Financial Literacy

Awareness & Understanding

Money is one of the most important tools you'll ever use, but most schools barely teach you how to manage it. Start by learning the basics. Visit Khan Academy's free "Personal Finance" course and complete the first two lessons on income and spending. Then look at your own spending over the last week — even small purchases count. Write down everything you spent (or would spend if you had money) in seven days. Identify which purchases were needs and which were wants. Talk to a parent or trusted adult about one money decision they made this week. You're ready for the next step when you can explain the difference between needs and wants and list your own spending for one full week.

Research & Investigation

Go deeper into how money works. Research three topics using Khan Academy's Personal Finance section: budgeting, saving, and interest. Learn what compound interest means — then use the free compound interest calculator at investor.gov (an official U.S. government site) to see how $100 saved today could grow over 10 years. Look into local resources: Utah's own America First Credit Union and Mountain America Credit Union both offer free youth savings accounts. Write a one-paragraph explanation of why starting to save early matters, using real numbers from your calculator. You're ready for the next step when you can explain compound interest with a real example and name one local place in Utah where you could open a savings account.

Planning & Preparation

Build your own personal budget. Use a free budgeting worksheet from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (consumerfinance.gov — it's a U.S. government site) or Khan Academy's budget template. List all income sources — allowance, chores, a part-time job, or hypothetical income. Then list all expenses: needs first, then wants. Assign every dollar a job so that income minus expenses equals zero (this is called a zero-based budget). Set a savings goal — something specific you're working toward. Share your budget with a trusted adult for feedback. You're ready for the next step when you have a complete written budget where every dollar of your income is assigned and you've set one specific savings goal.

Taking Action

Live by your budget for two full weeks. Track every dollar you spend — use a free app like Goodbudget or a simple notebook. At the end of each week, compare what you planned to spend with what you actually spent. Note where you went over budget and where you had money left over. Make one adjustment to your budget after week one based on what you learned. Did you meet your savings goal for the two weeks? Write a short summary of what was easy and what was hard. You're ready for the next step when you've tracked spending for two full weeks, made at least one budget adjustment, and written a summary of what you learned.

Leadership & Expansion

You've learned to manage your own money — now help someone else do the same. Teach a younger sibling, a friend, or a classmate the basics: needs vs. wants, how to make a budget, and why saving early matters. Use your own budget as a real example (you don't have to share exact numbers). Create a simple one-page "Money Starter Guide" they can keep. Check out Junior Achievement Utah (juniorachievementutah.org) — they run free financial literacy programs in SLC schools you could connect with. You're ready for the next step when you've taught at least one person the basics of budgeting and given them something written they can refer back to.

Impact & Reflection

Reflect on your two-month financial literacy journey. Write a one-page reflection answering: What money habit changed the most for you? Did you reach your savings goal? What surprised you about managing money? What would you tell your younger self about money? Calculate your total savings during this quest. Share your reflection with a parent, mentor, or school counselor. Set one money goal for the next three months — make it specific, like saving $50 or opening a real savings account at a local credit union. You're ready for the next step when you've written your reflection, calculated your savings, and set a specific money goal for the next 90 days.