Part of the US State Curriculum Alignment series.
A three-book US financial-literacy workbook series by Michael McCracken: Book 1 — The Money Starter Pack (foundations; suggested Grades 6–9), Book 2 — The Grind (paychecks, taxes, credit, investing; Grades 9–12), Book 3 — Endgame (advanced planning; senior grades and adult). Print workbooks, 8.5×11, greyscale, with write-in activities throughout. Book 2 is the closest single-volume match to the half-credit course; Book 1 carries Strands 2, 3 and 5 and Book 3 extends Strand 4 and the housing and consumer-protection standards.
Utah was the first state to require personal finance for graduation, under SB 154 (2003), first affecting the graduating class of 2008. General Financial Literacy is a half credit taken in grades 11 or 12, with a statewide end-of-course assessment carrying a 74 per cent cut score, a pre-test in the first two weeks and a post-test in the final three. The Strands and Standards document was revised in February 2023 and sets out five strands and fifteen standards.
How The Money Skill Tree maps to the Utah curriculum
| Strand and standard | Coverage in The Money Skill Tree (US Edition) |
|---|---|
| STRAND 1 ECONOMIC CONCEPTS Two standards on economic principles and economic systems | |
| 1.1 How basic economic principles affect personal financial choices | Partial. B1 Ch 8 covers inflation, the target rate and who controls it, and B1 Ch 11 covers the Federal Reserve and fiscal machinery. B1 Ch 3 covers scarcity and opportunity cost. GDP, the business cycle, supply and demand and the factors of production are not covered. |
| 1.2 Economic systems, wealth generation and economic freedom | Not covered. The series does not compare economic ideologies or system types. |
| STRAND 2 FINANCIAL PRIORITIES AND RATIONAL DECISIONS Two standards on influences on behaviour and the decision process | |
| 2.1 Emotional, cultural and social influences on financial behaviour | B1 Ch 1 (money mindsets and different starting points), B1 Ch 3 (the marketing maze, what to say when your filter gets challenged), B3 Ch 8 (lifestyle creep, reference-point anchoring, social media comparison, the joy of missing out), B3 Ch 7 and B1 Ch 11 (charitable giving), B1 Ch 3 (comparison shopping); negotiation is B3 Ch 4. |
| 2.2 A rational decision-making process | B1 Ch 3 (the wait-and-weight rule, the reverse rule, the one-month test), B1 Ch 7 (cost of waiting), B2 Ch 14 (delayed gratification, the impulse cooling system), B2 Ch 11 (risk and speculation). Gambling is not treated as a separate category. |
| STRAND 3 INCOME AND CAREER PREPARATION Two standards on income sources and postsecondary preparation | |
| 3.1 Sources of income and employability skills | B2 Ch 1 (salary, wages, commission, tips, gig income, gross vs. net vs. taxable, W-2, W-4, I-9), B2 Ch 2 (FICA and withholding), B2 Ch 5 (federal Form 1040 and state returns), B1 Ch 4 (self-employment risk and reward), B1 Ch 8 (purchasing power). Utah Form TC-40 is not named; state filing is covered generically. |
| 3.2 Preparation for post-secondary training and career | B2 Ch 12 in full (education and lifetime income, training types, scholarships, cost and return, public and private cost differences, FAFSA, apprenticeship and trade paths), B3 Ch 4 (the brag sheet, market data, networking and negotiation), B1 Ch 4 (reputation as an asset). |
| STRAND 4 SAVING AND INVESTING Four standards on institutions, saving, investing and risk management | |
| 4.1 Financial institutions and managing personal accounts | B1 Ch 5 (big banks, credit unions, online-only banks, FDIC coverage, account security, overdrafts, banking without traditional access), B1 Ch 6 (checking vs. savings, HYSA), B2 Ch 8 (banking technology and automation). NCUA is not named. |
| 4.2 The pros and cons of saving | B1 Ch 6 (goal-based savings tiers, psychological savings hacks), B2 Ch 8 (pay yourself first), B1 Ch 8 (inflation eroding an over-large cash position), B2 Ch 7 (the 3–6 month emergency fund and replenishment). |
| 4.3 The risks and returns of investing | B2 Ch 3 (IRA, Roth IRA, custodial Roth, contribution limits, the 5-year rule), B2 Ch 4 (401(k), Roth 401(k), employer match, vesting, HSA), B2 Ch 9–10 (stocks, dividends, ETFs, mutual funds, index investing, expense ratios), B2 Ch 11 (the risk scale, the age rule, rebalancing), B1 Ch 7 (compound interest and time value). Real estate is B3 Ch 1–2; commodities and collectibles are not covered. |
| 4.4 Risk management and asset protection | B3 Ch 6 in full: accept, reduce or transfer risk; auto, health, homeowners and renters, term vs. whole life, disability and umbrella; premiums, deductibles, limits and exclusions; needs by life stage. Beneficiary designation is touched in B2 Ch 12 and B3 Ch 10 only. |
| STRAND 5 MONEY MANAGEMENT AND CREDIT Five standards on budgeting, credit, credit reports, the three big expenses and consumer protection | |
| 5.1 The budgeting process from projected income and expenses | B1 Ch 9 in full: the 50/30/20 flight path, the $100 blueprint, fixed and variable categories, the rule of displacement, budgeting tools, the emergency budget protocol and the seven-day logbook. The giving allocation appears in B1 Ch 11 and B3 Ch 7. |
| 5.2 The impact of credit and debt on money management | B1 Ch 10 (the impatience tax, strategic debt, predatory traps including payday and title lenders, BNPL, snowball vs. avalanche, the Interest Leak) and B2 Ch 6 (APR, grace periods, fees, minimum-payment math, the true cost of a carried balance). Creditworthiness is covered as the five FICO factors rather than the five Cs; bankruptcy is mentioned only in passing. |
| 5.3 Credit reports and the significance of credit scores | B2 Ch 6 in full: the three bureaus, FICO vs. VantageScore, the five score factors, report components, hard vs. soft pulls, credit freezes, boost services, and the free annual report at AnnualCreditReport.com (the Free Report Pull elite quest). |
| 5.4 The three big expenses: housing, cars and education | Housing and education are strong: B3 Ch 1–2 (renting vs. buying, down payment, mortgage types, points, escrow, PMI, amortization, first-time buyer programs) and B2 Ch 12 (529 plans, FAFSA, loan types, repayment, earning college credit early). Cars are the gap: buying vs. leasing a vehicle is not covered. |
| 5.5 Rights and responsibilities of buyers and sellers under consumer protection law | B2 Ch 13 (phishing and pharming, common scams, identity theft, victim responsibilities, the 24-hour response), B1 Ch 2 (subscription contracts and digital wallet security), B1 Ch 10 (predatory lending), B2 Ch 6 (credit vs. debit). Federal and state consumer agencies are not named individually. |
B1 = Book 1 (The Money Starter Pack) · B2 = Book 2 (The Grind) · B3 = Book 3 (Endgame) · “Ch” = chapter.
Instructional features
Every chapter closes with a hands-on Skill Quest and an Elite Quest (write-in worksheets), a Guild Chat discussion prompt, and a Summary Checklist, so each standard below has an assessable classroom activity attached to it, not only a reading.
Gaps to note
Strand 1 is the main gap: the series teaches inflation and the Fed but not GDP, the business cycle, supply and demand or comparative economic systems, so Strand 1 Standard 2 is uncovered. Within personal finance the additions worth making are a vehicle buy-vs-lease example for 5.4, the Utah TC-40 alongside the federal 1040 for 3.1, and named federal and state consumer agencies for 5.5. The statewide end-of-course assessment means Utah adopters will look for coverage of every strand, so Strand 1 should be answered with a supplement.
Curriculum source
Curriculum source: General Financial Literacy — Strands and Standards, Utah State Board of Education CTE, revised February 2023 — schools.utah.gov/cte/gfl.php · Utah Code 53E-3-505 · Board Rule R277-704
Prepared August 2026 · moneyskilltree.com · Standards references should be verified against current state documents at time of adoption.
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