Money Smart for Adults

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The Money Smart for Adults instructor-led curriculum provides participants with practical knowledge, skills-building opportunities, and resources they can use to manage their finances with confidence. Instructors can use it to deliver unbiased, relevant, and accurate financial education whether they are new to training or experienced trainers.

The curriculum consists of 14 modules that cover basic financial topics. Each module guides you on what to say and do. The materials are available for immediate download below, and on DVD at Money Smart – Teach – For Adults (catalog.fdic.gov).

Details about the Modules (catalog.fdic.gov) can help you become familiar with the curriculum.
Disability-Related Topics can help you become familiar with topics in the curriculum that may be of particular interest to individuals with disabilities.
MSA File Versions Tracking Sheet (catalog.fdic.gov) lists the edits we've made to the modules since they were initially released on November 14, 2018.

If you are still using the 2010 version of Money Smart for Adults and need assistance, please contact us at consumereducation@fdic.gov.

What's inside Money Smart for Adults?

You will find that Money Smart for Adults has:

Information that’s updated, relevant, and informed by research. For example, the curriculum features information and scenarios relevant to people with disabilities.
Segments that offer you options to make training relevant. The curriculum is divided into 14 modules, each on an important financial topic, that are subdivided into sections. Instructors can present the modules in any order or combination depending upon an audience’s interests and knowledge.
An emphasis on real-life skills and choices. Money Smart for Adults provides participants with practical knowledge and resources they can use to manage their finances.
Realistic scenarios. Short scenarios featuring consumers in a variety of financial situations provide opportunities to practice using financial knowledge and skills with confidence.
An expanded array of practical tools and resources. “Try It” activities give participants opportunities to practice what they learned in a variety of contexts. “Apply It” activities help participants apply what they have learned to their own lives, either during or after the training.
Key takeaways. A key takeaway sums up the most important message from each section.
A structure that makes it easy to select relevant materials. The curriculum has 14 modules, each on an important financial topic. The modules are subdivided into sections. Instructors can present the modules, and sections within modules, in any order or combination depending upon an audience’s interests and knowledge. The Guide to Presenting Money Smart for Adults includes roadmaps to help select relevant topics.

Tools to help you plan your training

Start by reviewing the Guide to Presenting Money Smart for Adults (catalog.fdic.gov). It includes practical tips for planning, marketing, and delivering training. It also includes information to make training accessible and welcoming for everyone, including people with disabilities.

Each of the 14 Money Smart for Adults modules includes:

Instructor Guides that include what you need to prepare and deliver Money Smart training, including easy to follow cues, script, and interactive exercises.
PowerPoint Slides that can help you present training content in an engaging manner.
Participant Guides with tools and information that participants can use during your training and afterwards.

The curriculum also includes an Instructor Supplement: Scenarios for Financial Inclusion Supplement for Instructors/ Trainers (catalog.fdic.gov), which provides four scenarios featuring individuals with disabilities thinking about financial decisions. Watch our video, Scenarios for Financial Inclusion Video, about the Supplement to learn more!

The 14 Money Smart for Adults Training Modules

The English versions of the files are listed below. Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Braille and Large Print versions are available in the FDIC Catalog (catalog.fdic.gov).

Click arrows next to headers to sort in Ascending or Descending order.

Download Data

Module	Estimated Time	Focus	Docs/ Videos
Module 1: Your Money Values and Influences	2 hours	Internal values and goals, external influences, and their relationships to financial decisions.	Module 1: Instructor Guide Module 1: Participant Guide Module 1: PowerPoint Slides Module 1: Train-the-Trainer Video Module 1: Game and Resources
Module 2: You Can Bank On It	3 hours 25 minutes	Financial products, services, and providers.	Module 2: Instructor Guide Module 2: Participant Guide Module 2: PowerPoint Slides Module 2: Train-the-Trainer Video Module 2: Game and Resources
Module 3: Your Income and Expenses	1 hour 45 minutes	How to track income and expenses.	Module 3: Instructor Guide Module 3: Participant Guide Module 3: PowerPoint Slides Module 3: Train-the-Trainer Video Module 3: Game and Resources
Module 4: Your Spending and Saving Plan	1 hour 25 minutes	How to develop a spending and saving plan, and how to prioritize spending when money is short.	Module 4: Instructor Guide Module 4: Participant Guide Module 4: PowerPoint Slides Module 4: Train-the-Trainer Video Module 4: Game and Resources
Module 5: Your Savings	2 hours 45 minutes	Saving money for expenses, goals, and emergencies.	Module 5: Instructor Guide Module 5: Participant Guide Module 5: PowerPoint Slides Module 5: Train-the-Trainer Video Module 5: Game and Resources
Module 6: Credit Reports and Scores	3 hours 40 minutes	Credit reports and scores, building productive credit histories, and repairing and improving credit.	Module 6: Instructor Guide Module 6: Participant Guide Module 6: PowerPoint Slides Module 6: Short Video for Instructors Module 6: Train-the-Trainer Video Module 6: Game and Resources
Module 7: Borrowing Basics	2 hours	Options for borrowing money and the costs.	Module 7: Instructor Guide Module 7: Participant Guide Module 7: PowerPoint Slides Module 7: Train-the-Trainer Video Module 7: Game and Resources
Module 8: Managing Debt	3 hours 50 minutes	Different kinds of debt and ways to manage it.	Module 8: Instructor Guide Module 8: Participant Guide Module 8: PowerPoint Slides Module 8: Train-the-Trainer Video Module 8: Game and Resources
Module 9: Using Credit Cards	1 hour 50 minutes	How credit cards work and how to manage them.	Module 9: Instructor Guide Module 9: Participant Guide Module 9: PowerPoint Slides Module 9: Train-the-Trainer Video Module 9: Game and Resources
Module 10: Building Your Financial Future	2 hours 35 minutes	Ways to build assets, including buying a car and getting training and education.	Module 10: Instructor Guide Module 10: Participant Guide Module 10: PowerPoint Slides Module 10: Train-the-Trainer Video Module 10: Game and Resources
Module 11: Protecting Your Identity and Other Assets	2 hours 10 minutes	Ways to recognize, respond to, and reduce the risks of identity theft, along with strategies for protecting other assets.	Module 11: Instructor Guide Module 11: Participant Guide Module 11: PowerPoint Slides Module 11: Train-the-Trainer Video Module 11: Game and Resources
Module 12: Making Housing Decisions	2 hours 5 minutes	Different types of safe and affordable housing, including specific information on renting.	Module 12: Instructor Guide Module 12: Participant Guide Module 12: PowerPoint Slides Module 12: Train-the-Trainer Video Module 12: Game and Resources
Module 13: Buying a Home	2 hours 45 minutes	The home buying process, including mortgages.	Module 13: Instructor Guide Module 13: Participant Guide Module 13: PowerPoint Slides Module 13: Train-the-Trainer Video Module 13: Game and Resources
Module 14: Disasters: Financial Preparation and Recovery	1 hour 40 minutes	How to financially prepare for, and recover from, disasters.	Module 14: Instructor Guide Module 14: Participant Guide Module 14: PowerPoint Slides Module 14: Train-the-Trainer Video Module 14: Game and Resources

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