to work, taxes, and stock portfolio information. Upon receipt of this information, Jordan logged into the computer system, entered his fictional personal information, and received his account number. As Jordan progressed through Finance Park, he made crucial finan- cial decisions, acting in what he believed to be the best interests of his fictional family. After facing the reality of the taxes he had to pay, Jordan reflected on his net monthly


income. At the Clark Construction housing storefront, Jordan logged in and received a housing option sheet. This personalized sheet listed six homes that a realtor would pre- sent to Jordan based on his income qualifications. Jordan perused his choices, taking into account his family’s size. He made a housing selection and logged it in to the computer. He will make his mortgage and automobile payments at the Capital One storefront. At the Kaiser Permanente health care storefront, Jordan commented, “My little sister


always has an ear infection or something else that my mom has to take her to the doctor for.” Noting the age of his fictional young children and his knowledge about his mother’s numerous trips to the pediatrician, Jordan selected the HMO insurance plan option that significantly reduced his out-of-network costs. He noted the considerably higher premi- ums for a family plan versus being single. At the Goodwill storefront, Jordan was required to log in and complete a personalized


list of clothing for each family member. This provided him with an approximate estimate of annual costs to replenish basic clothing needs of his fictional family. Noting his rapidly decreasing balance, he selected a lower price phone plan at the Verizon storefront. “I can’t believe it. This is not what I would really want. As an adult, I can’t even afford the phone service my parents now pay for me each month. I never knew how expensive these are.” Jordan made his next mandatory stop at the Northern Virginia Community College


storefront. Here he collected an option sheet for paying back his student loans. The sheet also reflected statistical data correlating education with higher salaries. Jordan selected one of the options for paying back his educational loans. The loan could have been for his college education, a certificate program, or courses he may be currently taking on an ongoing basis due to limited opportunities for professional growth in his assigned occupation. Jordan continued to make decisions as he journeyed through Finance


Park, making additional stops along the way to purchase a used automo- bile, apply for credit, get life and auto insurance, and decide on enter- tainment and investments. Students completed dollar cost averaging computations in class, thus encouraging long-term savings and investing. Jordan tracked his portfolio investments three times that day on the stock ticker that runs continuously throughout the facility.


A Balancing Act


The simulation requires a balanced budget to finish for the day. After making financial decisions in approximately eighteen areas, Jordan and an adult reviewed his budget for accuracy and a zero balance. If Jordan’s budget were not balanced, he would have had to return to the storefronts and reduce his expenditures, changing his priorities in some areas. Jordan had accounted for all of his family’s needs and successfully checked out for the day. For several years, Fairfax County has included economic concepts


in its rigorous elementary and secondary curriculums. There have been variations in teachers’ delivery of these concepts due to time or resource constraints. The addition of Finance Park allows for a more systematic, balanced approach on the middle school level and a sharing of respon- sibility for teaching related concepts in the math and civics curriculum. Prior to the trip, math and social studies teachers collaborate on lessons


©SYNERGY LEARNING • 800-769-6199 • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012


Finance Park is the result of a collaboration between Capitol One, Fairfax County Public Schools, and Junior Achievement. Fifteen thousand Fairfax County students a year visit the 20,000-square foot facility to simulate managing a household budget.


Connect • PAGE 5


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