Personal Finance & Accounting

Master Teacher: Jessica Hines
Duration: Yearlong (32 weeks)
Suggested Credit Value: 1.0 high school credits
Suggested Grade Level: 10th grade level and up.
Tuition: $629 for HSLDA Members / $699 for non-members

Description: During the fall semester, the course focuses on personal finances. Students learn how to create a budget, compare investment options, and file taxes, and present an individualized financial portfolio as their final project of the semester. During the spring, the course pivots to business finance and accounting, and opens with a discussion of accounting ethics. Students then analyze accounting transactions, evaluate various types of financial statements, and walk through the steps of the accounting cycle. They conclude the course by completing an annual report for a company of their choice. 

If you're looking for a course that focuses primarily on personal finance, consider taking our one-semester Personal Finance course.

Watch a sample clip of an Academy live class session.

Sign up for Personal Finance & Accounting and other courses

Live Online Class Session Schedule

Dates: August 19, 2024 - May 2, 2025

Frequently Asked Questions

Open All | Close All

• Students will learn

  • How to understand the biblical views of spending, saving, and investment 

  • How to make informed and responsible decisions about incurring and repaying debt to remain creditworthy and financially secure 

  • How to assess the value, features, and planning processes associated with savings, investing, and asset building to achieve long-term financial security 

  • How to prepare financial statements in accordance with proper standards 

  • How to become strongly competent in financial literacy 

  • How to identify the various types of business ownership structures 

• How much homework is in Personal Finance & Accounting?

  We estimate that the course workload will take 5–7 hours per week. During a typical week, students complete the following coursework: 

  • 60–90 minutes of live class instruction 
  • Video lecture (10–20 minutes) 
  • 1 chapter textbook reading (30 pages per chapter) 
  • 1 chapter non-textbook reading (20 pages per chapter) 
  • Discussion forum (one post and one reply) 
  • Homework Assignment 
  • Quiz 

  Throughout the year, students complete two projects, various homework assignments, and quizzes. 

• What books will I use in Personal Finance & Accounting?

  The official booklist for Personal Finance & Accounting is now available. In the official booklist, you will find information about the editions, book descriptions, and ISBN numbers.

  You can order course materials for competitive prices through the Christianbook.com bookstore. Use the Textbook Finder to locate the required resources for your courses. Please note that while most books are available through Christianbook.com, some titles are not carried and will need to be purchased elsewhere.

• Prerequisites

  Students should have completed Algebra 1 or an equivalent course, and be able to read at a 10th grade level. We also recommend they have some experience using Microsoft Excel. 

• What is a Live Online Class Session in Personal Finance & Accounting?

  In every HSLDA Academy course, students meet weekly with their instructor and classmates in an online classroom for additional teaching, discussion, Q&A, or group activities. The class sessions are interactive and are conducted using a web meeting software with video, audio, chat, and application sharing capabilities.

  Scheduled, real-time sessions in the online classroom are not the only form of instruction available in a HSLDA Online Academy course, but are offered in addition to lectures or other instructional materials that students are able to access online at their convenience.

  When they register, students will need to select a particular class section and live class meeting time. Additional class sections may be added to the schedule at a later point in the course registration period. Registered students will be notified of any changes to the live session schedule.

• What if I have a schedule conflict with listed Personal Finance & Accounting class times?

  All live class sessions are recorded for later viewing. While it is recommended that students attend each live class session, students can make arrangements to watch the recordings and receive full participation credit.

  Students should contact their instructor at the start of their course to inform the instructor of any foreseen schedule conflicts.