Being financially responsible is no easy task for any age, but it is certainly the best choice for everyone to follow. One of the first steps to being responsible is to plan a budget for your income and spending This will help you learn to manage your money. Anyone can make a budget plan by listing all fixed expenses for the month, then determining variable expenses, and, finally, planning for miscellaneous expenses. You should know your income-to-debt ratio in order to determine how much money you actually have and how much money you actually spend. It is important to track your spending by making a list and then avoiding impulse purchases. Putting aside some money for savings for emergencies and future goals is crucial to being financially responsible Another important goal is to use credit wisely and make all payments on time. When borrowing money, you should shop around for the best interest rates and choose wisely by reviewing all the terms and conditions of the loan or credit card. Remember to only charge and borrow what you can afford to repay, not what you are offered in a loan or credit limit. Always use discipline in your borrowing, and be committed to paying back your loans in a timely manner.
You can have control over your finances if you take the right steps. If you do get into trouble with managing your money, there are ways to take back control. There are people and resources to guide you in becoming financially responsible, even if you have made some poor decisions.

OBJECTIVES
Calculate credit card payments at various interest rates.
Identify the three Cs of creditworthiness.
Examine credit scores.
Develop plans for becoming financially responsible.
Compare renting to owning a home.
Before You Begin
Examine the Prompt

Many adults make poor choices about credit and financing. In order to understand smart choices and the results of poor choices, you will complete a research project comparing three people and their circumstances. You will identify, calculate, and project credit-card debt, payments, and mortgage rates. You will write a five hundred word essay comparing the three people, their particular circumstances, and your projected advice.

Directions
Meet Gary. He has a great credit score and little credit card debt, with only two cards and owing $2,000 on each with a 10% interest rate. He has been working at his current job for four years with a steady income.

Meet Greg. He has a good credit score and some credit card debt, with five cards owing $2,000 on each. He has reached the maximum limit on two of them, but one is late, regularly costing him additional late fees. All have a 12% interest rate. He has been working at his current job for a year.

Meet Bob. Meet Bob. He has a bad credit score and high credit-card debt, with seven cards, owing $4,000 on each. He has reached the maximum limit on five of them, but all are late each month, costing additional late fees. All have a 15% interest rate. He has had six jobs in the past two years but has been working at his current job for three months.

Part I.

Assign a credit rating number to each person.
Explain why each person has a certain credit rating.
How can each person improve or maintain that credit rating?
Estimate the monthly credit-card payments for each of these people.
How can each person become more responsible?
Write a plan of improvement for each person.
Part II.

Each person wants to buy a home. Why should each person buy and not rent? Find each one a $200,000 house to purchase, using a local real-estate listing. What would the interest rate be for each? What would the monthly mortgage payment be? Why is each a different amount?

Part III.

Summarize the results of your research, and explain why it is financially responsible to make wise choices, using these three people as examples.

Prompt
Write a five hundred word essay answering all the questions about the three scenarios. Be sure to discuss the creditworthiness of each person, as listed below.

the credit card problems and payments
the suggestions for having better credit
the mortgage and house choices for each
the final summary comparing each person's credit story
Rubric