Standard 5: Saving and Investing

PFL 5.1 Explain reasons for saving and investing (e.g., major purchases, education, and emergencies) as strategies used for meeting financial goals and building wealth over the short or long term.
PFL 5.2 Compare various strategies used to protect income and wealth.
A. Describe the costs and benefits of various savings options, such as bank savings accounts, certificates of deposit, and money market mutual funds.
B. Identify the risk, return, and liquidity aspects of various investment options, such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and precious metals, including how diversification can help manage risk.
C. Explain how various financial investments align with financial goals, risk tolerance, and personal needs at different life stages, including how inflation affects investment growth.
D. Compare simple and compound interest.
E. Explain and give examples of the power of compound interest over time, including why saving and investing at an earlier age leads to far greater financial outcomes later in life, on average.