❤️What our customers are saying❤️
🔦Spotlight: Community Voices
-
So, no question, this tops the list right now as my favorite personal finance homeschool curriculum. Even before starting to write this post, I’ve told all my friends who homeschool teens about it.
After just a few lessons my daughter gushed about how excited and capable she felt about handling her finances as an adult. Her exact words were:
“I feel like I can actually do this!!”
And she said it like 8 times. That’s pretty much a win in my book.
-
When we started homeschooling, I knew that strong academic skills were important to me. But my desires for my children went beyond just strong academic skills. There are many other skills I wanted them to learn – and one of those things was life skills.
While I don’t always love the phrase “well-rounded,” it is important to me that my kids have the skills they need as they grow older. Things like cooking, taking care of your belongings, and finances all help to shape them into the adults that they’ll someday be.
Even with this desire to teach them about finances, I have to admit the idea of teaching them about finances didn’t thrill me. I have a complicated relationship with money and teaching them about money without putting all my own baggage on it, is, well – complicated, quite frankly.
But that was before I discovered Beyond Personal Finance. I was thrilled when I first learned about them because from everything I heard, they seemed like a solid and fun option.
So I purchased the tween curriculum, Before Personal Finance, and we got started. As my kids aged, I was curious about what the next level would look like and so it was very exciting to get to try Beyond Personal Finance.
Below, I’ll tell you why we love Beyond Personal Finance and give you a breakdown comparing the two levels to help you figure out which level is right for your kids.
-
As the child of immigrant parents, I was raised on hard work and sacrifice. My parents did everything they could to build a better life here. They saved every penny, doing the best they could with the knowledge they had. But like many new to America’s financial system, they didn’t have access to the tools that build wealth—how to invest, buy property, or make money work for you. Instead, their savings sat in low-interest bank accounts—not because they didn’t care, but because no one ever showed them a different way. They also didn’t have access to the knowledge to make the best decisions.
Sometimes I think about how things might have turned out if they had that knowledge. How would life have looked—not just for them, but for me and future generations?
So, that’s where Beyond Personal Finance is going to help!
-
As homeschool parents, we do our best to prepare our kids for life, but let’s be honest, personal finance is one of those subjects we often plan to cover “later” and sometimes never get to! Now that I have an almost 21-year-old out in the real world, I can say from experience: teaching real-life money skills early really matters. I’ve seen firsthand how important it is for our kids to have a solid foundation in managing money, making wise choices, and understanding the actual cost of things before they’re out on their own.
So with my younger sons now in the tween years, I knew I wanted to start those conversations sooner rather than later. If you’ve ever wondered how to introduce personal finance in a meaningful and age-appropriate way, I’ve found something worth checking out.
We recently had the opportunity to use Before Personal Finance from Beyond Personal Finance, and it has quickly become an exciting new favorite in our current homeschool routine. I have been using it with my 11-year-old son, and it’s been a surprisingly fun and eye-opening experience for both of us!
This isn’t just another workbook; it’s a real-world introduction to money choices, designed specifically for tweens.
-
Allegedly, my 7th grade end-of-the-year math project was supposed to be a “fun” exercise on money. We were partnered up and tasked with spending $1,000,000. Sounds fun, right? The stipulations were that we could not buy more than 1 of each item and we had to provide “proof” of purchase. Y’all, this was before the internet. My family didn’t even own a computer yet. So there we were clipping newspaper For Sale ads, trying to find items we hadn’t purchased yet but a million bucks was not as easy to spend as we thought. If my memory is correct, my partner and I scored 68%. That was my only public school experience with finance education until Economics in 12th grade.
Forty years later, I’m homeschooling my own children and I am, quite frankly, relieved that author Charla McKinley and her son Jack have written curricula that addressed the topic of personal finance. My obvious trauma (joking but not joking) leftover from that one 7th grade experience with budgeting has absolutely stilted any confidence in teaching personal finance to my own children. And I have a minor in Economics!!
-
“Mom and Dad, we need to talk…”
My thoughts immediately started trying to guess what was coming next.
“I’m scared about growing up, do I have to?”
Well, that wasn’t what I expected to be the discussion starter.
After lots of reassurance that mom and dad would be here and we would help them grow up at their own pace, they headed back to bed. But it got me thinking, for an autistic child, we have to be much more intentional about teaching the growing-up because change and transition are scary on a good day, and growing up is a big change.
-
Want to be sure your homeschooled teen is ready for the financial responsibilities that come with adulthood? Here are 5 crucial financial literacy skills to cover, plus a comprehensive personal finance curriculum that can do all the heavy lifting for you.
I’ve mentioned before that I didn’t have much guidance when it came to preparing for life after the teenage years. Perhaps it was a generational thing, but my parents, teachers, and the other adults in my life didn’t talk about money management, smart spending, or anything related to personal finance.
That lack of preparation meant that I was on my own to figure out taxes, savings, and the financial aspects of attending college.
What’s more, my spouse shared that lack of financial preparation. Thus, we got a crash course in all things finance when we married in our early twenties. Unfortunately, that trial-by-fire introduction to personal finance left us making some less-than-ideal decisions that took YEARS to correct.
-
Are you wondering if a personal finance course is needed or if its just checking another box?
Imagine your teen is about to get their first job, open their first bank account, or decide whether to take out student loans. Are they ready?
For some odd reason, there are some topics we just assume our kids are going to naturally pick up. While we often teach core subjects like math, language arts and science, we often miss teaching the practical skills with step by step life skills.
-
One of the most practical things we can teach our teens before they graduate is how to manage a bank account.
Most of us weren’t taught this stuff in school. Some were blessed to have financially wise mentors to learn from. Others may have had to learn through trial and error.
But we can give our kids a better start! And it’s not as hard as it may sound.
Here’s what your teen really needs to know about banking—broken down into bite-sized, real-life skills that you can feel confident in teaching.
-
The teen years pass in a blink of an eye. One day your teen embarks on the new journey of high school, and the next thing you know, they're graduating and ready to make some big life decisions. As a parent, preparing our kids for the future is one of the best gifts we can give. Readying them to make wise financial decisions is a huge part of that equation. Thankfully, there's a fantastic curriculum to help parents and teens navigate these important waters: Beyond Personal Finance!
Beyond Personal Finance is a curriculum for tweens and teens to help you practically and impactfully teach your students about personal finance. You can choose between two levels depending on the ages of your students.
-
6 Ways to Teach Your Kids about Money
Teaching your kids about money shouldn’t be so stressful. But with all the other things you need to remember to teach, it’s easy to let budgeting slide past, unnoticed. But you don’t need to make it any harder than what it already is.
When it’s time to start teaching, there are a few easy ways to make sure your kids know what they’re doing and financially responsible.
-
As a parent, I've always told my children that one of my jobs is to make sure they are ready for the real world when they grow up. Making sure they are financially responsible adults is one way to do that.
Teaching personal finance to teens:
Builds a strong financial foundation early on so that they will know how to manage money and avoid costly mistakes when they are adults.
Encourages smart decision-making so they avoid thinking impulsively.
Fosters a healthy relationship with money so that they use it as a tool for their goals instead of just something to spend.
Prepares them for real-life situations because they will need to be able to balance a bank account and understand taxes and investing no matter what career path they follow.
Supports goal setting and delayed gratification by teaching how to budget and save for goals.
-
Looking for a personal finance curriculum for tweens?
Look no further!
“Before Personal Finance” is built for late elementary students and serves as a fun, practical introduction to money smarts—covering topics like budgeting, saving, investing, borrowing, and spending wisely.
Whether you’re homeschooling or in a school setting, this program works beautifully in both environments.
-
I think completing the course in the last couple years of high school would be most beneficial and help kids apply the lessons to real life. However, if you have multiple teens then having them work on it together during the same year would make a lot of sense.
Pros:
Very experienced and engaging instructor.
Easy to get started.
Doesn’t need much involvement from homeschool parents.
Workbook closely follows the video lessons.
Activities are engaging and the skills learned can be applied directly to real life.
References given for the data used in the course such as average salaries for different careers.
Works with a variety of schedules…only requires about 40 hours over the course of a semester.
-
This curriculum is unlike anything else I’ve seen. Instead of just lecturing students on the importance of saving and being debt-free, Beyond Personal Finance is a simulation that takes students from age 22-42.
Each decision that is made has a financial impact. Your student will begin to see that every decision they make from what job they take to where they go to school to what they eat for dinner can impact their financial success.
-
Our one and only son will turn 18 in just six short months. And, one of the life skills we need to work on is financial literacy. So far, our son has, thankfully, proven to have a very wise noggin when it comes to money. He likes to make it, but he does not like to spend it. And when he does spend it, he thinks long and hard about it beforehand. It seems he has a natural inclination to be a saver but there is more to being financially literate than simply not being wasteful. You need to understand how much the “needs” in life cost. You also need to understand that researching wolves in Alaska full-time is not likely to support a wife, five kids and eight dogs. 🙂
Don’t get me wrong. From an early age, our son was exposed to my husband’s college-level lectures on how to work while in college, how to invest your savings, how to never lease a car, how to buy the right home, etc. BUT, I think our son could benefit from hearing those things (and more) from somebody other than his boring, old dad.
So, that’s where Beyond Personal Finance is going to help!
-
Have you ever had your college kid complain about not using a certain homeschool curriculum? My daughter is home from college for the summer and she overheard her younger brothers explaining how they were going to pay for their Dodge Charger and BMW.
Knowing that neither of them has enough money to afford a decent remote-controlled car, she poked her head around the corner and asked what we were doing. As I began explaining our new finance course, she blurted out: “So, it’s like the Game of LIFE on steroids! Why didn’t I get to take this class? It seems way better than the one you made me take…”
I love this curriculum! I cannot say it enough. The fact that my boys get to make decisions about their future life choices NOW and see how those choices impact their bottom line is HUGE!
And it’s working! Rather than buying brand-new cars, they selected a 2015 BMW and a 2018 Dodge Charger. They decided they didn’t want a car loan. Nor did they want to use all their saving on a car! Y’all – they made these decisions without me having to say a word about their choices. Thank you, Charla, for helping my sons learn to make wise financial decisions!
-
As a mom of 9, one of the biggest challenges teens face is to get a big picture of life. They are young…that is normal. But having course that bridges the gaps between current relevant personal finance skills (like getting a 1st job) and things far off in the future like retirement is so helpful. Because in reality, there are things they can do when they are young that will affect them 40 years later!!
I also appreciate how this curriculum talks about the importance of family finances and how financial decisions affect family members. Mixed into these “financial math lessons” are conversations about marriage, divorce and other life situations. This holistic approach helps students appreciate the broader implications of their financial choices, promoting a deeper understanding of personal financial literacy.
-
As a first-generation Latina, I know firsthand the importance of financial literacy. Growing up in a household where my single mother worked two jobs, we didn’t have the privilege of learning money management skills from generations before. It wasn’t until I was an adult, dealing with student loan debt and navigating savings and retirement, that I realized how crucial these skills are. That’s why I’m so excited to share my experience with Beyond Personal Finance – a game-changing online curriculum for teens.
As someone who’s still learning about financial literacy myself, I can’t overstate how valuable this curriculum has been. It’s thorough, realistic, and engaging. The fact that it was created by another mom who wanted to prepare her own child for financial success resonates with me deeply.
-
I digress. I did not have high expectations for this curriculum. I expected it to be dry (because…finance). I expected it to get the point across to my kids and to achieve the goal of educating them about finance-related topics.
It did teach my kids, but…you guys…it was not dry and boring AT ALL. If you had told me, prior to starting the curriculum, that my kids would actually look forward to the activities in their workbook, I wouldn’t have believed you. If you had told me that I would have fun with my kids while competing the activities in their workbook, I would’ve thought you were pulling a fast one on me.
Yep. It’s that good. In a nutshell, here are some of my top 5 favorite things about the Beyond Personal Finance Teen (13+) Self-Paced, Online Curriculum...
-
Beyond Personal Finance Teen (13+) Self-Paced, Online Curriculum stands out among financial literacy programs for teens. It offers an immersive, hands-on experience for individuals seeking to improve their financial literacy.
Unlike traditional financial education methods, this platform engages my teens in realistic financial scenarios. These are ranging from budgeting and investing to managing debt and planning for retirement.
I appreciate that by simulating these real-life situations, Beyond Personal Finance allows teens to make decisions and see the immediate and long-term consequences of their choices. All in a safe, risk-free environment.
-
There are a couple things that stood out to my teenager as pluses for Beyond Personal Finance as a finance curriculum. First, she was happy to see the videos were on the shorter side, only 20-30 minutes. This is great for kids who have shorter attention spans.
The other thing she really enjoyed is the fact that it uses real life examples and situations. This makes Beyond Personal Finance more applicable to teenagers lives and therefore more relevant (and more memorable) to them.
I think having a whole life in front of you on paper to manipulate and see the results of your choices prior to living it is an amazing experience. Teenagers can see how choices they make at various points in their lives directly impact their future, and that is powerful when it comes to making sound financial decisions.
-
As a homeschooling parent, I’m always on the lookout for quality educational resources to equip my son with real-world skills. We’ve been working on financial literacy since he was in third grade, so when it was time to find a more advanced program, Beyond Personal Finance Teen (13+) Self-Paced, Online Curriculum is a perfect fit.
Expert Instruction: The videos feature knowledgeable instructors who break down complex financial concepts into manageable and understandable lessons. The instructors have a knack for relating the material to real-life scenarios, which makes the content more relevant and engaging for teens.
Interactive and Engaging: The videos are not just lectures. They incorporate graphics, animations, and real-world examples that keep students engaged. Interactive elements, such as questions and prompts within the videos, encourage active participation rather than passive watching.
Structured and Sequential: The curriculum is well-organized, with each video building on the previous ones. This structured approach ensures that students develop a solid foundation before moving on to more advanced topics.
Flexible Pacing: One of the best features is that students can pause, rewind, and rewatch the videos as needed. This self-paced nature allows them to fully grasp each concept before moving forward, which is especially beneficial for more challenging topics.
Support Materials: Each video is accompanied by supplementary materials, including worksheets, quizzes, and practical exercises. These resources help reinforce the lessons and provide opportunities for hands-on application of the concepts.
-
In 2024, Beyond Personal Finance released a new course designed for tweens (ages 8-12) called Before Personal Finance. It is built on the same foundations and principles as Beyond Personal Finance: allowing kids to experience the impact of their spending and saving choices ... without using their own actual money!
Instead of jumping into grown-up financial topics like rent or mortgage, insurance, and childcare, Before Personal Finance focused on the income and spending options available to teens and simulates life between 13 and 22.
