- Common Types of Elder Financial Exploitation
- Scams Targeting Veterans
- Identity Theft
- Medical Identity Theft
- Scams that Target Homeowners
- Planning for Unexpected Life Events
- How to Be Financially Prepared for Disasters
- Instructor Guide, English
- Resource Guide, English
- Slides, English (PowerPoint)
- Slides, English (PDF)
- Slides, Spanish (PowerPoint)
- Slides, Spanish (PDF)
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Abstract:
A collection of in-depth personal finance, courses, articles, calculators, and tips for money managment.
Resource URL
Publication Year
2018
Smart About Money is an online, comprehensive site regarding financial literacy. While it is not strictly from an adult education framework, it is designed to address many different scenarios, for as many students as possible. The site is divided into three sections: Courses, Tools, and Topics.
The Courses and Topics sections cover most of the basic content areas associated with personal finance and financial literacy. Both present information in one-page chunks that use short sentences and common vocabulary. Some pages have graphics that help to convey the content. The self-selected, self-paced courses help users make empowered decisions to improve their financial literacy. These in-depth guided learning experiences take approximately 45 minutes to complete and include tools and resources (e.g., worksheets, calculators and quizzes).
Smart About Money allows users to explore collections of resources (e.g., informational articles, calculators, graphics, videos, and tools) organized by topics such as: crisis and fraud, education and career, family and finances, holidays and money, housing and transportation, insurance and taxes, retirement and aging, saving and investing, and spending and borrowing. Users can also easily find materials available in Spanish in the Topics section.
The Tools section has worksheets, questionnaires, and frequently asked questions that would be helpful tools for a teacher developing learning activities around this content. Tools includes a new resource, Common Money Questions, which provides guidance on common scenarios, including what to do in times of transition and crisis.
All of the resources are available without registration; however, registration is free and allows a user to save personal budgets and other worksheets.
What the experts say
Smart About Money is a 21st Century financial literacy resource with the capacity to support adult learners at every step in their financial education. Aligning with financial literacy supports to assist adult education trainers in strengthening students foundational knowledge, as well as the ability to provide continued learning opportunities for students, it provides easy to navigate, well-presented financial literacy training for educators and their students.
The ease of design and use in Smart About Money is what makes it so helpful. It's easy to navigate, search, and find what is specific to the individual, while allowing them to see what else may be of interest at a later time or next in their learning. The Money Basics course is a good place to start for individuals who might not be sure where to begin. Alternatively, individuals can search on their own to find courses of interest.
Smart About Money is an excellent content resource for adult education practitioners who wish to use authentic materials to teach financial literacy and related concepts. It has a user-friendly interface with a clean design/layout and clear, intuitive navigation. The content is directly relevant to the needs and situations of participants in adult education programs (and the teachers, too) and provides many helpful tools such as worksheets and calcularors, and encourages users to continue to explore and develop their knowledge on their own.
Resource Notice
This site includes links to information created by other public and private organizations. These links are provided for the user’s convenience. The U.S. Department of Education does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this non-ED information. The inclusion of these links is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse views expressed, or products or services offered, on these non-ED sites.
Please note that privacy policies on non-ED sites may differ from ED’s privacy policy. When you visit lincs.ed.gov, no personal information is collected unless you choose to provide that information to us. We do not give, share, sell, or transfer any personal information to a third party. We recommend that you read the privacy policy of non-ED websites that you visit. We invite you to read our privacy policy.
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Abstract:
This online evaluation toolkit is designed to help financial educators understand evaluation concepts and efficiently apply them to document the impact their educational programs have on students.
Resource URL
Publication Year
2018
The NEFE Financial Education Evaluation Online Toolkit helps financial educators document the impact of their financial education programs on learners. Evaluation allows educators, administrators and funding agencies to make decisions about their programs based on objective data. It not only provides information about areas for improvement, but also demonstrates the impact of a course or program on participants.
After creating a free login account, teachers can create and save course evaluations. Users select what kind of evaluation to conduct and the type of impact indicators to include (e.g., Attitudinal, Knowledge). Instructors can create their own questions or select from over 800 questions from a question bank. The assessments can be printed out or instructors can send students a link to take it online. Completed assessments are automatically scored and teachers can view the results online or download them as an Excel spreadsheet. Teachers can create as many evaluations as they like and each can be saved and accessed later.
What the experts say
The NEFE Financial Education Evaluation Toolkit is an invaluable tool to financial literacy educators and financial literacy programs. The framework supports all financial literacy training resources, and allows for pre-, post- and multi-assessments. It provides step by step instructions to ensure instructors understand the need for conducting evaluations and how to create a valid assessment.
Because it’s web-based, instructors can use the content as is or remix and modify it. Results are automatically compiled and graded under the instructor’s account. This feature allows the instructor to analyze individual learner results to ensure they’re understanding the concepts being presented.
Resource Notice
This site includes links to information created by other public and private organizations. These links are provided for the user’s convenience. The U.S. Department of Education does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this non-ED information. The inclusion of these links is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse views expressed, or products or services offered, on these non-ED sites.
Please note that privacy policies on non-ED sites may differ from ED’s privacy policy. When you visit lincs.ed.gov, no personal information is collected unless you choose to provide that information to us. We do not give, share, sell, or transfer any personal information to a third party. We recommend that you read the privacy policy of non-ED websites that you visit. We invite you to read our privacy policy.
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Abstract:
This guide presents research-based design principles for developing financial literacy instructional materials.
Financial literacy education is a relative newcomer to the field of pedagogy requiring its own unique approaches with particular attention to deeply ingrained emotions and habits. Educational Methodologies of Personal Finance draws on research in education and psychology to provide a foundation for building well-structured, engaging programs that can be adapted to the needs of diverse learners. As such, the framework incorporates insights from both the pedagogy and research on how people change attitudes and behavior. Brief overviews of research-based instructional design principles are presented along with practical tips for implementation. The sources used to develop the guide are provided to allow users the opportunity to delve more deeply into those principles.
What the experts say
This resource is a valuable and practical guide for educators and schools considering the implementation of personal finance curriculum. It is also a great professional development tool for educators already engaged in personal finance instruction as the resource encourages deep learning by recommending activities, case methods and project-based learning. All instructors can grow and establish new methods to better serve their students, assisting them in being true learners of financial literacy, with customizable instruction ideas and individual insights into how to better support and serve their students. In each section, an overview with examples is shared for how to implement the type of instruction described, as well as tips for implementation and source references for further insight and support.
Resource Notice
This site includes links to information created by other public and private organizations. These links are provided for the user’s convenience. The U.S. Department of Education does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this non-ED information. The inclusion of these links is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse views expressed, or products or services offered, on these non-ED sites.
Please note that privacy policies on non-ED sites may differ from ED’s privacy policy. When you visit lincs.ed.gov, no personal information is collected unless you choose to provide that information to us. We do not give, share, sell, or transfer any personal information to a third party. We recommend that you read the privacy policy of non-ED websites that you visit. We invite you to read our privacy policy.
Publication Year
2019
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Abstract:
This brief explains what financial literacy skills are and why they are important.
This brief explains what financial literacy skills are and why they are important. It describes what skills students need for financial literacy and provides tips for integrating financial literacy in the adult education classroom.
Benefits and Uses
This brief explain what is meant by "financial literacy skills" and the importance of these skills in adult learners' lives. It provides clear examples of instructional tasks that can foster students development of the necessary skills as well as tips for teaching the skills in the classroom.
Required Training
No prior training required.
Resource Notice
This site includes links to information created by other public and private organizations. These links are provided for the user’s convenience. The U.S. Department of Education does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this non-ED information. The inclusion of these links is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse views expressed, or products or services offered, on these non-ED sites.
Please note that privacy policies on non-ED sites may differ from ED’s privacy policy. When you visit lincs.ed.gov, no personal information is collected unless you choose to provide that information to us. We do not give, share, sell, or transfer any personal information to a third party. We recommend that you read the privacy policy of non-ED websites that you visit. We invite you to read our privacy policy.
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Abstract:
Money Smart for Older Adults is an instructor-led training developed to teach older adults and caregivers of older adults about elder financial exploitation and why they may be at risk.
Money Smart for Older Adults (MSOA) is an instructor-led training that provides information and resources to help older adults and their caregivers identify and avoid financial exploitation through fraud and scams. The guide also encourages advanced planning and informed financial decision-making. Developed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the curriculum covers seven topics:
Benefits and Uses
Instructors can use the the curriculum to teach older adults what elder financial exploitation is and why they may be at risk. MSOA is also a tool for bank-community partnerships. For example, bank staff could deliver this information in collaboration with providers of senior services or adult protective services.
Resource Notice
This site includes links to information created by other public and private organizations. These links are provided for the user’s convenience. The U.S. Department of Education does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this non-ED information. The inclusion of these links is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse views expressed, or products or services offered, on these non-ED sites.
Please note that privacy policies on non-ED sites may differ from ED’s privacy policy. When you visit lincs.ed.gov, no personal information is collected unless you choose to provide that information to us. We do not give, share, sell, or transfer any personal information to a third party. We recommend that you read the privacy policy of non-ED websites that you visit. We invite you to read our privacy policy.
Publication Year
2021
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Abstract:
This webinar highlights hospitality and customer service as keys to effective adult education. When educators create a warm, respectful, and supportive environment, learners feel valued, build trust, and stay motivated. By prioritizing these principles, programs can foster lasting growth and long-term success for every adult learner. Original webinar date: February 25, 2026 Webinar recording link: https://youtu.be/3lwIC2_GJtA
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Abstract:
Unlock the future of personal finance education with this groundbreaking session on AI! Discover how to work smarter, not harder, with cutting-edge AI tools that enhance your lesson plans and productivity while elevating student learning. Join us to learn practical, innovative strategies that will transform your teaching and be at the forefront of educational technology! Original webinar date: February 12, 2026 Webinar recording link: https://youtu.be/BcFSlg1tHR4
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Abstract:
With each paycheck you are presented with a series of choices, Five Choices to be exact that we will identify as "Money Buckets." In this interactive webinar attendees will break down their paycheck so that each dollar has a job. Identifying the jobs is the start, but we will also be creating a system where you have the accounts and operations to find success! Original webinar date: November 13, 2025 Webinar recording link: https://youtu.be/Fbw7QB4ZO9A