Programs designed for real financial lives
Four pathways, each matched to where young people actually are in their financial journey. No generic curriculum. No one-size-fits-all approach.
How to choose
Age provides a starting point, but financial context matters more. A thirteen-year-old with a weekend job needs different knowledge than a thirteen-year-old still on pocket money. A seventeen-year-old planning university faces different decisions than one entering an apprenticeship.
Read through each program. Consider where your child actually is financially, not where they theoretically should be. If you're uncertain which fits best, reach out and we'll discuss it.
Foundation Program
£285.00
What this program covers
Where financial literacy begins. We start with concepts young people already encounter: pocket money, birthday gifts, saving for something specific. Then we build outward into understanding how money actually works in daily life.
Participants learn to distinguish between needs and wants, not as abstract categories but as practical decision-making tools. They discover why saving in one place differs from saving in another. They grasp that every spending decision is simultaneously a decision not to spend on something else.
We introduce budgeting through scenarios they recognize: planning for a concert ticket, managing lunch money for a week, deciding whether to save birthday cash or spend it immediately. No spreadsheets. No complicated formulas. Just practical thinking about real choices.
Structure
Eight sessions, one per week, ninety minutes each. Maximum twelve participants per group to ensure everyone can ask questions and receive individual attention.
Each session combines short explanations, group discussion, and practical exercises. Participants leave with assignments they can complete between sessions, usually simple tracking or decision-making tasks.
Topics covered
- Understanding money flow: where it comes from, where it goes
- Needs versus wants in practical decision-making
- Basic budgeting: planning spending before it happens
- Saving strategies that actually work for young people
- Understanding value: why prices differ and how to compare
- Making spending decisions consciously
- Tracking money without obsessing over every penny
- Setting achievable financial goals
What participants gain
Confidence in handling the money they already have. Understanding that financial decisions are choices, not mysteries. The habit of thinking before spending. A foundation for more complex financial concepts they'll encounter as teenagers.
"My eleven-year-old now asks about the long-term cost before begging for subscriptions. That alone justified the program fee."
— Parent from Morningside
Earning & Planning Program
£340.00
What this program covers
For teenagers who've started earning or are about to. This is where we bridge the gap between pocket money and real income, between parental support and financial independence.
Many young people get their first job and suddenly face questions nobody prepared them for. What does National Insurance mean? Why is their take-home pay less than their hourly rate times hours worked? How should they allocate money between spending, saving, and longer-term goals?
We demystify payslips, explain tax basics without overwhelming complexity, and work through the practical reality of managing earned income. Participants learn to create budgets that match their actual lifestyle, set realistic savings goals, and understand the difference between gross and net income.
Structure
Ten sessions across three months. Sessions run every ten days rather than weekly, giving participants time to apply concepts between meetings. Each session lasts two hours.
Groups include eight to ten participants. We intentionally keep them small enough that everyone can share their actual financial situations and get personalized guidance.
Topics covered
- Understanding payslips and employment contracts
- Tax basics: what's taken, why, and what it means
- Creating functional budgets for irregular income
- Balancing spending, saving, and future planning
- Bank accounts: choosing the right type and using them effectively
- Setting and achieving financial goals
- Understanding workplace benefits and deductions
- Avoiding common financial mistakes new earners make
- Planning for larger purchases without debt
- Building emergency savings on a teenager's income
What participants gain
The ability to understand and manage their first real income. Confidence in reading financial documents. Skills for planning beyond the immediate week. Understanding of how employment and money connect.
"She got her first payslip and actually understood it. Her friends were all confused, but she knew exactly what everything meant. Worth every penny."
— Parent from Leith
Advanced Money Management
£425.00
What this program covers
Preparation for financial independence. This program tackles the complex financial decisions teenagers will face as they leave home, enter university, or start careers.
We cover credit and debt comprehensively. Not just "credit cards are dangerous" warnings, but genuine understanding of how credit works, when it makes sense, and how to use it without destroying your financial future. Participants analyze real credit card offers, loan terms, and buy-now-pay-later schemes.
We introduce investing basics, not to turn teenagers into traders but to help them understand compound interest, risk, and long-term thinking. We work through student finance decisions. We discuss contracts, from phone plans to rental agreements.
Structure
Twelve comprehensive sessions over four months. Each session runs two hours. Some sessions include guest speakers from finance, banking, or legal backgrounds who can address specific topics with professional expertise.
Maximum eight participants per group. At this level, discussion matters as much as instruction. Everyone shares their questions, concerns, and decisions they're actually facing.
Topics covered
- Credit fundamentals: how it works and when to use it
- Understanding debt: good, bad, and catastrophic
- Credit cards, personal loans, and overdrafts explained
- Student finance: loans, grants, and repayment reality
- Introduction to investing and compound growth
- Risk assessment in financial decisions
- Long-term financial planning and goal-setting
- Understanding contracts before signing
- Insurance basics: what you need and what you don't
- Pension fundamentals for first jobs
- Protecting yourself from financial fraud
- Building credit history responsibly
What participants gain
The capability to handle complex financial decisions independently. Understanding of how major financial products work. Ability to evaluate offers critically. Confidence to ask questions and read fine print before committing.
"My son declined a store credit card last week because he understood the APR was predatory. He's seventeen. I didn't learn that until my thirties."
— Parent from Bruntsfield
Family Financial Planning
£395.00
What this program covers
Money creates tension in families. Teenagers want independence but lack understanding. Parents want to guide but struggle to explain. Everyone avoids the conversation because it's awkward.
This program brings families together to build shared financial understanding. Parents and teenagers learn alongside each other, creating common language and mutual comprehension around money decisions.
We address the topics that cause household friction: how much control teenagers should have over their money, how to negotiate spending decisions, how to build trust while maintaining boundaries. Everyone learns practical budgeting tools that work for the whole family.
Structure
Six sessions over two months. Each session includes both joint family time and separate breakout discussions where parents and teenagers can talk openly about their perspectives.
Sessions last two and a half hours. We work with three to four families per group, allowing for both shared learning and family-specific guidance.
Topics covered
- Creating family budgets everyone understands
- Negotiating financial independence gradually
- Building transparency around household money
- Teaching financial decision-making through practice
- Setting appropriate boundaries and expectations
- Planning for major expenses together
- Understanding different approaches to money within families
- Preparing teenagers for financial independence
- Discussing difficult financial topics constructively
- Creating systems that reduce conflict
What families gain
Reduced tension around money conversations. Shared vocabulary for financial discussions. Practical systems everyone can use. Understanding of each other's perspectives. Foundation for ongoing dialogue about money.
"We stopped fighting about spending. Not because the rules changed, but because everyone finally understood why the rules existed."
— Parent from Portobello
Additional information
Session locations
All programs run in Edinburgh. Specific venues vary by program and group size. We use community spaces, education centers, and accessible meeting rooms across the city.
Group sizes
We deliberately keep groups small. Foundation programs cap at twelve participants. Earning & Planning at ten. Advanced Management at eight. Family programs at four families.
Small groups mean everyone can ask questions, share their situations, and receive personalized guidance. This isn't lecture-hall learning.
Materials included
All programs include workbooks, reference materials, and digital resources. Participants keep everything after completion.
Schedule flexibility
We run programs throughout the year. Some operate weekday evenings, others weekend mornings. When you register interest, we'll find timing that works for your family.
Cost considerations
If the standard fee creates genuine hardship, discuss it with us. We work with families to find solutions. No young person has been turned away because of cost, and that won't change.