Money Matters Level 2 — Student Workbook

Before you begin

What would I do right now?

1. If a payment request appears inside an app you know, is it automatically safe?

2. Is 50–30–20 the only correct budget?

3. If you have a ₹50,000 credit limit, is that ₹50,000 of income?

4. What evidence would you keep if a product arrived defective?

Core 2.1

Institutional Banking for Minors

Start here: the logo on a banking app is not the whole system. A bank account holds money, records transactions and gives you ways to move it. Your job is to know what to check before you trust a feature, fee or rule.

Statement Detective

Transaction	Amount	Credit / Debit	Running balance
Opening balance	₹2,400	—	₹2,400
Festival gift deposit	+₹1,000
Books	−₹350
Canteen reload	−₹120
Refund	+₹40
Sports fee	−₹500

Before you say yes

Write five things you would check using current official information before opening or using an account.

Safety boundaries

Write a safe response if:

Someone asks to type your ATM PIN “to help”:

A friend asks to borrow your debit card:

Core 2.2

Cyber Hygiene & UPI Scam Prevention

Your default move: Stop → Verify → Act. A familiar logo, urgent message or professional-looking screen is not proof that a request is safe.

Message	Trigger	Requested action	Risk	Independent verification	Safe response
“Refund pending. Enter your UPI PIN to receive ₹2,400.”
“I’m your friend. Emergency—send ₹3,000 now.”
“KYC expires today. Install this support app.”

Which way is the money moving?

When does a UPI PIN authorise an outgoing payment? Explain in your own words without using any real account.

One scam sign I used to overlook:

Core 2.3

50–30–20 Student Allocation & Cash Flow

You have a fictional monthly inflow of ₹6,000. Start with the 50–30–20 framework, then test whether it still works once real-life costs show up.

Framework	Essentials	Choices / Wants	Future Saving
50–30–20 starting point	₹	₹	₹

Now let the hidden costs show up

Item	Monthly or annual?	Monthly equivalent
Transport	Monthly	₹1,000
Study materials	Monthly	₹600
Streaming subscription	Monthly	₹250
Annual club fee	₹2,400/year	₹
Future course goal	Monthly contribution	₹1,200

Budget Shock

Your essential transport/food costs rise by 10%. What changes first? Explain why.

Compare frameworks

When might zero-based budgeting be more useful than 50–30–20?

Core 2.4

Consumer Rights & Grievance Redressal

When something goes wrong: Facts → Evidence → Requested Remedy → Official Channel → Escalation. Clear proof usually gets you further than a furious message.

Complaint Builder

A fictional online order arrives damaged. You have an order confirmation, payment record and photos.

Facts	Evidence	Reasonable remedy requested	First verified channel	If unresolved, what would you verify before escalating?

Write a short factual complaint. Do not exaggerate or threaten.

Predatory lending pressure

A peer says, “Borrow from this instant app secretly; nobody needs to know.” List three reasons to pause and seek trusted help.

Senior Hub Extensions

Now make the decisions less obvious

After the four core modules, these six strands push the same skills into earning, recurring costs, credit, social pressure and harder cyber situations.

1. Earning, Gigs & Skill-Building

A gig pays ₹1,200 but requires ₹250 travel and ₹150 materials. What is the amount left before any other applicable costs?

What else would you verify before accepting the work?

2. Cash Flow, Inflation & Subscriptions

List three recurring charges a teenager might forget. How can “small” monthly costs become large annual costs?

If prices rise while your allowance stays the same, what happens to purchasing power?

3. Banking & Compound Growth

Write the difference between simple “money added” and growth calculated on a changing balance. Use a calculator if needed.

Why must an assumed growth rate be labelled as an assumption?

4. Credit Health & Debt Traps

Why is a credit limit not income?

What information would you compare before taking any fictional borrowing option?

5. Psychology, Status & Flex Culture

Would you still want the item if nobody saw you own it? Explain.

Name one way social media can change spending behaviour.

6. Advanced Cyber Financial Defence

Choose one: fake job offer, loan-app pressure, SIM-swap warning, autopay/mandate confusion. Write: signal → risk → verification → action.

End-of-level check

What can I do now that I could not do before?

One financial system I can navigate better now:

One number I now know how to calculate or reconcile:

One scam/consumer risk I can respond to more safely:

One rule or process I would verify from a current official source before acting in real life:

What carries forward

Next: from operating systems to owning the consequences

Level 2 taught you to navigate accounts, scams, budgets, recurring costs, complaints and early credit decisions. Level 3 assumes those habits and asks what happens when the money is your salary, your debt and your long-term risk.

You already know

Statement reconciliation · independent verification · cash-flow planning · recurring-cost math · evidence and escalation · credit is not income.

Level 3 makes it harder

Decode CTC vs take-home · build emergency liquidity · compare total borrowing cost · separate insurance from saving · separate investment structure from return claims.

Ready for Level 3 when: you can operate a fictional monthly plan, respond safely to a suspicious request and explain what needs current official verification.

Continue to Level 3 →