Personal Finance & Investing
Explore the fundamentals of personal finance including budgeting, saving, and investing. Whether you’re curious about stocks, savings accounts, or simply understanding how money works, this pathway helps you build essential financial skills. Learn to make informed decisions about money and develop habits that will serve you throughout your life.
Building your Award:
Find Bronze Award examples to support activity planning
Example SMART Goal: I’m curious about how investing works, so I’m going to manage an imaginary stock portfolio for 13 weeks. Each week I’ll spend an hour researching companies, tracking my “investments,” and learning about what makes stock prices go up or down.
Example Assessor: Business teacher, economics teacher, or community financial literacy volunteer
Example Log: Picked my first 3 stocks for my fake portfolio today based on companies I actually use. Already learned that stock prices change way more than I expected! Researching what “market cap” means next.
Example SMART Goal: Getting fit while building good money habits! I’m committing to working out twice a week for 13 weeks. For every week I hit my goal, I’ll put $5 into a savings jar to practice saving.
Example Assessor: Gym teacher, fitness instructor, or recreation center staff
ORB Category: Gym/Personal Programs
ORB Subcategory: Personal Training
Example Log: Did 30 minutes of cardio and some strength training today. Hit my goal this week so that’s $5 in the jar! It’s cool seeing both my fitness and savings grow together.
Example SMART Goal: I want to help others learn about money too! For 13 weeks, I’ll volunteer an hour each week at a community center helping run a financial literacy program for younger students or newcomers.
Example Assessor: Community center coordinator, program supervisor, or teacher
ORB Category: Voluntary Service to Other People
ORB Subcategory: Support Services
Example Log: Helped a group of grade 6 students understand the difference between needs and wants today. One kid said he never thought about it that way before! Creating a budgeting game for next week.
(Completed as a team. Participants will work together to plan and complete their journey.)
Example Activity: Budget Challenge Adventure! Your team gets an imaginary $150 budget and visits real stores to plan a week’s worth of meals for a family of four. Compare prices, read labels, find deals, and see who can create the healthiest, most affordable meal plan.
Example Team Goal: We’ll visit at least 3 different stores, compare prices on 15+ items, create a complete meal plan that stays under budget, and present what we learned about smart shopping.
Example Assessor/Supervisor: Teacher, Award Leader, or community program coordinator
