Introduction
Welcome to the Financial Advisory World!
Congratulations! Your team has been hired by SmartMoney Consultants, a top-tier financial advisory firm. Your firm has just taken on a new client: Alex, a Grade 7 student who receives a fixed monthly allowance of ₱2,500. Alex wants to buy a ₱1,200 school bike in 3 months, pay for daily school expenses, and build an emergency fund.
Alex is overwhelmed by spending choices and needs an expert team to step in. Working together in specialized roles, your team will analyze Alex's income and expenses, apply mathematical concepts (percentages, discounts, simple interest, and rates), and deliver a balanced 1-Month Financial Plan that leads your client to financial success.
In this lesson, you will study financial plan and related subtopics, together with their application in the real world. To help your new client make a 1-month financial plan, websites are pre-listed for you.
Task
Your Team's Mission & Deliverables:
As a consulting team, you will collaborate to produce and present a comprehensive Personal Financial Strategy Package for Alex.
Your team's submission must include:
- Team Role Distribution Sheet: A breakdown showing each member's assigned role and individual contributions.
- Master Monthly Budget Table: A balanced financial plan showing Total Income, Categorized Expenses (Needs vs. Wants), and Monthly Savings.
- Collaborative Math Computation Sheet: Step-by-step calculations verifying percentage breakdowns, discount savings, unit rates, and interest earnings.
- Joint Client Advisory Letter & Presentation: A 2-paragraph written recommendation and a brief 3-minute team pitch to the client advising on smart spending and saving habits.
Process
Web Resources:
1. Mathematics & Budgeting Concept Resources
- Khan Academy: Percent Word Problem Guided tutorials and practice exercises covering percentage increases, discounts, sales tax, and simple interest calculations.
- Desmos Free Online Calculator A basic and scientific online calculator for students to calculate monthly expense percentages (% = Category Cost/Total Income x 100) and check rates accurately.
2. Research & Price Inquiry Resources (Market Researcher)
- Local Public Transport Fare Matrices (or Google Maps Route Search): Used by the Market Researcher to determine daily student jeepney/bus fares and multiply by 20 school days to calculate monthly transit rates.
- Online E-Commerce & Retail Sites (e.g., Shopee, Lazada, or local store catalogs): To research real prices for school backpacks, notebooks, stationary items, and estimate discount savings (e.g., 15% discount on a ₱500 item).
3. Budget Creation & Presentation Tools (CFO & Presenter)
- Google Sheets / Microsoft Excel: To create, format, and auto-calculate the Master Budget Table with formulas for totals and percentage distribution.
- Canva for Education: Free template builder for creating visually appealing financial strategy pitch decks, posters, or client infocards to present to the class.
- Google Docs: For collaborative drafting of the Client Advisory Letter and team reflection.
Step-by-Step Collaborative Instructions & Roles:
Step 1: Role Assignment (10 Minutes)
Divide the following team roles among your group members:
- Chief Financial Officer (CFO / Team Leader): Oversees the budget structure, balances total expenses against income, and fills out the Master Budget Table.
- Data & Rates Analyst (Math Specialist): Leads and verifies all calculations regarding percentages, discounts, unit rates, and simple interest.
- Market Researcher (Smart Shopper): Researches item costs, calculates daily transportation and meal rates, and finds expense-trimming opportunities.
- Client Relationship Manager (Presenter / Writer): Drafts the final advisory letter, organizes the slide deck or poster, and leads the oral presentation. (For groups of 3, the CFO shares this role).
Step 2: Client Profile & Resource Review
- Client Income: Allowance of ₱2,500/month.
- Client Target Savings: ₱1,200 bike in 3 months ~ Target Monthly Savings: ₱1,200/3 =₱400/month.
- Resources: Review percentage and rate calculations using Khan Academy: Percent Problems.
Step 3: Team Execution & Calculations
- Market Researcher: Calculates total monthly transportation fare (daily rate x 20 school days) and estimates monthly school meal costs.
- Data & Rates Analyst:
- Computes the discounted price of a school backpack (15% off ₱500).
- Calculates the annual simple interest earned if Alex deposits ₱400 in a savings account at 2% annual interest.
- Determines what percentage of total income goes to Savings, Needs, and Wants (% = Category Amount/Total Income x 100).
- CFO: Organizes all data into the team's Master Budget Table:
-
Category Description Monthly Amount(₱) Percentage of Income Assigned Lead Income Allowance ₱2500 100% Entire Team Savings Bike Fund + Emergency Calculate Calculate % CFO & Analyst Needs Transport & Lunches Calculate Calculate % Researcher Wants Snacks & Mobile Load Calculate Calculate % Researcher Total ₱2500 100% CFO
Step 4: Synthesis & Client Pitch
- Client Relationship Manager: Writes the 2-paragraph financial advice summary incorporating input from all members.
- Whole Group: Rehearses and presents the 3-minute financial pitch to the class.
Evaluation
Your team will be evaluated on both group deliverables and individual role performance (Total: 25 points):
| Criterion | Needs Improvement (1-2pts) | Proficient (3-4pts) | Exemplary (5pts) |
| Group Collaboration and Role Execution | Roles were unclear or poorly executed; 1–2 members did most of the work. | Each member completed their assigned role with minor assistance needed. | Seamless team collaboration; every role (CFO, Analyst, Researcher, Presenter) actively contributed |
| Financial Plan Completeness | Budget table is incomplete or unbalanced; major expense categories missing. | Budget table is complete with minor categorization errors. | Fully balanced financial plan showing income, categorized expenses, and emergency savings |
| Mathematical Accuracy | Multiple calculation errors in percentages, rates, or discounts. | Most calculations (percentages, rates, discounts) are correct with minor errors | 100% accurate mathematical computations across all budget sections. |
| Feasibility and Problem Solving | The budget exceeds ₱2,500 or fails to save enough for the bike. | The budget balances, and the bike savings goal is partially met. | Highly realistic budget that successfully achieves the ₱400/month bike savings goal. |
| Client Presentation and Advisory | Presentation is unorganized; advice is vague or missing. | Presentation is clear, providing basic financial advice for Alex. | Engaging 3-minute team pitch delivering clear, practical spending and saving advice. |
Conclusion
Mission Accomplished, Team!
Thanks to your team's combined efforts, Alex now has a clear, actionable financial plan to buy that school bike while staying within budget! By dividing responsibilities into specialized roles, financial management, data analysis, market research, and communication, you experienced how real-world finance professionals work together to solve complex financial problems.
Team Reflection: Discuss with your group: How did dividing the workload help your team tackle complex math calculations? Which budgeting strategies used for Alex can your group members apply to your own daily allowances?