Money Memes That Make You Smile
We all love to smile, teachers and students alike, and sometimes it’s just a simple meme or pun that can do the trick. A couple of months ago there were a few teachers sharing memes and puns that do just that in the FinLit Fanatics FaceBook community where over 6,000 teachers exchange ideas to teach personal finance: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FinLitFanatics
Thanks to Mary Barber and Mary Anne Bugbee for sending us a few fun memes. They inspired us to pull together 11 fun memes...
Virtual Adaptation - CARTOONS
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Every unit in the NGPF curriculum has a CARTOONS activity where students examine a number of cartoons about the unit topic and analyze one of them in-depth to determine the message being sent and a connection to what they have learned. Here is an example from the Savings...
Cartoons: Why Do Credit Scores Matter?
Questions:
Do you think credit scores should play a role in choosing a partner? Why or why not?
What do you think a credit score tells you about someone's relationship to money?
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Questions:
Can employers request to see your credit score before they hire you?
Why do you think that employers would care about their employees' credit scores?
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Questions:
In your own words, what do you think is meant by cash flow? Why...
Having Trouble Explaining Bitcoin? Try These Cartoons!
Questions:
In your own words, what is bitcoin?
Find a chart showing bitcoin prices over the past 12 months? When do you think investors thought bitcoin was "a sure thing?"
Is bitcoin a physical currency, as the last cartoon indicates?
Where is bitcoin accepted today? Have you been to a store that accepts it?
Spend 5 minutes researching articles about "tulips and 1636." What does this have to do with bitcoin?
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Cartoons: A (Not So) Humorous Look at Student Loans
They say there is a little truth in all humor...
Questions:
What is the consistent theme running through all the comics?
How do you think student debt is affecting borrowers post-college lives?
Do a Google search to research online if there is evidence that student loans impact:
Relationships
Big-ticket purchases (e.g., auto loans)
Living arrangements (independent vs. living at home)
What are strategies you can use to prevent student loans from having such a dramatic impact on your life...
Time for Some Levity: Cartoons About Credit Cards
Questions:
What is the main point of the cartoon?
How can a person protect themselves if their credit card number is stolen?
Are consumers responsible for charges made on their cards that they didn't authorize?
Questions:
What point is the cartoonist making?
Who is the person "under the thumb?" Who is holding them down?
What are the ways that credit cards can do this to consumers?
What are ways that consumers can avoid being "under the thumb" of card companies?
Questions:...
Cartoons: What Can Dilbert Teach Us About Investing?
By Tim Ranzetta
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Jul 18, 2017
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Cartoons, Research, Index Funds, Investing, Teaching Strategies, Stocks, Current Events
I was doing some research for an upcoming presentation and looking for ways to bring some levity to that “heavy” topic of investing. I didn’t realize that Dilbert could be such a great source of investing advice but I found myself nodding my head in agreement as I enjoyed this series of cartoons:
Message: Don’t mistake an increase in the stock price with “pure genius” when your stock pick may have benefitted from an overall increase in the level of the stock...
Having Fun With Investing Cartoons
Here are three cartoons focused on investing and a few questions for your students to ponder:
What is happening in the cartoon?
What is the motive of the cartoonist?
What lessons can you glean from these cartoons to help your financial life?
In this case, the experts are right! Check out this NGPF Activity on Compound Interest. Create an activity to see what happens when parents invest in college saving or 529 plans when their children are born.
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Let's Make Investing Fun: Cartoons That Will Make You Laugh (and Teach You Too!)
By Tim Ranzetta
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Nov 03, 2016
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Investing, Index Funds, Teaching Strategies, Stocks, Current Events, Cartoons, Compound Interest
Some good laughs here but also some good messages (which I have paired with corresponding NGPF resources):
Message: With the power of compound interest, it is important to start saving as soon as possible!
NGPF Activity: Calculate Compound Interest
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Message: Take advantage of 401(k) match programs that your employer offers.
NGPF Activity: 401(k) Missing Millions
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Message: How will investors feel about robo-advisors when the stock...
Ethics Activity: The L.L. Bean Return Policy
By Tim Ranzetta
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Jul 26, 2016
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Ethics, Activity, Purchase Decisions, Current Events, Audio Resource, Activities, Cartoons
I was listening to this audio segment (20.5 minutes) of This American Life’s podcast “Get Your Money’s Worth” (Act 2: Bean Counter) about retailer L.L. Bean’s return policy and thinking “what a great discussion starter about the ethics of customer returns.” We have an ethics lesson on our curriculum roadmap so please send along any other ways that you bring ethics into your classroom.
Here are some questions for your students to ponder as they...
Let's Get Serious (or Not): Cartoons To Consider
By Tim Ranzetta
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Jul 05, 2016
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Cartoons, Mortgages, Behavioral Finance, Teaching Strategies, Advertising, Purchase Decisions, Current Events
Ran across a few cartoons that you might bring some levity to the classroom or amplify a key point.
From Barrons:
Why did I select it?
Too often people think just because the bank lends you money, you can afford to take it. Since housing is the largest purchase most people make in their lifetimes, buying too much house has long term implications
Use in conjunction with NGPF Lesson on Mortgages
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Why did I select it?
Most people do not know that they can bargain to reduce...
Cartoons: What's So Funny About Checking Accounts?
One of the teachers at the recent New Hampshire workshop mentioned how much she liked using cartoons with her personal finance classes. Well, I haven’t done a post for a long time on the topic so here is how cartoonists find humor in checking accounts:
Ask your students to research how you deposit money into an online bank.
Discuss how students can protect themselves from people hacking their bank account.
What are the most common fees associated with checking...
Activity Idea: Name and Tame The 10 Cognitive Biases That Hurt Us Financially!
By Tim Ranzetta
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May 10, 2016
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Activity, Behavioral Finance, Investing, WebQuest, Teaching Strategies, Tips for Teachers, Cartoons
Hat tip to Big Picture Blog, which shared some cartoons highlighting the cognitive biases (see Bandwagon Effect above) that we all suffer from which impact our money management decisions.
So, how to incorporate into your class?
Here is an idea:
Have students work in pairs to do online research (a Webquest of sorts) about ONE cognitive bias. You can assign them to ensure that all ten are covered.
Their research should include:
Description of what the bias is.
Three ways that this bias can...
Question: What Is Two Factor Authentication?
By Tim Ranzetta
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Mar 29, 2016
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Question of the Day, Identity Theft, Checking Accounts, New Products, Current Events, Cartoons
A good question to kick off your Identity Theft class or your checking lessons. As more and more banking shifts online, it becomes more imperative than ever for consumers to protect their log-in credentials. This is where two factor authentication comes in (full disclosure: I use two factor authentication for all of my financial accounts). This process goes one step beyond your username and password to prevent the situation described above.
From Brian Krebs blog (a noted security expert):...
Interpreting Cartoons: Credit Cards
New idea…providing you with three cartoons focused on one personal finance topic (credit cards in this post) and have students answer a few questions:
What is happening in the cartoon?
What is the motive of the cartoonist?
What lessons can you glean from these cartoons to help your financial life?
I hope you and your students enjoy these first three (I provided one takeaway to get you started):
Cartoon 1:
Takeaway: The cards may be small enough to fit in your wallet but the potential for...
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