Economics with Personal Financial Literacy

Master economic reasoning — supply and demand, market structures, GDP, fiscal and monetary policy — then apply it to personal finance: budgeting, credit, investing, taxes, and insurance. TEKS §113.45 aligned.

7 Units

40-55 minutes per unit

Curriculum Map

What You Will Learn

Micro + Macroeconomics

Supply and demand, market structures, GDP, inflation, trade, and monetary policy — the economic toolkit.

Personal Financial Literacy

Budgeting, credit scores, investing, taxes, insurance — the financial skills Texas requires.

TEKS §113.45 Aligned

Covers Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Economics with PFL (0.5 credit).

All Units

3-4 days

The Economic Problem: Why You Can't Have Everything

Explore the foundational constraints that drive all economic behavior — scarcity, choice, and the systems societies build to answer the universal questions of what, how, and for whom to produce.

•Explain how scarcity forces every individual, business, and government to make trade-offs
•Calculate and interpret opportunity cost in real decision-making scenarios
•Compare market, command, and mixed economic systems using the three fundamental economic questions
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3-4 days

Supply, Demand, and the Invisible Hand

Discover how prices emerge from the interaction of millions of buyers and sellers, why markets tend toward equilibrium, and when — and why — governments intervene to change outcomes.

•Apply the laws of supply and demand to predict how market prices respond to changing conditions
•Calculate and interpret price elasticity of demand in real-world markets
•Analyze the effects of price ceilings and price floors on market outcomes
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3-4 days

Market Structures: From Competition to Monopoly

Examine how the number and size of competitors in a market shape prices, innovation, and consumer welfare — from the theoretical ideal of perfect competition to the market power of Google and Amazon.

•Distinguish among perfect competition, monopolistic competition, oligopoly, and monopoly by key characteristics
•Explain how market power allows firms to set prices above competitive levels
•Analyze how antitrust law attempts to preserve competition and protect consumers
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3-4 days

Macroeconomics: Measuring the Economy

Learn how economists measure the size, health, and direction of the national economy using GDP, unemployment rates, inflation indices, and business cycle analysis — and why these numbers matter for your own life.

•Explain the three methods of calculating GDP and identify what GDP does and does not measure
•Distinguish among the four phases of the business cycle and identify their economic indicators
•Differentiate among frictional, structural, and cyclical unemployment and explain their policy implications
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3-4 days

Monetary and Fiscal Policy: The Government's Economic Toolkit

Examine how the Federal Reserve uses interest rates and money supply to manage inflation and employment, and how Congress and the President use taxation and spending to stabilize the economy — and what happens when these tools conflict or fail.

•Describe the structure and primary tools of the Federal Reserve System
•Explain how open market operations change the money supply and interest rates
•Distinguish between expansionary and contractionary fiscal policy and identify their trade-offs
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3-4 days

International Trade: Who Benefits When Nations Exchange

Explore why countries trade, who wins and who loses from globalization, how trade agreements shape the rules of international commerce, and how exchange rates link the world's economies.

•Distinguish between absolute and comparative advantage and explain why both motivate trade
•Analyze the effects of tariffs, quotas, and other trade barriers on producers, consumers, and government revenue
•Explain how the USMCA shapes trade among the U.S., Mexico, and Canada
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3-4 days

Personal Financial Literacy: Making Your Money Work

Apply economic principles to your own financial life — budgeting, credit, investing, taxes, insurance, and consumer protection — with concrete tools and real numbers you can use starting today.

•Build a realistic monthly budget using the 50/30/20 framework and identify spending leaks
•Explain how credit scores are calculated and develop strategies to build and protect credit
•Calculate compound interest and explain why starting to invest early dramatically changes long-run wealth
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