Reference — For Teachers & Parents · Created October 11, 2026 · 13 min read
National Standards Alignment
Which learning outcomes each ELI worksheet, workbook and calculator puts into practice.
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The National Standards for Personal Financial Education, published by the Council for Economic Education and the Jump$tart Coalition, set out what students should know about money by the end of 4th, 8th and 12th grade[1]. This page lists every ELI resource that puts one of those learning outcomes into practice, and which outcomes it covers — so a teacher, homeschool parent or curriculum reviewer can match a worksheet to a lesson.
Reading the codes. Each code names the topic, the grade level, the standard and the learning outcome: Earning Income 8-5a is the first learning outcome of the fifth 8th-grade standard under Earning Income. The six topics are Earning Income, Spending, Saving, Investing, Managing Credit and Managing Risk. A code marked (standard) means the resource covers that standard as a whole rather than one outcome in particular.
How the mapping was done. A resource is listed against an outcome only when using it has the learner do or see the thing the outcome describes — not when the topic is merely mentioned. The descriptions paraphrase each outcome; the full wording is in the standards document. These correlations are ELI’s own and have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Council for Economic Education or the Jump$tart Coalition.
On This Page
All Resources at a Glance
Interactive Calculators
Loan Payment Calculator
- Managing Credit 8-3a, 8-3b — How a higher rate or a longer term raises the total cost of a loan, and working out total interest from the payment, amount and term — the calculator returns the payment and the total interest for any balance, rate and term.
- Managing Credit 12-5c — Estimating total interest on student loans at different rates and repayment periods — run the same balance at two rates or two terms and compare.
College Savings Calculator
- Saving 8-1b — A savings plan for a large future cost on a set timeline — it projects four years of college costs and the monthly amount needed to close the gap.
- Investing 8-7b, 8-7c — Estimating the future value of money already saved and of a regular series of contributions at a given rate of return.
Life Insurance Calculator
- Managing Risk 12-8a, 12-8b — How a death creates financial losses for others, and the benefits and costs of insuring a household’s earners — the calculator totals income replacement, debts and education, then subtracts assets and survivor benefits.
Rent vs. Buy Calculator
- Spending 12-6b — Comparing the short-term and long-term costs of renting versus buying a home — both paths side by side, with unrecoverable costs, net position by year and the breakeven year.
Compound Interest Calculator for Kids
- Investing 4-1a — Why people invest: so money grows over time.
- Saving 8-5a, 8-5b — Compound versus simple interest, and how interest earned grows each year when it stays in the account.
- Investing 8-7a, 8-7c, 8-7d — Compounding, the future value of regular saving, and the difference starting early makes — the calculator’s central lesson.
Can I Afford It? Savings Goal Calculator
- Saving 4-1b — Choosing between buying now and saving for later.
- Saving 4-2a — Mapping out a savings plan for a future purchase — enter the price and the weekly allowance and see how many weeks it takes.
Budgeting & Cash Flow Workbooks
The Household Finances Workbook
- Spending 8-1b, 12-1b — Building a budget that allocates income to expenses and savings, with fixed and variable costs — a month-by-month budget tab.
- Spending 12-1d — Using a spreadsheet as a budgeting tool.
- Spending 12-9b — A system for keeping track of spending, saving and investing — paychecks, budget and retirement savings in one file.
Monthly Bill Tracker
- Spending 12-1b — Budgeting for fixed and variable expenses, including quarterly and annual bills.
- Spending 12-9b — A record-keeping system for recurring bills: due date, amount due and amount paid.
Paycheck Tracker (Salaried)
- Earning Income 8-5a, 8-5b, 8-5c — Gross versus net pay, common payroll deductions, and how taxes reduce take-home pay — every line of the pay stub logged each period.
- Earning Income 12-7c — Gross, net and taxable income, with before-tax deductions in their own columns.
- Earning Income 12-1c, 12-1d — Contributory versus employer-paid benefits, and participating in an employer retirement plan — an employer-paid benefits column and a retirement contribution column.
- Spending 12-9b — A system for tracking income across the year.
Paycheck Tracker (Hourly)
- Earning Income 4-3b — Being paid wages by the hour.
- Earning Income 8-5a, 8-5b, 8-5c — Gross versus net pay, payroll deductions and the effect of taxes, tied to the hours that produced each check.
- Spending 12-9b — A record of uneven income that makes a realistic budget possible.
Kids’ Income Tracker (Roth IRA Contribution Log)
- Saving 12-6a — How a Roth IRA gives people an incentive to save — the log documents a child’s earned income, which is what allows a contribution.
- Investing 12-8c — Contribution limits for a Roth IRA — a running figure for how much the year’s earnings allow.
- Spending 12-9b — A record-keeping system, with family money kept separate from earned money.
Debt Reduction Planner (Debt Snowball)
- Managing Credit 8-3a, 8-3b — How interest rate and repayment period drive the total cost of each debt, with total paid calculated.
- Managing Credit 8-7a — Indicators of too much debt — how much of each payment is going to interest rather than the balance.
- Managing Credit 12-10c — A plan for someone having difficulty repaying debt — the standard schedule against the snowball, with time and money saved.
Medical Claim & EOB Tracker
- Managing Risk 8-4a, 8-4b — How premium, deductible, copayment and coinsurance affect what the policyholder pays, and calculating out-of-pocket cost for a claim — one row per explanation of benefits.
- Managing Risk 12-5c — The effect of the deductible and coinsurance on out-of-pocket medical costs across a plan year.
HSA Contribution & Reimbursement Log
- Saving 12-7d — The benefits of a health savings account for people with high-deductible health plans — contributions checked against the annual limit, and unreimbursed receipts banked.
- Spending 12-9b — A record-keeping system for qualified medical expenses.
Emergency Fund Calculator
- Saving 4-2b, 8-1a — Why money is set aside for emergencies.
- Managing Risk 4-3a — Emergency savings as a way to absorb unexpected losses.
- Spending 12-1c — Planning for unexpected expenses — the target is sized from essential monthly costs, with a build schedule.
My Business Money — Kid Business Ledger
- Earning Income 4-4c — Estimating income from a business run by children, such as a lawn service or lemonade stand — money in, money out and the running total.
- Saving 4-2a — A savings plan toward a goal — part of every profit goes to saving.
- Managing Risk 4-3b — A system to keep track of small amounts of money.
Insurance Deductible Calculator
- Managing Risk 8-4a — How the premium and the deductible each affect the policyholder.
- Managing Risk 12-4c — The pros and cons of choosing a higher deductible — premium saved, break-even years between claims, and the highest deductible the cash on hand supports.
Home Service Price Tracker
- Spending 12-4b — How rising prices affect spending — each service’s increase is compared with a benchmark rate you choose, such as inflation.
- Spending 12-9b — A record-keeping system for recurring household costs.
Vacation Budget Spreadsheet
- Spending 8-1b, 12-1b — A budget for a planned expense, with actual spending tracked against it by category.
- Spending 12-9b — A system for logging every expense.
Life Decisions & Career Workbooks
Car Total Cost of Ownership
- Spending 12-3a, 12-3b — What to weigh when buying a durable good, including maintenance costs, and comparing competing choices — run it once for each car under consideration.
- Managing Credit 8-3a — How the rate and term of an auto loan change its total cost.
- Managing Credit 12-2a, 12-6a — Secured loans and down payments — the down payment and trade-in reduce the amount financed.
Four-Year College Cost Comparison
- Managing Credit 12-4a — The sources of funding for post-secondary education — grants, work-study, savings and borrowing for up to four schools.
- Earning Income 12-3a — The costs of additional education, priced across all four years.
- Spending 12-2b — A process for making an informed decision between competing offers.
Job Offer Comparison
- Earning Income 12-1a, 12-1b — Evaluating benefits as well as salary when choosing between jobs — match, healthcare, bonus and cost of living for three offers.
- Saving 12-7a — How an employer retirement match gives employees an incentive to save.
Cash-to-Close Estimator
- Managing Credit 12-6a, 12-6b — Loans that require a down payment, and estimating the down payment for a home price — plus every other one-time cost due at settlement.
- Managing Credit 12-3c — The monthly mortgage payment, built from principal, interest, taxes and insurance.
Home Improvement & Basis Log
- Earning Income 12-8b — How capital gains are taxed — the log shows the taxable gain and tax on a home sale with and without the record.
- Spending 12-9b — A record-keeping system for receipts and improvements.
Home Repair Punch List
- Earning Income 12-9c — Examples of tax credits — a column for energy credits and rebates that reduce the net cost of an upgrade.
- Spending 12-9b — A record of estimated against actual cost for every job.
Fully-Loaded Rate Calculator
- Earning Income 8-6b — The Social Security tax for someone self-employed compared with an employee — self-employment tax is built into the rate.
- Earning Income 12-11b — The pros and cons of owning a small business — overhead and unbillable time priced into what to charge.
Teen Self-Employment Ledger
- Earning Income 4-4c — Income from a business run by young people — mowing, babysitting, tutoring, reselling.
- Earning Income 8-7 — Taxes are owed on most income, including self-employment income — the ledger is the record a tax return relies on.
- Earning Income 12-11b — Small business ownership as a way to supplement income.
- Spending 12-9b — A system for tracking money in and money out.
Family Binder & Beneficiary Checklist
- Spending 12-9a, 12-9b — An organized system for financial records — where every account, policy and document is kept.
The Before-18 Financial Checklist
- Earning Income 8-5a — Reading a pay stub for gross pay, FICA and net pay.
- Earning Income 12-9a — Completing IRS Form W-4.
- Saving 12-6a, 12-6b — How a Roth IRA rewards saving.
- Managing Credit 12-4a — Sources of funding for college, checked before borrowing.
- Managing Credit 12-7c — Getting a free copy of a credit report, and why it is worth doing.
- Managing Risk 8-7b, 12-11c — Protecting personal information and spotting scams.
Break-Even Salary Calculator
- Earning Income 12-1b, 12-1c — Weighing employee benefits as well as salary, including contributory and employer-paid benefits — every benefit priced in dollars.
Commute Cost Calculator
- Earning Income 8-5c — How taxes affect take-home pay — it calculates the pre-tax salary needed to cover the after-tax cost of the commute.
- Earning Income 12-2c — Weighing non-salary factors when choosing a job.
Utility Bill Tracker
- Spending 12-4b — How price changes affect spending — every change in a bill split into a rate effect and a usage effect.
- Spending 12-9b — A record of usage and cost over two years.
Mortgage Rate Comparison
- Managing Credit 12-1 (standard) — Comparing the cost of credit using APR and other loan terms — every lender quote ranked on total cost.
- Managing Credit 12-3c — Comparing monthly mortgage payments for loans that differ in rate.
Moving Budget Spreadsheet
- Spending 12-1b — A budget that allocates take-home pay to housing, other spending and savings.
- Spending 12-6 (standard) — Housing decisions depend on costs — a full month of the new household tested before signing.
Property Tax Assessment Tracker
- Earning Income 12-6b — Property tax as a major tax, collected by local government.
- Spending 12-9b — A year-by-year record of assessments and tax due.
Investing & Long-Term Planning
Define Your Game Worksheet
- Investing 12-1b, 12-1c — How risk tolerance shapes investment decisions, and assessing personal risk tolerance with a worksheet.
- Investing 12-6a — Matching allocation to a short-term or long-term goal — one tab per account, each with its own horizon.
- Investing 12-9a, 12-9b — Behavioral biases and ways to avoid acting on them — an exit rule written before buying, and a check on every sale.
Net Worth Snapshot by Year
- Managing Credit 8-7a — Indicators of too much debt — debt as a percentage of assets, year by year.
- Spending 12-9b — A system for tracking saving and investing over time.
529 Savings Tracker
- Saving 8-1b — A savings plan for education costs on a timeline.
- Investing 8-7c — The future value of regular contributions at an expected return.
- Managing Credit 12-4a — Savings as one source of college funding, projected against the cost.
Guides & Reference
Retirement Plan Types by Employer
- Saving 12-7a, 12-7c — Employer retirement plans as an incentive to save, and saving inside versus outside an employer plan.
- Investing 12-8b — Tax-deferred accounts such as a 401(k) compared with taxable accounts.
- Earning Income 12-10c — Participating in an employer plan when one is available.
Investment Strategies, Game by Game
- Investing 12-1a, 12-1b — Risk tolerance and how it shapes investment decisions.
- Investing 12-2c, 12-3a — Speculative assets, and the trade-offs of investing in riskier ones.
- Investing 12-6a — Allocation for a short-term versus a long-term goal.
- Investing 12-9a, 12-9b — Behavioral biases and how to avoid their consequences.
TransUnion Credit Freeze Request Letter
- Managing Risk 8-7b, 12-11c — Actions that protect personal information and reduce the risk of identity theft — a ready-to-mail request to freeze a credit file.
- Managing Credit 12-7 (standard) — Credit bureaus and the credit reports they compile.
Kids’ Worksheets
My Three Jars (Grade 1 worksheet)
- Saving 4-1b, 4-2a — Choosing to save instead of spend, and setting money aside for a goal.
- Spending 4-1c — Prioritizing spending when money is limited — every coin assigned to a jar.
- Earning Income 4-6a — Reasons for giving money to others — the Give jar.
My Money Jars Counter (spreadsheet)
- Managing Risk 4-3b — A system to keep track of small amounts of money — each coin typed into its jar, with totals.
- Saving 4-2a — Setting money aside toward a goal.
Where to go next: Worksheets & Planners — every tool on one page; Money Worksheets for Kids by Grade — the printable K–8 sheets with parent pages; Money Lessons by Age — the grade-by-grade path the worksheets follow.
References & Resources
- Council for Economic Education and Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy. National Standards for Personal Financial Education. Published October 2021; six topics with standards and learning outcomes for the end of grades 4, 8 and 12. jumpstart.org/education/national-standards
Standard and learning-outcome codes are from the National Standards for Personal Financial Education, copyright © 2021 Council for Economic Education and Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, all rights reserved; referenced here for noncommercial educational purposes. Outcome descriptions on this page are ELI’s paraphrases.