The Game of Money A young person’s guide to money management. Day 1

Money, Money, Money!!! Buy a new outfit for the dance? Pay for college? Buy a car? Start a business? Everyone can think of things they would really like to have or do. Achieving your financial goals requires planning, budgeting, disciplined saving and the proper use of credit. Your goals will change as you grow older and your lifestyle and responsibilities change. To learn about money in your life as an adult, let’s play the money game. As you work through this guide, imagine that you’re 28 years old. You’ll be able to make some choices in this game, but as in the real world, some things are out of your control. This is not a game to win or lose by making the most money. It’s about making good realistic choices and understanding the cost and consequences of your choices. Each day you will make decisions about how you will spend your money. Good luck in the game of money!

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? Your choice of careers – and how hard you work – can be the difference between earning $20,000 or $200,000 a year. Let’s take a look at what goes into choosing a career.

ABILITIES Many people choose careers according to their abilities, whether they’re creative, persuasive, or good with numbers. Most abilities don’t point to just one profession, but identifying your skills will allow you to rule out a lot of occupations. Forget about being a brain surgeon, for example, if you’re all thumbs. #1-#2 - On your Finance Packet - List two of your abilities – things you’re good at – that might shape your career.

NEEDS Another part of figuring out what you want to be is knowing what you want – and need. If making a lot of money is your top goal– you might consider becoming, say, a pediatrician. If what you want most is to make a difference in people’s lives, you might consider teaching. #3-#5 - On your Finance Packet - List any important needs in your life. For many careers, you need more than skill and desire; you need to be prepared. And most employers view education – and a diploma, certificate, license or degree – as proof that you’re prepared. You might want to heal animals, but you’ve got to go to college to be a veterinarian. Colleges can be picky about who they let in; they often look to grades to help decide if a student has the skill and determination to do college work.

EDUCATION #6 - On your Finance Packet – So what kind of student are you?

NOW –vs- THEN #7-#13 - On your Finance Packet - I’m in Middle School, but when I am 28… Read the word in column A then in column B describe what this means to you as a middle school student now. In column C describe what you think life might be like as a 28 year old. In column D write how column B and column C are the same or different.

LET’S GO TO WORK Sometimes wants, needs and abilities can come together and lead a person to a dream job. Let’s see – I love clothes. I have a knack for drawing and style, and I make pretty good grades. I’m going to be a fashion designer? One way to find a job is to look in the local newspaper for listings in the classified ads.

#14-#25 - On your Finance Packet As a class, we will go to Mrs. Kendall’s home page, click on FACS Exploration then “Herald Journal” to browse through the different job opportunities found in the classified ads. Determine your top 3 choices. Write the name of the job at the top and list 3 skills, abilities, or experience you need for this job.

CHOOSE A CAREER There are dozens of career choices. On the handout about careers, they are categorized by the schooling required. While you might change jobs, and even careers, several times in real life, you need to stick with one career for this exercise.

WHAT KINDS OF STUDENT ARE YOU? (Refer back to page 1 #6.) If you’re an “EXCELLENT” student, choose a job from boxes A, B, C, D, E, F, G, or H. If you said “GOOD,” you can pick from any job in boxes A, B, C, D, E, and F. If you said “SO-SO,” you can pick from any job in boxes A and B. If you said you’re a “POOR” student, your choices are limited to jobs in box A. Find the job you are interested in and write this on #27. Write the type of degree or diploma you would need for this job on #28. Write the salary for this job on #29.

CHOICES EXPLORER Open the Internet and go to Mrs. Kendall’s Web site from the MLMS home page. Click on FACS Exploration then click on Choices Explorer Site ID = Password = mount Login using the Site ID and Password above. (Make sure you click on the Site ID tab.) Click on Exploring Careers then click on Work Page. Explore the site and find information about two careers you might be interested in. Find the information asked for in the table on your finance packet for each of the careers. #30-#35 - On your Finance Packet – Complete the table for 2 careers.