Chapter 2

AI-Proof Your Career

Posted on December 6, 2025 by Melissa Hart

Artificial Intelligence (AI), as with any new technology, creates a changing job market. While news stories may produce fear among workers, be reminded that new technologies always create a need for adapted job skills. In the case of AI, career experts recommend: (1) focusing on skills that humans do best, and (2) adapting to what AI can help you do better.

The skills that humans do best involve activities related to emotional intelligence, ethics, and creativity. For ongoing career success, develop soft skills in the areas of communication, empathy, leadership, teamwork, and negotiation. In addition, enhance critical thinking abilities to question assumptions and analyze complex situations. Also important is improved creativity related to designing, writing, innovation, and generating ideas.

These high-touch human skills, which are harder to automate, are essential in jobs requiring trust, collaboration, and intricate decision-making. Career fields requiring in-person contact and discernment include healthcare, counseling, teaching, mentoring, therapy, customer experience, coaching, legal guidance, technical trades, crisis support, and creative and performance arts.

Since every worker will be affected by AI, basic technical competency is necessary. A well-prepared career person will need to be AI-literate. While you don’t have to be a programmer or software engineer, your AI skills should include:

  • knowledge of the capabilities and limitations of AI.
  • an ability to write clear, complete prompts to optimize responses.
  • using AI tools for workflows and other career tasks.
  • awareness of current AI trends and applications in your industry.

Using AI as your productivity partner means you will be able to leverage it to automate repetitive tasks, brainstorm ideas, develop preliminary drafts, and suggest analyses.

Ongoing learning and continually updating your skills is vital. Actions to achieve these competencies include taking online courses, earning AI certifications, joining online AI forums, starting an AI club, building a personal project, learning a programming language such as Python, and subscribing to AI and machine language YouTube channels.

While AI won’t replace all jobs, it will impact every worker in some way. To best prepare for the future, blend basic tech competency with strong human skills and seek opportunities for learning and growth. The most successful employees will be those who collaborate with AI and do what technology cannot do. 

For additional information on AI proofing your career, go to:

Link #1

Link #2

Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students identify online resources to enhance their AI skills.
  • Have students create a plan to enhance their soft skills for ongoing career success.

Discussion Questions 

  1. What soft skills might be most valuable for a person’s ongoing career success?
  2. Describe actions a person might take to better use AI for their daily activities and work tasks.
Categories: Career, Chapter 2, _Appendix B

SHOULD YOU REFRESH YOUR BUDGET?

Posted on September 27, 2025 by Melissa Hart

Whether you have been budgeting for a month, a year, or longer, a regular review of your spending plan is vital.  Several situations may indicate a need for a revised budget; these include:

  • Worrying about money emergencies. Be sure your budget includes savings to create an emergency fund for unexpected expenses.
  • Using the same budget each month. Spending needs are likely to change from month to month, as a result slight changes might be necessary.
  • Not tracking expenses. A record of your actual spending is vital for budgeting success. 
  • Overspending in a budget category. Be sure your plan is realistic and helps you avoid unneeded spending.
  • Avoiding a “sharing” category. The SPEND, SAVE, SHARE framework is a recommended approach. Giving to church, charities, and worthy causes contributes to living a fulfilled life and contentment.
  • A major change in income. A raise should not result in lifestyle inflation in which you significantly expand your spending. Or, a loss of job can result in an extensive budget adjustment along with use of emergency funds. Your emphasis will likely be on spending for food, utilities, shelter and transportation.
  • Not considering inflation. Most people have been affected by rising costs of many items requiring an adjustment in budgeted amounts.
  • Overlooking annual and seasonal expenses. Planning for holidays, vacations, back-to-school expenses, and semiannual auto insurance requires setting aside an amount each month for those items. Not doing so may result in increased debt or using your emergency fund for something that is not an emergency.
  • Planning for funds from paid off debt. As you pay off credit cards and loans, those monthly payments can now be used to expand your emergency fund and other savings goals.
  • Not coordinating budget items with savings goals. If your spending and saving activities are not helping you achieve your financial goals, a revised budget may be needed.

For additional information on refreshing your budget, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students talk to others to learn actions used for successful budgeting.
  • Have students research budgeting apps that could help them better plan their money management activities.

Discussion Questions 

  1. What features of an app might be helpful for successful budgeting activities?
  2. Describe actions that might be taken when a person needs to revise their budget.   
Categories: Budget, Chapter 1, Chapter 2 | Tags: ,

A.I. PROMPTS FOR IMPROVED FINANCIAL DECISIONS

Posted on August 16, 2025 by Melissa Hart

Artificial intelligence (AI) is influencing every aspect of life and learning.  A vital skill when using AI is creating prompts to obtain valid information for your specific life situation. When creating an AI prompt, be sure to:

  • specify desired length, style, format, reference dates, reading level.
  • identify intended use, purpose, and audience.
  • begin with action verbs: create, design, explain, compare, summarize
  • split complex requests into subtasks and subproblems.
  • include examples and background information for context.
  • avoid complicated or unusual words.
  • submit follow-up requests to verify, clarify, and expand results.
  • ask for references from resources consulted.

Some suggested AI prompts to guide your financial decisions include:

Budgeting: “Help me create a monthly budget. My monthly take-home pay is [amount] with these fixed expenses [list items, amounts]. I have monthly variable expenses of approximately [amount]. I plan to save at least [amount] each month for [financial goal] in [number] years. Suggest budget categories and amounts.”  

“My variable income averages about [amount] each month. I have fixed monthly expenses of [amount].  What actions are suggested to plan for taxes, savings, and variable expenses?”

Banking Services: “Suggest a bank or credit union that minimizes fees and provides appropriate payment, savings, and loan services. I am a [describe current life situation] with a monthly income of [amount].”

Taxes: “I plan to move to [state/country], my current annual income is [amount]. What factors should I consider related to potential tax obligations in this new location?”

Wise Credit Use: “Each month, I use my credit card for several purchases, and always pay off the balance. How will this affect my credit score? What additional actions would help me build my credit score?” 

Insurance: “I’m currently [age] and [marital status] with [number] dependents. My income is [amount]. What amount of life and disability insurance should I consider? What would be an appropriate amount to pay for this coverage?”

“I currently drive a [year, make, model] vehicle, and am paying [amount] a year for auto insurance. What actions should I consider to review my coverage and reduce my insurance payment?”

Housing:  “My monthly income is [amount], I pay [amount] in monthly rent, and have [amount] saved for a down payment. How should I determine if I can afford closing costs and long-term homeownership expenses?“

Buying a Car: “I’m considering a used [year, make, model]. I’m able to afford [amount] for this purchase. What factors should I consider before buying this vehicle?”

Investing:  “I’m [age] with an annual income of [amount]. I’ve saved [amount] in an emergency fund. Now I would like to start investing for [goal] to be achieved in [number of years]. What investments should I consider?” 

Retirement Planning: “I’m [age], self-employed, and earn [amount] a year. What options do I have available to save for retirement?”

Wise Shopping:  “I’m planning to buy [item, model, other details] with a budget of [amount]. What actions would result in getting the best deal, strong customer service, and a good warranty?

Avoiding Consumer Fraud:  “When researching and buying [describe product or service] online, what actions should be taken to determine if an offer is genuine and to avoid being scammed?”

Wealth Creation:  “Based on my current key skills of [list 3-5 strongest abilities],  suggest three unique actions to use my existing skills to increase my income. For each action, suggest specific steps to implement the action and estimate the potential financial benefit.”

Despite every effort to obtain valid AI responses, be aware of these potential drawbacks:

  • Responses may possess bias and include flawed logic.
  • Incorrect facts or results not based on current financial data.
  • Inaccurate calculations and erroneous predictions.

For additional information on AI prompts for personal finance, go to:

Link #1

Link #2

Link #3

Link #4

Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students create and use an AI prompt to obtain guidance for a financial decision. Compare the response received with other sources (online search, information from friends or relatives).
  • Have students talk to others to obtain ideas on how AI is being used for financial decisions.

Discussion Questions 

  1. What features of AI might be most useful to help people improve their financial planning activities?
  2. Describe actions a person might take to evaluate the validity of an AI response.   
Categories: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Financial Planning Topics | Tags: , | Leave a comment

MAKING ENDS MEET

Posted on May 17, 2025 by Melissa Hart

A study conducted by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) reported that overall financial stability and well-being worsened from 2023 to 2024. The findings of the surveys included:

  • Fewer households can cover a month of expenses if they lose their main source of income. If the main source of income were lost, 42 percent of households could cover expenses for a month or less; 22 percent would be able to cover expenses for less than two weeks.
  • More households had difficulty paying bills or expenses. The share of families with these difficulties increased from 38 percent in 2023 to 43 percent in 2024.  38 percent of non-Hispanic white consumers in the study had difficulty paying bills or expenses, 63 percent of Black consumers in the study had difficulty, and 51 percent of Hispanic consumers in the study had difficulty.  
  • Financial well-being measured using the CFPB’s Financial Well-Being Scale declined.  Overall financial well-being fell to 48.7 in 2024 from 51.0 in 2023. The number of consumers with low or very low financial well-being increased from 16 to 22 percent.
  • Access to credit was also difficult for some. In 2024, 40 percent of consumers in the study applied for credit. Of those who applied, 39 percent were either denied credit or approved for a lower amount than requested. In addition, 27 percent decided not to apply because they expected to be turned down.
  • The use of credit card debt fell slightly. In 2024, 80 percent of consumers in the study had a credit card. Of those consumers, the share with revolving credit card debt decreased slightly from 53 percent in 2023 to 49 percent in 2024. Meanwhile, 23 percent of consumers with a credit card reported paying a late fee, unchanged since 2023.
  • Many respondents use multiple credit sources. About half of those in the study used a payday or pawn loan in the past year and had a credit card. About four-fifths of survey respondents had an auto title loan, buy-now-pay-later loan, or experienced an overdraft, and had a credit card.

The financial deterioration reported in this study was not the result of one specific cause. Factors that may have contributed to the situation include inflation, housing costs, high interest rates, and student loan payment resumption.

For additional information on making ends meet, see the following links.

Making Ends Meet Insights
Making Ends Meet Report
Well Being Scale

Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students interview another person about the actions taken to avoid financial difficulties.
  • Have students access the full research study to obtain additional findings and to suggest actions that might address the financial difficulties.

Discussion Questions 

  1. How might a person make use of family members, friends, and community resources when encountering financial difficulties?
  2. Describe actions a person might take to avoid the financial difficulties reported in this study.
Categories: Budget, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Credit Cards, Debt | Tags: , | Leave a comment

STRATEGIES FOR CAREER ADVANCEMENT

Posted on April 5, 2025 by Melissa Hart

For your career development and employment advancement, consider these actions:

  • Show your flexibility. People often believe that being indispensable and irreplaceable will guarantee job security. However, this approach can limit your career potential and opportunities. The key to success is to make yourself valuable but not indispensable. Being vital in doing one specific thing might result in your supervisors not wanting to move you from that position. You need to be very good at your job and willing to teach others the skills you have developed.
  • Take on new challenges. Your ability to adapt to new responsibilities shows your career potential. Seek opportunities beyond your usual job, especially those at the next level of the organization. Going above and beyond expectations may involve taking the initiative to support your manager’s workload or suggesting a plan to address an ongoing company concern.
  • Communicate your ambitions. Discuss your ambitions and abilities with those who make the hiring decisions. Get comfortable talking about your skills, experiences, and accomplishments that set you apart from others. This strategy can help you be considered for a position even before the job becomes available.
  • Use internal networking. Go beyond impressing your direct supervisor or hiring manager. Connect with others within your organization to talk about current projects, industry trends, and personal interests. Consider informational interviews with supervisors and others you don’t work with regularly. These interactions will make you known within the company and provide a better understanding of the overall organization.
  • Understand your personal motivations. Before seeking a promotion, consider what you want in your career. Carefully assess if a promotion is the next appropriate step to your long-term career aspirations and personal satisfaction. Moving from work you enjoy may not be in your best interest.

For additional information on job promotion strategies, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students talk to others to learn about the actions they have taken to improve their career opportunities.
  • Use an AI platform to seek guidance for a career development plan. Enter your abilities, interests, and career aspirations and ask for actions for your career path.

Discussion Questions 

  1. Which actions in the article might you consider using in the future?
  2. Describe an action plan you might take for your future career advancement.    
Categories: Career, Chapter 2 | Tags: | Leave a comment

USE THE NUDGE THEORY TO CUT SPENDING

Posted on March 1, 2025 by Melissa Hart
  • Useless spending can crush your savings goals.
  • The easier it is to spend money, the more likely you will spend it. 
  • Making things difficult can actually be a good thing.
  • Small changes can result in significant improvements over time.

These principles make up the nudge theory, which suggests that behavior can be shaped through small, subtle changes. Making spending harder can discourage spending and increase your financial awareness to achieve savings goals.

Adding friction to your spending activities can force you to make more deliberate purchases. To nudge your savings by reducing spending, consider the following actions:

  • Only pay cash for several weeks or months. The inconvenience of obtaining cash and keeping track of it for payments can reduce spending on frivolous items. Seeing cash in your hand can also make you more aware of its value.
  • To be more disciplined, write out a list of purchases on paper or using a notes app. While this can be annoying, it can result in immediately having more money for savings.
  • Account for all spending to avoid wasting money on silly and useless things such as empty calories and products you may not use.
  • Before making a credit card purchase, check your current account balance to help deter unneeded purchases and increased debt. 

These strategies are useful for those who are concerned about their spending and who live paycheck to paycheck. While companies make every effort to remove barriers for your spending, don’t make it simple for your money to leave you…put up obstacles.

This approach may not be for everyone. However, taking some action might save you $1,000 a year, which over ten years could be worth over $15,000 when the money is placed in an index fund or other stable investment.

For additional information on the nudge theory, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students talk to others to obtain suggested actions for controlling their spending.
  • Have students create a podcast to communicate actions to control spending.

Discussion Questions 

  1. What aspects of the nudge theory might be useful for your money management activities?
  2. Describe actions a person might take to place barriers on their spending.   
Categories: Budget, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 6, Financial Planning | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Plan ahead for the New Year

Posted on February 15, 2025 by Melissa Hart

For many, December means spending lots of money on presents, food, travel, and other things to get you through the end of the year. And after we stretch our wallets, January’s often for taking stock and planning for the year to come.

If that’s true for you, here are some things to hopefully save you time as you transition from holiday festivities to financial goals in the New Year.

Are you:

Looking for more? The FTC’s consumer.gov site has tools to help you in the New Year and beyond. Get the basics on these and other topics like avoiding scams and identity theft at consumer.gov in English, Spanish, Chinese (Simplified), Korean, and Vietnamese. You’ll also find videos and free, one-page handouts to share in your community. 

For more information, click here.

Teaching Suggestions:

  • Ask students to get their free credit reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, and sign up for free credit monitoring with Credit Sesame or Credit Karma.
  • Ask students to list the main steps in creating a budget.  What are commonly recommended qualities of a successful budget?

Discussion Questions:

  1.  Why is it important to check your credit reports regularly?
  2.  What are the most frequent reasons for indebtedness?
  3.  What are common danger signals of potential debt problems?
Categories: Budget, Chapter 2, Chapter 5, Credit Cards, Credit Scores, Debt | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

MINDSETS AND HABITS FOR IMPROVED FINANCIAL WELLBEING

Posted on February 8, 2025 by Melissa Hart

Warren Buffet, a renowned investor, offers five mindset actions that can contribute to your financial wellbeing and long-term wealth.  These are:

1. Invest in Yourself.  You are your most valuable asset. Critical to financial and professional success is self-improvement and personal growth.  Obtain further education, specialized certifications, and new career skills for increased marketability and earning power.  This can be achieved through online courses, workshops, or working with a mentor.

2. Think Long-Term.  Avoid a get-rich-quick belief, which is very often destructive. Instead, identify investments with the potential to grow steadily over time. Expect market values to fluctuate in the short term so resist the temptation to be concerned about these ups and downs. Focus on your long-term plan to achieve your goal of financial wealth.

3. Develop Financial Discipline. Too often people save what is leftover. Instead, develop good financial habits with a budget that avoids unnecessary spending and emphasizes saving and investing. Live below you means, even as your income increases. Automate your savings with a set amount transferred to an investment account each month.

4. Surround yourself with wise, informed individuals.  You tend to become like those with whom you associate.  Seek those who will motivate you, reveal new ideas and opportunities, and help you develop positive financial habits.

5. Be patient.  Building wealth requires patience, persistence, and staying with your plan despite short-term difficulties.

In addition to these mindsets, other habits that contribute to financial wellbeing include:

  • Set clear goals in writing with action steps and deadlines to achieve savings targets and other financial success.
  • Develop a growth mindset in which you seek feedback, learn from failure, and maintain a desire to improve.
  • Plan for continuing education. Read extensively, take courses, and develop new skills. 
  • Connect with a mentor who can provide guidance based on their experiences.
  • Practice wise money management by tracking spending, using a budget, and maintaining detailed financial records.
  • Start investing early, even with only a small amount. Be consistent with your deposits. 
  • Build a network of successful individuals who can provide financial and career guidance.
  • Volunteer in your community to make connections and gather business opportunities.
  • Consider starting a side business while working full time. 
  • Practice wise time management to prioritize high-value activities and to eliminate time-wasting activities. 
  • For physical and mental wellness obtain adequate sleep, regular exercise, proper nutrition, and stress management. 
  • Stay informed about industry trends, new technology, and economic conditions to adapt to new investment and career opportunities. 

Bottom of Form

For additional information on improved financial mindsets and habits, go to:

Link #1

Link #2

Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students talk to others to obtain suggestions for successful investment and wealth-building actions.
  • Have students create a visual (poster, slide presentation, or video) that communicates wise mindset habits for obtaining financial wellbeing.

Discussion Questions 

  1. Which of the mindset actions are you currently using? Which ones might you implement in the near future?
  2. Describe barriers that people might encounter to prevent them from achieving long-term financial wellbeing.   
Categories: Career, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Financial Planning | Tags: , | Leave a comment

PERSONALITY HIRES AND MAD SKILLS

Posted on January 4, 2025 by Melissa Hart

Hiring managers often seek candidates who enhance the work environment to reduce on-the-job stress. A “personality hire” is an employee with strong interpersonal skills who strengthens relationships among clients, customers, and coworkers. They also enhance the work culture, boost morale, and contribute to a productive job setting.

Personality hires are offered positions based on their likeability. During the interview, a sense of humor and enthusiasm can overcome experience limitations. An ability to enhance relationships within the organization and get along with anyone is viewed very favorably. Possessing personality skills does not have to be mutually exclusive of technical ability. An ideal candidate will have both job competency and be the right cultural fit.

Traditional hires sometimes resent the personality hire, who is viewed as inexperienced or too sociable for the work setting.  Also, introverts who contribute to a positive environment and high morale may be overlooked for promotions and advancement.

Another job search factor that can be to your benefit are “mad skills,” which are unusual hobbies and experiences. Examples of these rare soft skills might include knowing an indigenous language or participating in a sport played in ancient times.

Mentioning these items during a job interview can help a person stand out from other applicants while also bringing something new to an organization that no one else has, resulting in a more diverse talent pool. Obtained as an entrepreneur, through volunteering, hobbies, travel, or sports, mad skills can reflect a person’s desire for professional development or an ability to quickly make decisions in a crisis.

Hiring managers still recommend only listing hobbies and other interests on a resume if they relate to the job for which you are applying. Mad skills might not be mentioned until an appropriate time during the interview. While soft skills and technical ability are still the foundation for obtaining employment, mad skills can be a decisive factor in the hiring process.

For additional information on personality hires and mad skills, go to:

Link #1

Link #2

Link #3

Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students talk to others to learn about successful interview actions they have used.
  • Have students create a video or other visual (poster or slide presentation) with tips for success in a job interview.

Discussion Questions 

  1. What actions are you taking to better prepare your skillset for a career?
  2. Describe hobbies or experiences you have that might enhance your success on the job?
Categories: Career, Chapter 2 | Tags: | Leave a comment

SKILLS FOR FINANCIAL WEALTH

Posted on July 6, 2024 by Melissa Hart

While being rich means different things to different people, certain skills and personal qualities will help you achieve financial success. These competencies include:  

  • Financial Literacy. Ongoing learning of basic money management activities will provide the foundation for wealth building.
  • Leadership and Management Skills. An ability to motivate and guide individuals and teams is required for business leadership and career growth.
  • Decision-making and Problem-Solving. Offering creative and effective solutions, especially in high-stress situations, will always be a valued leadership and career skill.
  • Negotiation Skills. Your bargaining ability will often result in more money in business and career situations.
  • Entrepreneurial Mindset. A vision for identifying and implementing business ideas requires a skillset that can be of value in nearly every life situation. The creativity, curiosity, persistence, and motivation of effective entrepreneurs will result in financial and career success.
  • Self-Discipline and Time Management. Wise time use and consistency in achieving your financial goals are fundamental for long-term money success. Committing saving and investing allows you to build wealth through the compounding effects of time value of money. 
  • Curiosity and Ongoing Learning. Awareness of new trends, technology, and markets provides guidance for both investing and emerging career opportunities.
  • Networking. Connections with others are vital for professional success and personal development. Your network can uncover opportunities and resources. Making friends, especially those in different socio-economic situations can help grow your financial potential. When low-income people interact with those with a higher income, this often results in less-affluent people considering ways to expand their saving and investing.  Bottom of Form

For additional information on skills to build wealth, go to:

Link #1

Link #2

Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students talk to others to obtain suggestions for building wealth.
  • Have students create a visual proposal (poster, slide presentation, or video) to communicate actions that would help people improve skills for building wealth.

Discussion Questions 

  1. Which of these skills are your strongest? Which skills need to be improved?
  2. Describe actions a person might take to improve one or more of these skills.   
Categories: Career, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Financial Planning | Leave a comment

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