Standards for Time Value of Money

Standard: 14

Name: Banks, Interest Rates, and Financial Markets

Banks connect savers and borrowers by accepting deposits and making loans, with the interest rate serving as the price of money borrowed or saved. Businesses can also obtain funds by issuing debt or selling ownership shares in the company.

• K-5: At the elementary school level, students learn about the role of banks and interest.
• 6-8: Middle school students understand what a bank does with the money people deposit and how interest rates are determined by markets.
• 9-12: High school students learn about financial markets, including stock and bond markets. The concept of real interest rate is introduced, as is how interest rates impact lenders and borrowers.Benchmark Students will know that: Students will use this knowledge to: 14.E.1 Banks are businesses where people save money and earn interest, and where people borrow money and pay interest.Role-play bankers taking in deposits from customers who earn interest and other customers taking out loans and paying interest.E: ELEMENTARY STUDENTS

Standard: 2

Name: Decision Making

People usually respond predictably to positive and negative incentives. Effective decision-making requires comparing the additional costs of alternatives with the additional benefits.

• K-5: In elementary school, students learn about the benefits and costs of making choices. They learn how positive and negative incentives influence their choices and behaviors, and how different people can make different choices given the same circumstances.
• 6-8: In middle school, the presentation of decision-making is refined by adding the ideas of marginal cost and marginal benefit. Students learn that decisions are made by comparing the marginal cost and the marginal benefit of doing something. Finally, they learn that monetary and non- monetary incentives exist and that decisions may have long- term consequences.
• 9-12: In high school, the scope of decision-making is expanded to include the various roles that individuals play in the economy as well as other decision-makers such as firms and governments. Caveats to decision-making such as unintended consequences, the costs and benefits of an allocation system, and sunk costs are covered. Finally, basic behavioral economics findings are introduced to illustrate examples where individuals may not make the best decisions.Benchmark Students will know that: Students will use this knowledge to: 2.E.1 Because of scarcity, something is given up whenever a choice is made.From a list of three toys, rank order their preferences, state their first choice, and identify the second toy as what is given up. 2.E.2 A cost is what you give up when you decide to do something. A benefit is the gain a person receives when they decide to do something.List the costs (what you give up) and benefits (what you gain) of buying a pet. 2.E.3 The opportunity cost of an activity is the value of the best alternative that would have been chosen instead. It includes what would have been done with the money spent, the time, and other resources used in undertaking the activity.Describe a situation that requires a choice among several alternatives. Decide which they would choose and then identify the opportunity cost of that decision. 2.E.4 The evaluation of choices and opportunity costs is subjective; such evaluations vary depending on individual preferences, cultural backgrounds, and societal norms.Compare solutions to a common problem, such as where to go on a class trip, and explain why solutions and opportunity costs differ among students. 2.E.5 Many choices involve doing a little more or a little less of something; few choices are “all-or-nothing” decisions.Decide how the school should spend $4,800 to buy new playground equipment. Their class voted and would like to buy four swing sets ($1,200 each), three slides ($1,200 each), and three jungle gyms ($600 each). Explain what they must give up to get more of some and less of other equipment.E: ELEMENTARY STUDENTS National Content Standards in K–12 Economics | 12 Standard 2: Decision-Making

Standard: 15

Name: Inflation

Inflation is an increase in the average price level. Inflation, both expected and unexpected, imposes costs and benefits on individuals and the overall economy.

• K-5: Elementary school students learn that prices change.
• 6-8: Middle school students learn that inflation is an increase in prices, and that price indices, such as the Consumer Price Index (CPI), are used to calculate the inflation rate and how inflation impacts the purchasing power of money.
• 9-12: At the high school level, students learn how inflation impacts the purchasing power of income. In addition, some of the causes of inflation are introduced as well as the adverse effects of expected and unexpected inflation.Benchmark Students will know that: Students will use this knowledge to: 15.E.1 The prices of goods and services can increase or decrease over time.Explain why candy is more expensive now than it was 50 years ago.E: ELEMENTARY STUDENTS

Standard: 13

Name: Money

Money makes it easier to trade, borrow, save, invest, and compare the value of goods and services. Money does not need to have an intrinsic value; it derives its value from widespread acceptance in its exchange for goods and services.

• K-5: The elementary school student learns that people buy things with money instead of using barter.
• 6-8: The middle school student learns a broad definition of money as well as the functions of money.
• 9-12: The high school student learns that the money supply of a country is controlled by its central bank (which is the Federal Reserve System in the United States). The implications of too much money being supplied are discussed along with the topic of cryptocurrencies.Benchmark Students will know that: Students will use this knowledge to: 13.E.1 Money is anything widely accepted as final payment for goods and services.Identify objects that have been used as money throughout history. Explain why gold has often been used as money, while ice cream cones have never been used as money. 13.E.2 People consume goods and services, not paper money.Explain why having a suitcase full of money is practically useless if one finds themself stranded alone on a deserted island. 13.E.3 Money (notes, coins, or bank accounts) makes trading easier by replacing barter.Explain why it’s easier for a chef to buy a new jacket using money than it would be for them to barter with the tailor for the jacket.E: ELEMENTARY STUDENTS National Content Standards in K–12 Economics | 47 Standard 13: Money

Name: Managing Credit

Standard: 5

• Students will understand that: Credit allows people to purchase and enjoy goods and services today, while agreeing to pay for them in the future, usually with interest. There are many choices for borrowing money, and lenders charge higher interest and fees for riskier loans or riskier borrowers. Lenders evaluate creditworthiness of a borrower based on the type of credit, past credit history, and expected ability to repay the loan in the future. Credit reports compile information on a person’s credit history, and lenders use credit scores to assess a potential borrower’s creditworthiness. A low credit score can result in a lender denying credit to someone they perceive as having a low level of creditworthiness. Common types of credit include credit cards, auto loans, home mortgage loans, and student loans. The cost of post-secondary education can be financed through a combination of grants, scholarships, work-study, savings, and federal or private student loans.