Course Description – Finance is a full year course designed to encourage students to understand the impact of individual choices on future earnings potential and occupational goals (i.e. future employment). This course is meant to fulfill the Arizona state requirement for a fourth math class and will give students the tools and resources needed to make wise financial decisions. Students will analyze their personal financial (housing, auto, student loans, etc) decisions, evaluate the costs and benefits of their decisions, recognize their rights and responsibilities as consumers, and apply the knowledge learned to financial situations encountered later in life.
This course will deliver a foundational understanding needed to help students plan for the future and achieve financial security. Initially, this course develops a student’s knowledge and analytical skills in such areas as basic economics (macro and micro), money management, budgeting, financial goal attainment, the wise use of credit, insurance, investments (including a simulated individual securities account competition), consumerism (i.e. marketing and advertising), and consumer rights and responsibilities. The course concludes with a simulated business modeling with a focus on business financial requirements. The goal of Finance is to encourage students to become financially responsible, conscientious members of society (individually and professionally), and lay a foundation for their future financial achievement.
Math topics covered for the year include many of the foundational concepts in Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and Trigonometry. The course will explore the practical use of these concepts, including some statistics, in a useful, summative manner that provides foundations for real life application. A graphing calculator is required for this course.