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Click on the icons below to download each activity as a pdf file.
First, you'll see the student material, presented on separate pages (to be printed or emailed / posted).
Solutions and talking points follow the material for students.
FinStart's Careers course binder matches the Ontario provincial curriculum. Our activities complement the binder's lesson plan, but can be used seperately. No calculations are required.
Sample Lesson PlanCurriculum Mapping
CALM (Alberta)Classroom Activities
Activation IdeasChequing & Savings Accounts
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Help Jerry, Christine, Sam, and Mark choose the right chequing and savings accounts for their needs. 4 case studies with solutions.
Budget
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Get ahead with a simple high school budget by answering 5 questions (a small take-home project).
Income Tax
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13 questions and problems (with solutions) about income tax (worksheet format).
Credit Cards
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2 credit card case studies. Katie never missed a payment (no calculations required), while Johnny did (calculations required). Solutions provided.
Investing
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In part 1, students will compare 2 ready-made investing strategies (by answering 9 questions). In part 2, they'll complete and reflect upon a risk appetite questionnaire (prompted by 6 questions). Suggested answers provided.
Loans
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Post-secondary planning (funding / student loans). A few questions to guide students' research. And a pre-requisite to Culminating Activity
Culminating Activities
Culminating 1
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Getting it done. Open / trouble shoot your chequing and savings account, and get ready to file taxes / use your CRA account. In real life or as a simulation activity - using FinStart checklists.
Culminating 2
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Make a budget and explain your choices to your partner (it's a group activity). Prompts are provided. Students can use budget excel spreadsheets on the FinStart website.
Our math problems are designed for grades 9-12. We also have case studies that include some calculations, found in the 'Additional Case Studies" column.
Savings Accounts
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Interest payments, present / future value, and compounding.
Income Tax
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Income tax brackets, sales tax, and markups / discounts.
Credit Cards
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2 case studies about credit card debt.
Investing
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Compounding and future / present value annuities.
Loans
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Starting balance, principal / interest, and final balance calculations.
Insurance
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Cost analysis of self-insuring vs. purchasing medical coverage and calculating claim amounts.
These case studies can be used in Careers, Math, English, and Economics / Business. Problems that require calculations are clearly identified.
Income Tax
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Ms Bigshot needs to complete her income tax return. No calculations required in Part 1. The Appendix shows Ms Bigshot's original filing, done in Turbotax.
Financial Product Advertising
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5 case studies: chequing & savings accounts, credit cards, ready-made, and DIY investing.
Credit Cards
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Katie pays her credit card on time, but Miguel is always late... No calculations required in Part 1.
Loans
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Zenaida has student debt and strategizes how to repay it (no calculations required in Part 1). Samir likes shopping - is he better off taking out an installment loan or using his credit card (calculations required)?
A brief educational newsletter on current personal finance topics appearing in headlines. Timely, relevant, and related real-life case studies (with solutions).
Making Decisions
Jan 29, 2021
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Having to make money-related choices can be stressful. Our case study applies a deliberate and mindful approach to decision-making that separates the ‘process’ from the ‘outcome’. Part 1 of the case study starts with flipping a loaded coin. Part 2 is about choosing a chequing account.
Interest Rates
Oct 23, 2020
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Interest rates have been falling since the early 1980s - why? Are low interest rates good or bad? It depends on whether you are a saver or a borrower.
Inflation
Sept 27, 2020
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Inflation fell to almost zero in Canada this summer, having been as high as 2.5% earlier. Will it stay low or rise? What does it mean for our personal finances?
Foreign Exchange
Sept 7, 2020
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In March, the USD/CAD exchange rate was almost 1.45. You had to spend $1.45 Canadian dollars to buy one US dollar. Today, you need to spend around $1.30. What changed?