We know that teaching personal finance is more than just numbers, dollars, and cents; it’s about people, their behaviors, and the relationships they have with money. That’s why our Certification Courses go beyond lessons: helping educators build confidence and spark meaningful classroom conversations. Two of our most popular courses, Psychology of Money & Behavioral Economics, cover overlapping topics, but approach them in different ways. Curious about which one’s for you? Let’s find out what they’re about!

Psychology of Money: How Personal Stories Shape Our Financial Lives

This course uses Morgan Housel’s bestselling book as a foundation and invites you to examine the personal side of money. You’ll reflect on your experiences, explore what shapes our attitudes, and dig into why ‘enough’ is such a tricky concept. We’ll explore questions like: What does it really mean to be wealthy? How can we prepare for surprises life throws our way? And how can money help us live with more freedom?

Bonus: You’ll get to chat with Morgan Housel himself during Session 4! This special live Q&A is a favorite among teachers. It’s a chance to ask questions, hear insights, and connect the course content to Morgan’s own experiences.

Behavioral Economics: Why We Don’t Always Act Rationally

This course zeroes in on the science of decision making and pushes us to examine our own cognitive shortcuts. Through hands-on activities, you’ll experience the cognitive biases that shape our choices. Why do we fear losses more than we value gains? How does FOMO drive our spending and investing? What role does overconfidence or confirmation bias play in financial mistakes?

By examining concepts like the endowment effect, hedonic adaptation, and the tricks marketers use to sway consumers, you’ll learn to help your students (and yourself!) spot and counter these biases. This course is especially valuable if you want to bring cutting-edge psychology and economics research into your classroom in an engaging, interactive way.

Whichever You Choose, You Can’t Go Wrong

Both of these courses shine a light on the human side of money in ways that will make your teaching more personal (thus more powerful) and your classroom more engaging. Psychology of Money leans into stories and self-reflection; Behavioral Economics leans into experiments and science. 

So, which one speaks to you? Ready to register and see money in a whole new way?

About the Author

Albert Perez

As NGPF's Professional Development Program Manager, Albert leads Professional Development, works with school districts, and supports the implementation of NGPF's personal finance curriculum.