Managing Your Finances
Dates: Fridays, February 27, March 6, 13, 27, April 3, 10 (No Class 3/20)
Time: 3:15-4:15pm
Who: Ages 12-14
Fee: $175 (6 wks)
Location: Carlisle School, Community Room (near the Brick Building)
Instructor: Matthew Lehmann
“Managing Your Finances” is a hands-on, interactive financial literacy course designed to make money management fun, relatable, and practical for middle school students. Using games, discussions, and simple projects, students learn real-world skills such as making spending choices, setting goals, comparing savings options, and understanding the basics of credit and interest. The goal is to introduce students to essential financial literacy skills — helping them understand money, budgeting, saving, credit, and how financial choices shape their futures. By the end of the program, students will be able to:
- Explain what money is and why it exists.
- Create a simple budget using the 50/30/20 rule.
- Understand saving, interest (simple and compound), and liquidity.
- Compare different savings and borrowing options.
- Recognize how credit and credit scores work.
- Apply financial decision-making and opportunity cost concepts to real-life situations.
Students will finish the course with a foundational understanding of personal finance. They will gain confidence in managing money, recognize the trade-offs between saving and spending, and begin forming habits that support long-term financial well-being.