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Curriculum
CURRICULUM OVERVIEW
Our program is an introduction to budgeting, finance, savings and investment for high school girls. The workshops and financial projects are meant to lift the veil on these subjects, of which 2 out of 3 American women claim to know little to nothing about. Our volunteer instructors come directly from the financial services field. We want our graduates to be more enlightened about the field of finance whether for just their personal money management or, as we’ll encourage, into the profession. We hope to shape their attitudes about handling money and their job prospects in the financial services field.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
For the Silver curriculum, the desired learning outcomes for students are:
• To play the role of a financial adviser for Janella Sims, a 17-year-old college-bound female, where student teams analyze her college costs and her short and long-term financial goals. • To define basic investment terms.
• To follow the price movements of Apple (APPL), Facebook (FB) and Alphabet (GOOG) over the week we’re together in class.
• To understand credit and be able to explain its role and relationship to their personal financial life.
• To understand interest (simple and compound) and its benefits and how it can be detrimental. • To analyze the costs of college and types of financial aid available. • To recognize the gender gaps in wages, college debt, home ownership and retirement savings.
• To become familiar with the various types of careers in finance.
SESSION 1: Introduction and Pre-Assessment
Session 1 is focused on the following topics and activities: • Learn how the RTSWS program works and why it exists.
• Take the RTSWS Pre-test to assess students’ baseline level of financial knowledge. • Understand the concept of interest as it pertains to saving, investment and debt. Learn these related key terms: Simple Interest, Compound Interest and Stock.
• Understand what a stock portfolio and watch list are and become familiar with the stocks we will follow on our watch list in the weeks ahead.
• Become familiar with various online resources that will enrich students’ RTSWS experience.
SESSION 2: Introduction To Case Study
Session 2 is focused on the following topics and activities: • Understand the types of financial aid available for college: Scholarships, Grants, Loans, and Work Study. • Explore the financial aid application process and become familiar with relevant key terms: FAFSA, EFC. • Inform students that they will play the role of a financial adviser for Janella, a 17-year-old who is deciding where to attend college, in large part to be determined by her financial aid package and projected financial situation upon college graduation.
• Students begin to research the costs of tuition, room and board, and other basic expenses associated with college.
SESSION 3: Understanding Credit
Session 3 is focused on the following topics and activities: • Explore the concept of credit and how it related to student loans. • Understand the relevant key terms: Credit, Credit Utilization Ratio, Credit Score, Credit Report.
• Become familiar with gender gaps in wages, homeownership and retirement savings.
SESSION 4: Post-College Financial Planning for Janella
Session 4 is focused on the following topics and activities: • Students will be able to evaluate the cost of college and return on investment for earning a degree. • Understand the relevant key terms: Return on Investment, Subsidized Loan, Unsubsidized Loan • Investigate the challenges women often face in paying down student loan debt.
• Complete the RTSWS Post-test to help us evaluate the impact of our program and see how much students have learned in Sessions 1 through 4. • Each group presents their completed college cost assessments for Janella to the entire class. • In anticipation of the upcoming field trip, explore and discuss possible future career paths in the world of finance and the strengths the students could bring to the industry as women.
A field trip to a local financial services firm will also be scheduled during the coming weeks. There will be a tour of the facilities and introduction to personnel, followed by a panel discussion with three or more leading females from the firm.
