
2. Interview a bank representative about trust accounts. Find out what
the abbreviations POD, ATF, and ITF mean. Prepare questions about
FDIC insurance limits and benefi ciaries. Ask for any brochures
they offer about trust accounts. Prepare a report or a poster on trust
accounts to present to the class.
3. Go to a bank or bank website to fi nd three different types of checking
accounts. Compare and contrast the accounts offered by the same
bank. What are the benefi ts of each? What are the drawbacks of
each? Who might be better served by each type of checking account?
Explain which account might be best for your fi nancial situation.
4. While the law states that free checking accounts cannot have mini-
mum balances or per check fees, there are other fees and penalties that
are allowable. Research the allowable fees and penalties on checking
accounts. Make a list and explain the purpose and cost of each.
5. Visit two local banks. Speak to a bank representative at each bank.
Prepare a list of services to compare. What are the CD rates at each
bank? What are the penalties for withdrawing money from a CD
before it is due? What are the minimum balances for different types
of accounts? What are the fees for insuffi cient funds? What are the
different types of checking accounts they offer? What are the fees
and requirements for these accounts? What are the hours of service?
Think of other questions to ask. Prepare the fi ndings in a report.
6. Interest rates have historically fl uctuated with the economy. Go
online and/or use the library to fi nd interest rates over the past
50 years. Make a graph to display the information.
7. Each year, there are contests in schools all over the nation to see how
many decimal places of the number π students can memorize. The
records are amazing! Go online and fi nd out the decimal representa-
tion of e to as many decimal places as possible. Talk to the teacher
about having a memorization contest in class. Research how experts
memorize long sequences of digits. Visit a few local businesses to
see if they would be willing to donate a prize for the contest. Ask the
school newspaper to cover the contest. Emcee the contest in class.
8. Some employers allow employees to have money deducted from their
accounts and automatically placed into a savings account. Interview
three adults working in different professions. Ask them about employer-
sponsored savings plans. Prepare a report on the fi ndings.
9. Visit a local bank. Get brochures they offer about their services. If the
brochures are two-sided, take two of each so you can cut them out
and paste them onto a poster board. Pick several services to high-
light. Cut out the portions of the brochures that explain each service.
Give each service an original, short title, and print out your title.
Organize the titles and descriptions of the banking services onto a
poster board.
10. The Rule of 72 is a method for quickly estimating how many years it
will take principal to double, assuming the interest was compounded.
Go to the library and/or use the Internet to research the Rule of 72
beyond what was presented in Lesson 3-7. Prepare some examples to
illustrate the rule. Discuss the history and the use of the rule. Display
your research on a poster board.
Assessment 167
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