These are ranging from budgeting and investing to managing debt and planning for retirement. 

I appreciate that by simulating these real-life situations, Beyond Personal Finance allows teens to make decisions and see the immediate and long-term consequences of their choices. All in a safe, risk-free environment. 

As a homeschooling parent, I’m always on the lookout for quality educational resources to equip my son with real-world skills. We’ve been working on financial literacy since he was in third grade, so when it was time to find a more advanced program, Beyond Personal Finance Teen (13+) Self-Paced, Online Curriculum is a perfect fit. 

Expert Instruction: The videos feature knowledgeable instructors who break down complex financial concepts into manageable and understandable lessons. The instructors have a knack for relating the material to real-life scenarios, which makes the content more relevant and engaging for teens.

Interactive and Engaging: The videos are not just lectures. They incorporate graphics, animations, and real-world examples that keep students engaged. Interactive elements, such as questions and prompts within the videos, encourage active participation rather than passive watching.

Structured and Sequential: The curriculum is well-organized, with each video building on the previous ones. This structured approach ensures that students develop a solid foundation before moving on to more advanced topics.

Flexible Pacing: One of the best features is that students can pause, rewind, and rewatch the videos as needed. This self-paced nature allows them to fully grasp each concept before moving forward, which is especially beneficial for more challenging topics.

Support Materials: Each video is accompanied by supplementary materials, including worksheets, quizzes, and practical exercises. These resources help reinforce the lessons and provide opportunities for hands-on application of the concepts.

There are a couple things that stood out to my teenager as pluses for Beyond Personal Finance as a finance curriculum. First, she was happy to see the videos were on the shorter side, only 20-30 minutes. This is great for kids who have shorter attention spans.

The other thing she really enjoyed is the fact that it uses real life examples and situations. This makes Beyond Personal Finance more applicable to teenagers lives and therefore more relevant (and more memorable) to them. 

I think having a whole life in front of you on paper to manipulate and see the results of your choices prior to living it is an amazing experience. Teenagers can see how choices they make at various points in their lives directly impact their future, and that is powerful when it comes to making sound financial decisions. 

Most teens are clueless about how expensive being an adult is. 

Meet my son… he walks in the door recently after being at the grocery store and comments on how expensive everything was. He had come home with some snacks. I had to keep from rolling my eyes and gently put in my parental comment about how much it costs to actually feed a family, or even one person. At 19 and graduating from college, he still has lessons to learn. 

I’ve actually found some great ideas to talk over with him from using this Personal Finance for Teens Curriculum – Beyond Personal Finance, with my daughter. 

Trying to teach personal finance for teens is one of the hardest things you’ll ever teach in your homeschool. But it’s also one of the most important lessons they’ll ever learn.  

Over the years, thousands of students have been allowed to graduate high school with no knowledge of how to manage their money. This has led to excessive spending, divorce and depression. 

Knowing how to manage money is a skill that will not only take you far in life, but will also help you have successful relationships, too.  After all, no one likes it when you’re constantly borrowing money that you can’t afford to pay back!  

If you’re looking for a simple and fun way to teach personal finance for teens, Beyond Personal Finance is just what you need! The interactive one-semester class lets teens simulate age 22-42 by making real choices and real budgets.

 My 8-year old daughter can’t wait to grow up and start “adulting”. She’s at the age where she dreams about getting married, having a family, having a car, and doing all of the “fun” things she thinks adults get to do.

I have to just shake my head and smile each time she begins talking and romanticizing her grown-up future. Not because I don’t think it’s going to be great (or deny that adults do get to do some pretty fun things!), and I pray that her life is all she dreams it to be.

But – and I’m sure you can relate – ignorance sure is bliss at that age, for a lot of things!

One of my jobs as a homeschool mama is to not only teach my sweet kids how to read and write, but how to grow up to be responsible, capable citizens, and good stewards of the gifts and resources the Lord has blessed them with. 

A big part of that preparation is financial literacy and learning how to manage money.

Luckily, there’s a course out there to help us prepare our kids for their futures, and show them just what “being an adult” is really like! 

Personal finance can be a complicated topic for adults, let alone teens. It’s often dry, dull, and lacks an element of relatability when it comes to teaching our homeschooled teens how to understand the concepts of financial literacy.

And yet, it’s an important life skill that we shouldn’t ignore. After all, we all want our kids to be successful adults, right? Like it or not, managing money throughout the course of their lifetime is a big part of that.

Guess what? I’ve recently discovered a curriculum that helps you navigate financial literacy topics with your teens and makes it totally relatable and interactive for them! It’s called Beyond Personal Finance.

Because my husband is a CPA, financial lessons have started young in our house. It is very important to our family to teach our kids how to handle money wisely. That includes teaching them the important financial lessons they need to know as adults. Even before high school, financial literacy is an important topic that your kids need to understand. Here are some of the key lessons to teach them.  

Preparing teens for life beyond chores and allowances can be tough, but it is important to include Personal Finance for Teens in your list of things to teach your kids before they leave home to help them gain Financial Literacy. By taking the time to build financial literacy for teens, we can set them up for success before it's time for them to leave home and make financial decisions on their own.

As a homeschool mom, my goal is to prepare my children for the future as well as possible. I want to launch my kids well into the world and take my role to prepare them to leave home very seriously. One very important part of this is to prepare them with enough financial literacy to be a fully functioning adult when they leave home.

Teaching teens about money and the consequences of their financial decisions can be challenging. Thankfully, there are ways to build financial literacy for teens that don’t involve lecturing!   Now that all three of my children have reached the age where money and financial decisions are something very real in their lives, I’ve realized that teaching them to become financial literate is more important than ever.    

While I learned some things about money as a teen, I’ll be honest that I didn’t really know a lot about it when I graduated high school or even college.

Managing money was big and scary and complex. And sadly, that’s a belief that has taken a lot to get rid of and still infiltrates my beliefs to this day.   

But for my kids? I want it to be different! So, here are five ways to build financial literacy in teens that aren’t overwhelming for them or for you!

Personal finance is essential learning for your teen. Here’s everything you need to know about teaching your child personal finance for real life.

One of the things that surprised me most when my oldest son went away to college last year was how confident he was in overall life skills. Personal finance was one area that he felt capable and confident managing on his own.

In fact, one of the stories I have shared before is about him figuring out direct deposit and how to divide his paychecks so that 20% of his earnings went into his savings (without me being involved at all!).

Looking back, I’m grateful that we spend so much time focused on life skills in our homeschool.

When I was in high school, I did not learn a single thing about finance or budgeting. While my parents did the best they could, the reality is I was woefully unprepared for the realities of navigating renting my own place, credit cards, medical bills, and overall financial solvency.

It took me years to catch up, something that I am committed to changing when it comes to my own sons’ financial health.

On the list of things that should rank high for all home-educated high school students, is financial literacy for teens. It’s a vital component of a well-rounded and complete education. In our homeschool, it’s a required course for graduation because I’ve seen just how detrimental a lack of personal finance understanding can be.  

Thankfully, there are a plethora of resources and financial literacy courses for teens so homeschool families can ensure their children understand just how money, interest, savings, and lending all work, helping your teen graduates with some level of financial literacy and understanding.  

With Beyond Personal Finance, teens can learn how to make big financial decisions with an experience-based course designed just for them.

As a busy homeschool mom, I love how I have no prep work for Beyond Personal Finance Tween. Plus, I tend to overcomplicate matters when it comes to talking about money with my boys. I greatly appreciate how this curriculum simplifies the concepts and make them easy to talk about and understand.

I believe the price of this curriculum ($40) is very affordable. The powerful resources that help you teach your tweens lifelong skills about money and decision making is priceless!

The best part of the curriculum is that it walks kids through the basics of personal finance in a manner that kids can visualize.

It includes trivia games, crossword puzzles, and cryptograms in addition to teaching kids how to create budgets and plan for future spending!

By the end of the Beyond Personal Finance Tween (8-12) Curriculum, kids have learned how to make a simple budget with money they receive over the course of the year, such as gifts from grandparents and allowances. They have also looked ahead to themselves at 22 and considered future needs such as buying a car and clothing.

If you would like to teach your student some realities of money in the “real world” without having them spend “real money,” this is the way to do it. It was easy for me as a homeschool mom to teach and my son had fun while learning. I highly recommend you check out this valuable homeschool finance curriculum book and I am curious to see Mason's future now that he has learned this.

He enjoyed it so much, in a few years from now, in one of his High School years, I have it on my list to get the Beyond Personal Finance Teen (13+) Self-Paced, Online Curriculum where the Avatar will be ages 23 to 42.

Before Personal Finance Tween curriculum is a valuable addition to any homeschool curriculum aiming to teach financial literacy to late elementary students.

Its innovative approach, combining storytelling with practical exercises and interactive elements, makes complex financial concepts accessible and enjoyable for young learners.

The inclusion of comprehensive teacher resources further enhances its usability in a homeschool setting.

For homeschooling parents seeking a well-rounded financial literacy curriculum that engages and educates, Before Personal Finance, offers a compelling solution. It equips students with essential money management skills while fostering independence and critical thinking.

I think this is a great age to really begin intentionally teaching personal finance topics. I don't know about your kids, but mine definitely dream about all of the things they're going to do when they're teenagers and adults; it's not that I want to burst any bubbles…but I want them to have a realistic sense of what they'll be encountering someday.

This course is for any parent who wants to start grounding their kids in the basics of smart money habits and management.

Whether your kids are completely new to personal finance or know the basics, they'll have a blast with this course and learn something new…about money, but also probably about themselves!

If you are like me, you want your tween homeschooler to understand money when they graduate. Math is great, learning to read is important, but money management is what will put them in a safety net for the future. Proper money management is taught, not caught. Our society today teaches credit card debt, loans and car loans. Growing up I wish there was a course like this to prepare me for adulthood. Spending is easy, and saving gets hard.

I really feel like this course Before Personal Finance is perfect for kids between the ages of 10-13. Why? I have a 13 year old son and he loved it. His entrepreneurial spirit was quenched as he read about how to make, spend and save money. This was a great hands on experience to help him put a scope on his financial future.

With an avatar named “Future You” your kids will go on a financial journey in 10 lessons that will introduce to them different financial experiences and twists. “Future You” will make decisions about earning, spending, giving, saving, and even purchases like cars! 

This full color 150 page workbook can be done independently, 1 on 1 with a parent or with a group. I opted for independent work for my daughter. If she needs help figuring out something, she asks me for help which makes the Teacher materials come in handy. A link to the Teacher materials is provided in the book and includes short “how to” video, answer keys, activity resources and more.

Before Personal Finance has been a wonderful addition for my 4th grader. She has an entrepreneurial mindset and helping her hone in financial skills now will take her far in life. I love that it’s teaching her a much needed life skill. 

For my family, Before Personal Finance is a supplement in our homeschooling that is an excellent companion to our math course but fits right into our summer life skills focus. Even if the interest is only on money your kid likes to spend, this applied learning course lets them see the everyday impact their choices can have on their lives and their future. 

One of my favorite parts of the course was imagining your child’s “ Future You”. “Future You” looks at their likes/wants/needs and plots a financial “Choose Your Own Adventure” type story for them starting at age 13 and continuing until their 20’s as the lessons progress. Needs and wants may start with toys but progress at the appropriate times to needing a car or even housing. Each chapter and lesson they plan for being a little older and the finances get a little more complex. This practice now makes good financial choices easier in the future.

Cash got to choose how he spent his money (Spoiler alert – he buys books and toys), and makes a budget for himself using actual scenarios with real life problems as determined by his online wheel of fortune called a plot twist wheel. There are also extension activities including word searches, financial vocabulary, along with history and notable biographies of people in finance. Best of all, each lesson concludes with reflection on what was learned as well as a chance to dive deeper with your child about how they feel about the financial decisions they are making.

I thoroughly enjoyed the flexibility of this curriculum and it was incredibly easy to fit into our summer homeschool schedule 

I truly feel like it has an open-and-go approach making it an easy go-to option for most homeschoolers!

The lesson structure was simple, and informative, and could be done with or without parental supervision.

While my 11-year-old is typically a self-paced learner and I believe she could have done this completely on her own, we chose to work through this collaboratively to encourage more in-depth conversation instead.

That said, self-leaners can totally tackle this on their own!

We started our financial literacy education by paying them for chores. The kids got paid in singles, which we then helped them split into 3 main categories: Give, Save, Spend. This worked great in the toddler and early elementary years.

But what about those later elementary years? I recently discovered a financial literacy curriculum full of relatable financial literacy topics.

Before Personal Finance takes this basic foundation (earn, give, save, spend) and explores real-world financial decisions with your upper elementary and middle school-aged children. They earn, save, and spend money over several (imaginary, yet realistic) years, taking them through high school.

The curriculum focuses on “Future You,” giving tweens the opportunity to walk through 10 years of teen and young adult life. Chapter by chapter, they see how their financial choices affect their savings and their future.

Students choose a job near the beginning of the course. Then they create simulated budgets based on their income, spending, and giving. Unexpected “plot twists” make budgeting more challenging, just as they would in real life.

In one lesson, students plan a party where they choose between less expensive and more expensive options. For example, Kendra could choose to make the food herself for $75 or have someone else make the food for $200. She could buy a cake from a grocery store for $45 or get a cake from a bakery for $75.

The party budget was $500, and Kendra spent a significant amount of time deciding where she would splurge and where she would save money. She chose to have someone else make the food, but bought the less expensive grocery store cake and skipped most of the pricey extras.

In my daughter’s words, “You can’t always buy whatever you want. You need to budget.”

And THAT is a valuable life lesson learned.

In 2024, Beyond Personal Finance released a new course designed for tweens (ages 8-12) called Before Personal Finance. It is built on the same foundations and principles as Beyond Personal Finance: allowing kids to experience the impact of their spending and saving choices ... without using their own 

actual money!

Instead of jumping into grown-up financial topics like rent or mortgage, insurance, and childcare, Before Personal Finance focused on the income and spending options available to teens and simulates life between 13 and 22.