Where is the material coming from? 

During this five-session course the students will be learning and continually referring to a textbook that we are publishing specifically for this program.

The textbook is written based on highly reliable sources. We strove to only use highly regarded sources of information such as Government of Canada and Bank of Canada websites, textbooks and personal finance books that have a proven track record.

Our textbook is written in plain language meant to convey the personal finance material without obstructing the students’ learning by useless jargon and terminology.

For additional clarity the book has dozens of examples. Essentially any new information that is introduced is accompanied by an illustrative example. To provide a context for the material being taught.

Who is teaching?

All of our instructors are industry professionals that have a wealth of experience in the retail-banking sector and are able to provide guidance and context around the theory. We are a registered non-profit corporation and hence none of our instructors are paid for teaching as they volunteer their efforts and time to bring awareness about the importance of financial literacy.

How many students can take part in your program?

We want to maximize the students’ learning experience and believe that this is best done in groups of approximately 30-50 students. As part of our simulations they will be broken up into ten groups of three and will work together throughout the simulation experience. If you have significantly more students we can still work with you, we will simply have to run the program more than once.

How long does the program take?

We estimate that the program takes a total of 8 hours. It is best if the program is split into two days, i.e. 4 hours on each day. The program will consist of 2 hours of teaching followed by a 2-hour simulation. This is then followed by another two hours of teaching and another 2-hour simulation.

What is the cost of the program?

The purpose of our program and our company is to teach; not to make money. That being said we do have costs and expenses so we try to cover these costs in the course of our teaching. However, if you are interested in the program get in touch with us and we will be able to work something out that works for both of us.

Where can you run the programs?

We run the program anywhere in the Greater Toronto Area. If you are outside the GTA we can help you run the program in your local area by sending you the materials required for the program and teaching you how to use it.

Who the program targets?

The first portion of our programs targets youth in Canada and the second portion targets new immigrants. Our Youth Pilot is taking place at University of Toronto in November 2010.  We have specifically targeted this age group for two reasons. First, we believe that students at this age are mature and sophisticated enough to understand the material being discusses and are able to understand its importance.

Secondly, this groups of individuals are entering the part of their lives when their financial decisions become very significant and can have a lasting impact; both positive and negative. We want to teach them at this point in their lives to prevent them from making financial mistakes that can easily be avoided with basic financial training.