Saving and Investing on Your Own

45-minute agenda

1. 0–5 min

   Warm-up

   Post: “Your first full-time paycheck arrives. What are the first three things you'd do with it?”

2. 5–12 min

   Direct instruction

   Present the lesson slides. Make sure students leave with these points:

   • Starter fund → match → high-interest debt → full fund → invest → goals.
   • Automate on payday.
   • Save part of every raise.
   • It's a guideline — adjust to your life.

   Use the “See it” slide (A common order for your money) to make the idea visual.

3. 12–17 min

   Worked example

   Walk through “Nadia's first real job” on the slides. Pause before the result and ask students to predict it.

4. 17–22 min

   Live demo

   Project what $200 a month could become from the slides. Change one input at a time and have students call out what they think will happen.

5. 22–32 min

   Order of Operations

   Format: pairs · 10 minutes

   1. Give pairs six cards: build a starter emergency fund, get the full employer retirement match, pay off high-interest debt, build a 3–6 month emergency fund, invest more for retirement, save for other goals.
   2. Pairs put the cards in order and explain each step.
   3. Compare with the order in the lesson and discuss any differences.
   4. Pairs apply the order to a new graduate with a $900 credit card balance at 24% and an employer match.

   What to look for: A common order: starter fund → full match → high-interest debt → full emergency fund → invest more → other goals. For the graduate: starter fund, grab the match, then pay off the 24% card.

6. 32–37 min

   Check for understanding

   Use the question slides — or run them as a Four Corners game. Answers:

   1. Following the common order, what's usually next after capturing any employer match? — B. Pay off the 25% APR credit card
   2. Setting up automatic transfers on payday makes saving more likely to happen. — True
   3. What's a smart way to avoid lifestyle creep? — B. Raise your savings by part of the raise — say $150 a month — before adjusting spending
7. 37–42 min

   Discussion

   • Which step in the order would be hardest for you? Why?
   • Why do you think lifestyle creep is so common?
8. 42–45 min

   Exit ticket

   Prompt: Why does the employer match usually come before paying off other debt?

   Answer: It's an instant, guaranteed return on the money you contribute — hard for any other move to beat.