Consumer / financial math
High school · Math
Available tracks
Topics typically covered
Click a topic for the full text and related unit practice.
Consumer and financial literacy scope aligned to typical high school personal finance courses (Jump$tart standards, state financial literacy requirements, and common district syllabi).
Earning and budgeting
- Income and paychecks — Calculate gross vs net pay; read pay stubs and W-2 forms
- Budgets — Create monthly budgets; track fixed and variable expenses
- Taxes (intro) — Understand federal, state, and FICA taxes; complete basic tax forms
- Financial goals — Set short- and long-term financial goals; prioritize spending
Banking and credit
- Checking and savings — Use checking accounts, debit cards, and reconcile statements
- Interest basics — Compute simple and compound interest; compare APR and APY
- Credit scores — Understand credit reports, scores, and responsible credit use
- Loans and debt — Compare installment loans; calculate monthly payments and total cost
Insurance and risk
- Types of insurance — Compare auto, health, renters, and life insurance basics
- Deductibles and premiums — Evaluate trade-offs between premiums, deductibles, and coverage
- Identity theft — Recognize fraud; protect personal and financial information
- Emergency funds — Plan for unexpected expenses and income disruption
Housing and transportation
- Rent vs buy — Compare renting and buying; estimate mortgage payments and closing costs
- Housing costs — Budget for utilities, maintenance, and property taxes
- Vehicle costs — Compare leasing vs buying; estimate fuel, insurance, and depreciation
- Major purchases — Evaluate large purchases using total cost and opportunity cost
Investing and retirement
- Investing basics — Distinguish stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and index funds
- Risk and return — Relate risk tolerance to diversification and asset allocation
- Retirement accounts — Understand 401(k), IRA, and employer match concepts
- Compound growth — Project long-term savings with compound interest and regular contributions