Caveat Academy course · Grades 9 to 12

Credit, Debt and Financial Responsibility

How borrowing really works, worked out with real arithmetic: interest, APR and amortization, credit cards and the minimum-payment trap, credit reports and scores, student, auto and home loans, payday loans and debt collectors, payoff strategies, identity theft and a credit plan of your own. Learn it at your own pace, with a certificate at the end.

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$19one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $19

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the High school electives library, $119 for 66 items.

6 modules · 18 lessonsabout 13 hours$19

Six modules, eighteen lessons

Each module ends with a practice set that tracks mastery, an explain-it-back prompt, a short written response and a module exam. The final opens when every module is proficient; passing it earns a certificate with a verification code.

  1. Module 1: How credit works

    Compute simple and compound interest, periodic rates and amortized payments, and compare loan offers by APR and total cost.

    • Borrowing, lending and the language of credit
    • Interest, APR and compounding
    • Amortization and the true cost of a loan
    about 2.1 h

  2. Module 2: Credit cards

    Analyze a credit card statement, compute utilization and interest, and explain why minimum payments keep balances high.

    • How a credit card works
    • The minimum payment trap
    • Fees, rewards and protections
    about 2.1 h

  3. Module 3: Credit reports and credit scores

    Explain what credit reports contain and how scores are built, and design a plan to build or repair credit.

    • Your credit report
    • How credit scores work
    • Building credit from the start
    about 2.1 h

  4. Module 4: Student, auto and home loans

    Compare federal and private student loans, auto loan terms and mortgage options using total cost, capitalization and debt-to-income.

    • Student loans
    • Auto loans
    • Mortgages
    about 2.1 h

  5. Module 5: When debt goes wrong

    Evaluate high-cost loans by converting fees to APR, apply debt collection rights, and compare payoff strategies.

    • Predatory and high-cost lending
    • Debt collection and your rights
    • Getting out of debt
    about 2.1 h

  6. Module 6: Borrowing responsibly and protecting your credit

    Evaluate borrowing decisions, protect credit from identity theft and explain the obligations of cosigning and joint accounts.

    • Deciding when to borrow
    • Identity theft and fraud
    • Shared debt, cosigning and your credit plan
    about 2.1 h

Try it before you start

This is how every lesson works: step through a worked example at your own pace, then answer a check and get the reason right away. Nothing here is saved; the course keeps your progress.

Module 5 · Predatory and high-cost lending

Worked example: turning a payday fee into an APR

  1. Example: a 15 dollar fee on a 100 dollar loan for 14 days.

A lesson check from each module

The checks need JavaScript turned on. The course itself works the same way.

What you get

Academics · High School$19 · included with the Academy pass and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A finished course in credit and debt: you can compute simple and compound interest, monthly rates and the interest and principal in a loan payment, compare offers by APR and total cost, read a card statement, compute utilization and show why minimum payments take years, read a credit report and dispute an error, explain the factors in a credit score and build credit from nothing, compare student loan types, auto loan terms and mortgages, convert a payday fee to an APR, use your rights with debt collectors, choose between the avalanche and snowball payoff methods, freeze your credit and decide whether to cosign. Passing the final earns a Caveat certificate of completion.
Who it is for
Students in grades 9 to 12 about to get a first card, car loan or student loan, students in a personal finance or economics course, and families who want teenagers to understand borrowing before they sign. It is general financial education, not financial or legal advice; every rate and dollar amount is an example, and it recommends no lender, card or company.
Format
An online self-paced course: 6 modules and 18 lessons with worked examples you reveal step by step, 144 practice and exam items (multiple choice, numeric, fill-in and ordering), an explain-it-back prompt and a rubric-checked short response in every module, module exams with one retake, a 24-question final and a certificate with a verification code. About 13 hours in all; works on a phone or a computer.
Access
$19 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the course opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the High school electives library ($119) and the Academics Suite pass ($149), and 1 more bundle. Progress is saved in this browser on this device, and the certificate page lets you download your record.
Where it lives
The High School space in Caveat Academics.
Support
Access, a receipt, a refund or a correction to the course: team@caveatacademic.com.

How it works

  1. Open the course and start Module 1. Each lesson takes about 25 to 35 minutes; two or three a week finishes the course in about a semester.
  2. Answer the checks as you read. Every answer shows the reason, and a miss links you back to the lesson that covers it.
  3. Finish each module with its practice set and exam. Proficient on every module opens the final; 70 percent passes it.
  4. Print or download your certificate and record from the certificate page.

Start the course

Sources and accuracy

The lessons are original writing by Caveat Academic Services. Facts were checked against these free, open references, which are also good places to read further.

  1. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, consumer tools on credit cards, credit reports, auto loans, mortgages and debt collection: consumerfinance.gov
  2. Federal Trade Commission, credit, debt and identity theft guidance: consumer.ftc.gov and identitytheft.gov
  3. AnnualCreditReport.com, the official site for free credit reports: annualcreditreport.com
  4. Federal Student Aid, U.S. Department of Education, loan types, interest and repayment: studentaid.gov
  5. myFICO, what is in a FICO score: myfico.com
  6. Federal Reserve, consumer resources on credit and the CARD Act: federalreserve.gov

Credit, Debt and Financial Responsibility is a self-paced course from Caveat Academic Services. It is general financial education, not financial, legal or credit advice. Rates, fees and dollar amounts are examples for teaching; protections described are general federal rules, state laws add to them, and loan programs change, so check current terms with the agencies listed before acting. It does not replace a school course and awards no credit. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.