I often hear from teachers interested in more ideas for writing assignments so the NGPF team compiled this list of questions to engage your students and generate some great classroom discussions too. Let students choose the question that appeals most to them or have the class concentrate on just one question. Have your students do some journaling with one or more of these questions. Use your creativity on how best to utilize them! NGPF Podcast listeners will notice that many of the questions listed below are similar to the “lightening round” that I put my guests through.

1. Best thing you ever bought for $10 dollars or less.
2. What message do you think young people need to know when it comes to money?
3. What is one thing that you don’t know about money that you wish you did?
4. Best advice you ever received about money. Who said it? When did they say it to you? Why do you think it is such good advice? Have you been able to follow it?
5. Word association: what are the first five individual words that come to mind when you think about money?
6. Biggest money mistake that you have made.
7. Describe in detail 3-5 of your money habits. How did they develop? What would it take to change at least one of them?
8. Have you ever earned money from a job? How did it feel? Did you feel differently about that money compared to other money that may have been given to you? 
9. Money causes a lot of stress in people’s lives. Why do you think this is? What are at least three reasons that you can come up with?
10. If you had $100 to give away, would you give to an organization that you believed in or to a needy individual who recently lost their job?
11. Think about the last time you saved up for a purchase. What was the item? How did you motivate yourself to save up for it?
12. Jot down ALL of the things that you have bought in the last week. Do you think these purchases reflect your values? Why or why not?
13. Describe the last thing your purchased. The anticipation before the purchase, feelings at purchase? How you feel about it now?

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About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.