Learn the money skills. Then practice the decisions.

A free teen finance course that teaches practical money skills through realistic, interactive simulations.

Learn about paychecks, budgeting, banking, credit, college, moving out, investing, and more — then practice making the decisions.

90 minutes 8 simulations Self-paced 100% free

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Interactive simulations included in the free Next Dollar financial literacy course

Real images from Next Dollar course simulations.

Courses

Why Practice Matters

Knowing what to do is different from actually doing it

A teen may understand what a budget is or know that debt should be avoided. The harder part is making the decision when real numbers, tradeoffs, and consequences are involved. Next Dollar gives them a place to practice before those choices affect their own money.

They May Already Know the Basics

Parents, schools, and life experience may have already introduced many of these ideas. Next Dollar is designed to help teens apply what they know.

Real Decisions Have Tradeoffs

Choosing a bank, using credit, taking a loan, or moving out often means weighing several imperfect options instead of finding one obvious answer.

Mistakes Are Better in a Simulation

Teens can make a choice, see what happens, rethink it, and try again without fees, debt, missed payments, or real-world consequences.

How the course works

A place to turn money lessons into real decisions

Instead of only explaining financial concepts, Next Dollar puts teens into realistic situations where they have to choose what they would actually do.

Face a Real Scenario

Teens are placed in situations such as receiving a paycheck, choosing a bank, comparing a loan, building a budget, or preparing to move out.

Use What They Know

Short lessons provide the key information they need, then the teen applies it instead of simply memorizing another financial term or definition.

Make the Decision

They choose what to do, see the outcome, and learn how one financial decision can affect what happens next — with no real money at risk.

Inside the course

8 real-life money decisions to practice

These are situations many teens will face as they begin earning money, becoming more independent, and preparing to leave home.

1 Understanding a first paycheck

2 Choosing a bank and building savings

3 Building a realistic monthly budget

4 Choosing when to use credit or debit

5 Comparing loans and their true cost

6 Comparing education and career paths

7 Preparing for a car and apartment

8 Deciding when to save or invest

Give your teen a chance to make these decisions before they have to make them with their own paycheck, credit card, loan, or rent money.

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Our team

Meet our team

Riley Marshall

instructor

Riley leads the Next Dollar course and explains financial topics in a clear, practical way. He focuses on helping teens understand real money decisions before they face them on their own.

Zach Marshall

Senior Software Engineer

Zach builds the technology behind Next Dollar’s interactive lessons and simulations. He helps turn financial concepts into realistic experiences that are simple, smooth, and engaging to use.

Ryan Shumway

Senior Graphic Designer

Ryan creates the visual design for Next Dollar and helps make each lesson easy to follow. His work keeps the course approachable, professional, and appealing for teen learners.

Contact: hello@next-dollar.com