You can give New York students a secure financial future by introducing them to the important concepts of personal finance using a new solution aligned to New York state social studies standards. TimeMAPS is an interactive software program for personal finance designed to help young people master the concepts needed for success in life and money. TimeMAPS can be integrated into 9-12 school curriculum and offers a paperless, software-based solution for teaching the complex concepts of personal finance.

The software covers a vast array of personal finance topics by exploring 1400+ job titles in 23 areas of interest. This standards based learning tool also uses a Life Simulator to help students connect these concepts to real world scenarios. By taking them through a series of decisions that will affect their lifetime, TimeMAPS enhances their problem solving and critical thinking skills in personal finance matters.

Software is something students are very familiar with. By using tools that young people are skilled with, the personal finance course of study is easier for them to dive into. The lessons allow them to work at their own pace and apply the concepts to real life situations. They can do each exercise as many times needed, with as many different choices needed to comprehend the results. Not only do the lessons meet New York State Social Studies standards, TimeMAPS meets teacher expectations for students to stay interested and involved in their personal finance lessons. These interactive standards based lessons make the learning process enjoyable for today's savvy kids when compared to traditional textbooks. Everybody wins!

Personal finance is not an easy subject to teach, but TimeMAPS has integrated the curriculum into the software in an organized fashion, using interactivity to move students from basic to complex topics in a progressive manner. Teachers will have no difficulty meeting the New York state social studies standards and implementing these standards based lessons in the classroom. Because the preparation time is significantly reduced, teachers can spend more time facilitated learning in the classroom and helping their students get the most from the program.

TimeMAPS integrates technology into the classroom and eliminates paperwork. By using a paperless testing and grading system, TimeMAPS allows teachers to instantly assess their students' grasp of the subject matter and students get immediate results. Any areas of weakness can be addressed before progressing to the next lesson. This online testing program comes with default questions including true/false, matching, multiple choice and essay.

Teachers can keep tabs on individual students by electing to receive email notification of each student's grade. It also provides an overall summary on each student's performance. This convenient system allows educators more time to focus on providing quality personal finance instruction while being assured they are meeting the requirements of their core curriculum and the New York state social studies standards. Best of all, they know their students are getting a firm grasp of the personal finance concepts that will shape their future. Teaching and evaluation processes become hassle free with TimeMAPS.

New York students don't just need preparation to meet New York State social studies standards, they need to be money smart as a matter of survival in today's economy. Many recent financial literacy surveys point toward the greatest needs of our time-the need for widespread personal financial literacy among young people. A volatile economy, radical spending culture, widespread use of credit cards-all these make money management and the principles of personal finance more important to teach now than ever before.

According to a 2007 Federal Reserve Board survey, the average baby boomer will have less than $50,000 in savings apart from home equity. Only a small fraction of the population expects their income to outpace inflation.

In this situation, an interactive, hands-on financial literacy program aligned to New York State social studies standards is critical to reversing these trends. TimeMAPS can effectively educate New York teens on the principles of money management no matter how challenging personal finance may be. This dynamic approach provides the tools necessary to practice and master this important subject matter. These are lessons best learned before young people embark upon some of the most important and potentially costly decisions they will make in their lifetime, such as selecting higher education, choosing a career, finding a place to live, and making spending and saving decisions.

Currently, 71 percent of parents agree on the importance of introducing a standards based learning program for their kids, but more than 69 percent of parents lack any preparation or resources to train their teens in the basics of money matters. Ninety-seven percent of parents think it is crucial for today's generation to save and invest for retirement, but only 19 percent of them have explained the mechanism of investment to their teens.

It's clear that parents are not prepared to be the only source of financial literacy information among young adults. It's time for a solution that brings these principles to the classroom where they can truly make a difference and meet New York state social studies standards. TimeMAPS is a smart way to help teens become financially savvy so when it comes to budgeting, saving and investing, they make better financial decisions than previous generations. No textbooks, no exam-related stress and no worries about meeting requirements-TimeMAPS does it all while strictly adhering to the New York state social studies standards. Call now for more information or to learn how to include TimeMAPS in your New York state social studies standards curriculum.