Consumer Math – Applied 30S

Major Assignment
During the consumer math unit, students will be expected to work alone or in partners to
complete a research project on one Consumer Math topic. Students will be expected to
present a 5-10 minute presentation on the topic, including examples and illustrations.
Students must submit their presentation in some form to Mr. Plett to be compiled for
distribution to the entire class. Students will also be required to create 5 secret questions
about their presentation; selections from these questions will be included in the unit test.
The “starter questions” provided need not all be answered, and students may find other
questions as they work on the assignment.

Students are encouraged to use the Internet and to find further information via the
telephone or in-person visits. Students will have 2 weeks to work on their projects;
projects will be due on Monday, December 20 for presentation in-class. These
assignments will be self-assessed and peer-assessed according to a rubric.

Mr. Plett will also present a number of mini-lessons about other Consumer Math topics;
these will generally take place during the last 20 minutes of class for the next 2 weeks:
Different wage types – Monday, December 6
Percentages – Tuesday, December 7
Percentages (Part 2) – Thursday, December 9
Pay Stubs – Friday, December 10
Unit Pricing – Monday, December 13
Currency Exchange – Tuesday, December 14
Do Not Pay… - Wednesday, December 15
Loans and Interest with the TI-83 – Thursday, December 16
Test – Tuesday, December 21
Income Tax and Payroll Deductions Starter Questions
What is income tax?
Who collects it?
When is it paid?
How much is it?
What does it pay for?
How can I find out how much I will pay?
What is a “tax return”?
What is “income tax time”?
What is a “tax refund”?
How can you pay less tax?
Who doesn’t pay taxes?
What determines tax rate?
Do all countries have similar income tax systems?

Banking and Investing Starter Questions

What’s the difference between a bank and a credit union?
What are some benefits/drawbacks of banks vs. credit unions/credit unions vs. banks?
What are the benefits of having a bank account?
What are the costs of banking?
What are the differences between different kinds of savings accounts?
What are the costs of a chequing account?
Why would you want to save money?
How much should your rainy-day fund be?
What are these:
TFSA
RRSP
RESP

Borrowing Money Starter Questions

Why do people borrow money?
What is a mortgage?
What is a personal loan?
What are current mortgage/personal loan rates?
What determines the interest rate you pay on a personal loan?
What determines the amount you can borrow for a mortgage?
How long does it take to pay off a mortgage?
How much do you pay in interest over the life of a loan?
How do payday loans work?
What are alternatives to payday loans?
Credit Cards Starter Questions
What are credit cards?
How can you get one?
Who can get one?
What is a credit limit?
What determines your credit limit?
What are the benefits of credit cards?
What are disadvantages of credit cards?
What features do credit cards offer?
What are security risks of credit cards?
What security technologies are used with credit cards?
How much interest do you pay on credit cards?
How do you avoid this interest?
What’s the difference between bank and store credit cards?
Why do stores offer credit cards?
Why do banks offer credit cards?
Why do merchants accept credit cards?
What does it cost you to use a credit card?
What does it cost a merchant to accept a credit card?
What does it cost a merchant to accept a debit card?

Property Tax Starter Questions

What is property tax?
Who collects it?
How much is it?
What does it pay for?
What does Sam Katz think about property tax rates? Do you agree/disagree?
How can you find out how much property tax you pay?
When do you pay property tax?
Who pays property tax?
Who doesn’t pay property tax?
What determines your property tax rate?
What are school taxes?
How are school taxes/property taxes related?
Do all cities have property tax?