1. Please do now: Take personal finance self-survey Answer as best you can! Hand in your HWfinishing the check register practice packet

2. The Truth & Lowdown about Credit Brought to you by Abbe Joseph, who wants you to be knowledgeable and careful with your money!

3. Top things to know about credit Americans are loaded with credit-card debt. Why is some debt actually good? When is debt bad? How can I get a handle on my spending? What kinds of debts should I pay off first? What is the minimum trap on credit card dues?

4. Top things to know about credit, continued I need to keep my investing goals (and my home!), so I need to watch where I borrow! Why should I ideally have a cash cushion of three to six months? (Remember occasional expenses!) How could I find legitimate help managing my debt if I get to that point?

5. What is a credit report? What is the difference between a credit report and credit scores? How do my credit scores affect interest rates on credit cards, loans, and a home mortgage?

6. Credit in the Teen Years Is it a good idea to have a credit card when I go to college? How can annual interest, compounded over the years, seriously hurt my savings potential? What are the dangers of lay-away plans (borrowing interest-free and then paying off the balance within a set, small time period)?

7. Investing in the Teen Years What are some rewards of self-control? Investing is the flip side of credit: I can be the one who collects interest and extends (not ruins) my credit! What is a savings bond? What is a certificate of deposit (CD)? Why should I wait to play around in the stock market? When can I start legally trade stocks on my own? In the meantime, I can play stock-investing games on the Internet now.

8. How can I beat bank fees? Buy cheap checks; you dont have to even buy them from your bank. What is overdraft protection? I should get cash back (responsibly) if I use a debit card in a store. I need to find out what free means for the type of account I have. What does it mean to link my accounts?

9. How can I take an interest in interest? Why should I calculate monthly fees over a year versus interest rates? Why should I consider a CD? How is a CD safe if interest rates do down? Why should I keep my money in the CD until it matures?