01Choose Your Track
Three pacing options for three kinds of school years
There is no wrong pace — but there is a minimum. Each chapter requires real research that takes time. A student who rushes through three chapters in a weekend is completing forms, not building understanding. Budget at least one focused session per chapter, and one review conversation with you before moving on.
One chapter every 2 weeks across a 32-week school year. Leaves room for deep discussion, real research, and mid-course corrections. The most thorough option.
- 32 weeks · ~1 chapter per 2 weeks
- Best for 9th–11th grade students
- Time for mock interviews, site visits, real conversations
- Presentation in the final 2 weeks of the year
One chapter per week across 18 weeks, with two weeks reserved for the presentation. Fast but manageable for a motivated student with some prior financial exposure.
- 18 weeks · 1 chapter per week
- Best for 11th–12th grade students
- Requires consistent weekly sessions
- Presentation in weeks 17–18
Two chapters per week across 8–9 weeks. Best used as a focused summer or pre-launch intensive for a student who is close to leaving home.
- 8–9 weeks · 2 chapters per week
- Best for 12th grade or gap year
- High-focus, high-output format
- Presentation at the end of the 9th week
02Full Year Schedule
Track A — 32 weeks with milestone checkpoints
Use this as a planning template. Adjust based on holidays, testing seasons, and your family’s rhythm. The milestone weeks (marked in blue) are the minimum checkpoints — don’t skip the review conversations those weeks trigger.
| Week(s) | Chapter | What the Student Produces | Your Role This Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | Orientation | Reads the intro. Understands the presentation goal. Sets expectations. | Have the day-one conversation from PTG-00. Share your own financial story. |
| Wk 2–3 | Ch. 1 — Resume | Completes the 7-section questionnaire. Generates Claude prompt. Reviews resume draft. | Read the resume. Ask: Does this represent them accurately? What’s missing? |
| Wk 4–5 | Ch. 2 — Job Search | Finds a real job listing. Breaks it down. Drafts a cover letter. Tracks 3 applications. | Review the job listing. Is it realistic? Does the cover letter sound like them? |
| Wk 6 | Ch. 3 — Interview | Prepares STAR answers. Writes out responses to 7 common questions. Drafts thank-you note. | Run the mock interview using the Parent Interview Guide. Debrief honestly. |
| ● Wk 6 | Milestone 1 | Resume, job target, and interview prep complete. | Review all three. Is the student job-ready in theory? What gaps remain? |
| Wk 7–8 | Ch. 4 — Benefits | Learns benefit types. Runs total compensation calculator on a real or hypothetical offer. | Share what benefits you have or have had. What do you wish you’d understood earlier? |
| Wk 9–10 | Ch. 5 — Negotiate | Researches market salaries. Sets floor/target/stretch. Writes negotiation script. | Role-play the negotiation. Be a realistic employer — push back on their numbers. |
| Wk 11 | Ch. 6 — Paycheck | Calculates net pay from a realistic salary. Understands W-4 and withholding. | Show them a real pay stub if you’re comfortable. Walk through the deductions together. |
| ● Wk 11 | Milestone 2 | Salary research, negotiation script, and net pay calculated. | Ask: If this job offer came in tomorrow, are you ready to evaluate and negotiate it? |
| Wk 12 | Ch. 7 — Banking | Compares bank types. Documents account setup. Sets up direct deposit knowledge. | Help them open a real checking account if they don’t have one. Make it real. |
| Wk 13–14 | Ch. 8 — Budget | Builds a complete 50/30/20 monthly budget with all categories including giving. | Review every line. Challenge anything that looks optimistic. Is the budget honest? |
| ● Wk 14 | Milestone 3 | A complete, balanced monthly budget with real numbers. | This is the most important review of the year. Spend real time on it. See PTG-05. |
| Wk 15–16 | Ch. 9 — Student Loans | Documents loans. Chooses repayment plan. Calculates payoff. Reviews FAFSA strategies. | Share your family’s loan situation if applicable. Discuss the FAFSA strategies together. |
| Wk 17–18 | Ch. 10 — Apartment | Researches 3 real listings. Runs roommate split calculator. Calculates move-in cost. | Look at the listings together. Are they in a realistic city? Are the numbers real? |
| Wk 19–20 | Ch. 11 — Lease | Reviews 12 lease clauses. Documents terms from a real lease. Identifies red flags. | Get a sample lease if possible. Read it together. What would you watch out for? |
| Wk 21 | Ch. 12 — Utilities | Sets up utility tracker. Completes renter’s insurance deep dive. | Walk through your own utility setup. What did you learn the hard way? |
| ● Wk 21 | Milestone 4 | Housing plan complete — apartment, lease, and utilities all researched. | Ask: Is your budget updated with all housing costs? Does everything still balance? |
| Wk 22–24 | Ch. 13 — Car | Researches a real vehicle. Runs loan calculator. Calculates true monthly cost. | This is emotionally charged. See PTG-08 for how to keep it financial, not aspirational. |
| Wk 25–26 | Ch. 14 — Grocery | Plans a week of meals. Builds grocery list from the plan. Commits to strategies. | Cook one of the meals from their plan together. Make it practical and enjoyable. |
| ● Wk 26 | Milestone 5 | All 14 chapters complete. Full budget updated. Summary numbers page filled in. | Review the complete budget one final time. Is it honest, balanced, and real? |
| Wk 27–30 | Presentation Prep | Fills in closing chapter. Practices out loud. Assembles printed worksheets. | Let them practice — don’t preview the questions you’ll ask. Keep the debrief genuine. |
| ● Wk 31–32 | Presentation Day | Delivers 30–45 minute financial plan presentation to Mom and Dad. | Listen first. Ask the 8 debrief questions from PTG-10. Make this moment count. |
03Your Weekly Rhythm
What a good chapter week looks like
Student works through the chapter independently
They read, research, and fill in the worksheets on their own. This is where the learning happens. Resist the urge to sit beside them and help — let them struggle with the research first. They should come to you with questions, not the other way around.
You review their work
Read through what they filled in. Flag anything that looks vague, unrealistic, or incomplete. Don’t correct it for them — write a question next to it. “Is this a real listing? What city is this in? How did you get this number?”
Review conversation
Sit down together for 20–30 minutes. Ask the discussion questions from the facilitation notes for that chapter. Let them explain their research out loud. Talking through it reveals gaps that written answers hide. Ask follow-up questions. Don’t lecture — ask.
Budget update
Every chapter that introduces a new cost ends with a budget update callout. Make sure the student goes back to Chapter 8 and updates the numbers before moving on. A budget that isn’t kept current is just a worksheet. A budget that grows with every chapter is a real financial plan.
04When They Get Stuck
Common sticking points and how to move through them
05Milestone Review Guide
What to look for at each major checkpoint
Milestone reviews are not grades — they are conversations. The question at every milestone is not “Did they complete the chapters?” but “Do they understand what they researched?” A student who can explain their budget numbers out loud understands them. A student who filled in the form but can’t answer a single follow-up question does not.
- —Can they describe the job they’re targeting in one clear sentence?
- —Does the resume represent them accurately and professionally?
- —Can they answer “Tell me about yourself” without reading from notes?
- —Do they know what salary to ask for — and why?
- —Can they explain the difference between gross and net pay without prompting?
- —Do they know what FICA is and why it’s deducted?
- —Can they walk through a negotiation scenario comfortably?
- —Do they understand what a 401(k) match actually means in dollars?
- —Is every line item in the budget a real researched number — not a guess?
- —Does the budget balance — or can they explain why it doesn’t yet?
- —Is charitable giving included as a line item?
- —Can they explain what 50/30/20 means without looking it up?
- —Are the three apartments real listings in a real city?
- —Do they know what a security deposit is and when they get it back?
- —Can they name three red flags to look for in a lease?
- —Is the total move-in cost in their savings plan?
- —Is the budget fully updated with all real costs from all chapters?
- —Does the student have a clear target launch date?
- —Can they articulate the single biggest risk in their plan?
- —Is the closing chapter summary form complete?
- —Have they practiced the presentation out loud at least once?
- —Are they ready to present — not perform, but present?