Financial literacy essentials
Preparing students for Ontario’s financial literacy graduation requirement.
From budgeting basics to big financial decisions, help students build the skills they need to succeed on Ontario’s financial literacy test, whether they’re currently in grade 10 or will be soon. Explore free, bilingual, classroom-ready resources from the Bank of Canada Museum as well as trusted materials from government partners, all designed to support early preparation and life-long financial literacy.
Not sure where to start? Take our financial literacy quiz!
Budgeting
Building budgets
Balance a monthly budget for a household and learn some financial saving and spending tips along the way.
Budget planner
Create your budget using the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada’s budget planner and receive personalized tips to improve your finances.
Budgets: Math for life
Introduce budgeting concepts and best practices by planning an event. Students will build skills with fractions, decimals and percentages using worksheets and hands-on activities.
Balancing your budget: Tips and tricks you shouldn’t miss
Learn tips and tricks from TVO.me to help you understand, create and balance a budget.
Saving, spending and investing
Saving and spending
Develop positive financial habits through a saving and spending game and a goal-setting activity with real-life scenarios.
Investing wisely
Make investment decisions based on what’s important to you and see how your spending and earning connects you to the global economy.
Escaping debt: The risks and benefits of borrowing
Unlock financial literacy with challenging puzzles in this classroom escape room. Students will explore financial risk, credit scores, debt and interest with worksheets and an interactive game.
Financial goal calculator
Calculate how to pay down your debt and reach your savings goals using the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada’s financial goal calculator.
Credit, debit and payment methods
Exploring payment methods
Compare different payment methods, such as credit, debit and cash. This lesson plan uses a quiz, group work and scenarios to boost financial literacy.
Quiz: Credit cards versus debit cards
An online quiz about the difference between credit and debit cards.
Payments online
From TVO.me, build your understanding of the pros and cons of shopping online and how to protect yourself from fraud.
Credit card payment calculator
Find out how long it will take to pay off your credit card and explore options to pay it back faster using the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada’s credit card payment calculator.
Income, banking and taxes
Learn about your taxes
Learn from the Canada Revenue Agency about how the Canadian tax system works.
Banking
Learn about bank accounts, debit cards, online banking, deposit insurance, branch closures and more from the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada.
Bank account comparison tool
Compare bank account interest rates, monthly fees, transaction fees and services using the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada’s bank account comparison tool.
Financial rights and responsibilities
Learn your rights and responsibilities when dealing with financial institutions, from the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada.
Fraud and scams
Counterfeit prevention
Learn how to check your bank notes, how to report suspected counterfeit bills, and how the Bank of Canada fights counterfeiting.
The Little Black Book of Scams, 2nd edition
Learn about the 12 most common scams with this booklet from Competition Bureau Canada. It’s filled with tips and tricks on how to protect yourself and what to do if you get scammed.
Planning for the future
Student aid estimator
Discover the amount of federal student aid you could receive with Employment and Social Development Canada’s student aid estimator.
Vehicle own or lease calculator
Compare the costs of leasing a vehicle or obtaining a loan to buy one using the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada’s vehicle calculator.
Education cost calculator
Use the Ontario Securities Commission’s calculator to estimate the cost of your post-secondary education and see if your planned savings will be enough.
Compound interest calculator
Find out how your investment will grow over time with compound interest using the Ontario Securities Commission’s calculator.
