Financial Literacy & Money Discipline
Money Foundations
Everyday money skills, taught in plain language
A six-session introduction to the money decisions that come up every week: where income goes, how to keep a cushion, how banking and credit actually work, and how to keep debt from taking over. Every session pairs a short teaching block with hands-on practice using the participant's own numbers.
- Format
- 6 sessions
- Session length
- 75 minutes per session
- Cadence
- One session per week
- Group size
- 8–20 participants
- Delivery
- In person with a partner host site, or live online
- Cost
- Offered at no cost to participants
- Who it's for
- High school juniors and seniors and other youth ages 16–26 who are new to managing their own money
What each session covers
Session 1
Where your money actually goes
Tracking income and spending for a full month, separating fixed costs from flexible ones, and naming the leaks that show up most often for young earners.
Session 2
Building a budget you will keep
Working through a simple percentage-based plan, adjusting it for irregular or part-time income, and setting one spending rule per participant to test for the week.
Session 3
Banking essentials
Checking versus savings, overdraft and maintenance fees, direct deposit, mobile transfers, and how to compare two accounts side by side before opening one.
Session 4
Saving and the emergency fund
Why a small cushion prevents big setbacks, choosing a first savings target, automating transfers on payday, and protecting savings from everyday spending.
Session 5
How credit works
What lands on a credit report, the factors behind a score, how to request a free report, secured cards and authorised-user arrangements, and what to do about errors.
Session 6
Debt, pressure, and next steps
Interest and minimum payments, payoff order, high-cost lending to avoid, spotting scams and pressure tactics, and each participant leaving with a written next step.
By the end you will be able to
- Build a working monthly budget from real income and expenses
- Open and compare bank accounts with an understanding of fees
- Set a starter emergency fund target and an automatic saving habit
- Read a credit report and explain what moves a credit score
- Compare debt payoff approaches and choose one to follow
- Recognise pressure tactics in spending and lending offers
What's included
- A printed and digital budget workbook
- A one-page banking comparison worksheet
- A credit report request checklist
- A written action plan reviewed at a follow-up check-in
This is a good fit if
- You are earning your first regular income
- Money conversations at home have been limited or stressful
- You want practice, not lectures
Next step
Register for Money Foundations
Send us your details and we'll confirm the next start date, the location or meeting link, and anything to bring.
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