Who We Are

SavingAndBorrowing.org (S&B) is a volunteer-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We are dedicated to raising the bar for high school students taking personal finance, economics, and other courses to learn to solve practical, real-world numerical problems that are aligned with the National Standards for Personal Financial Education, the National Economic Standards, as well as Texas TEKS. These problems represent scenarios they will encounter throughout life related to saving, borrowing, and retiring.

First, we use simple examples to explain the 5 Elements of Time Value of Money (TVM). Then, students learn hands-on how to solve problems The result is a new, lifelong skill. Our unique approach has been adapted from college finance courses and is taught using only very basic math. Learning this portable life skill helps empower students to feel more in control of their financial future. To better understand the analytical ability this skill provides, read our Sample Problems immediately below. We do not sell anything, are not vendors for any product or service, and no account is needed to use any of our resources. We are also a TEA-approved CPE provider, with teacher training available at no cost.

Sample Problems

Here’s a taste of what teachers and students learn to solve in our workshops:

• APR Shock: What’s the hidden interest rate (APR) on a rent-to-own laptop that costs $1299.99 and you make 18 monthly payments of $107.99? (Answer: 55.52%)
• Millionaire Math: How much must an 18-year-old save monthly to retire a millionaire at 60 if the annual return rate is 10%? (Answer: $129.13)
• Retirement Reality: How large should a retirement “nest egg” be to allow $2,000 monthly withdrawals for 20 years if interest rates are 4% APR? (Answer: $330,043.72)
• Return Matters: Regarding the question immediately above, what if the return rate goes from 4% to 10%? (Answer: The nest egg needed drops to $207,249.24)
• Lump Sum Sweepstakes: Which is worth more today, $10,000 a month for 20 years or $1.7 million today if interest rates are 4% APR? 
• Real Return Rate: a) Suppose you invested $200 a month for 20 years in a stock market index fund that had a 10% annual return. How much would that grow to? b) Over that same period, if inflation was 3% annually, approximately how much purchasing power would that amount have in the future? These answers set the stage for a discussion of the difference between nominal and real interest rates.
• Movie Ticket Inflation: Suppose a movie ticket cost $6 in 2009, and in 2025 it cost $12. What was this annual inflation rate using monthly compounding?

These problems allow teachers to encourage discussions on personal finance topics like compounding, borrowing costs, investment returns, inflation, and financial planning. And just think of the confidence it will give your students being able to calculate how their money can work for them – or against them in just 90 minutes.

By learning TVM skills early in life, students better understand how the interest rate and time affects saving, borrowing, and retiring. This allows them to internalize their unique (comparative) advantage of time in achieving financial goals.

Since our launch in early 2024, we’ve trained 600 students and 100+ teachers, showing them how to solve real-life personal finance problems with confidence.

Our Teaching Method – The Special Sauce

We make TVM simple, engaging, and intuitive. Here’s how:

1. Introduce and explain the 5 Elements of TVM:
   • Number of Periods (N)
   • Interest Rate (I/Y)
   • Payment Amount (PMT)
   • Present Value (PV)
   • Future Value (FV)

2. Provide a user-friendly financial calculator or app.
3. Solve real-world problems step-by-step with pattern repetition and discussion.
4. Keep the energy high.

The result? Every participant “gets it” by the time they finish the workshop! Just read our Testimonials under the menu item at the top of this page.

Devices & Apps

We’ve researched the best classroom solutions, comparing Excel and Google Sheets, as well as financial calculators from TI, Casio, HP, and more. Our top choice: the HP 10BII+ financial calculator. Why? It’s the easiest to learn, and there is a school-approved third-party app available for platforms including Chromebooks, iPads, Windows computers, iPhones, and Android phones.

• Workshops & Presentations: Students receive a loaner calculator. Teachers receive their choice of a loaner calculator or the financial calculator app mentioned in the sentence immediately below.
• Classrooms: A single financial calculator app (the 10bii Financial Calculator) is available for both Chromebooks and iPads, with a Texas Student Data Privacy Agreement TX-NDPA v1r6 (aka “CoSN approval”) already in place. This means it is public school-district-approved and may be quickly deployed if desired.  No-paperwork grants are available.
• Smartphones: We have a Program whereby interested students may be provided the opportunity to receive the app for iOS or Android, giving them access to this skill outside the classroom in the real world.

Note: S&B is not a vendor for any app, product or service. We independently fund these endeavors as part of our 501(c)(3) mission. 

We now also support the TI-84 Plus calculator line and its built-in TVM Solver, further extending our training reach. 

Experience & Leadership

S&B was founded by Dean Harris, CPA, who spent over 20 years teaching Business Finance and Personal Finance at Austin Community College and the Concordia University Texas MBA program as an adjunct faculty, in addition to a career in business and real estate. His teaching emphasized hands-on, real-world problem solving. Ten years after retiring, this curriculum was adapted for high schools, launching S&B in 2024 to help students gain a portable life skill that helps empower them to feel more in control of their financial future.

Testimonials

Want to see what fellow teachers say after attending the S&B workshop? Then read 100+ teacher’s comments—real feedback, in their own handwriting. Just click on “Testimonials” at the top of the page.

Program Contributors

Our progress is fueled by the efforts of educators, volunteers, and supporters, including:

• Melissa Thomas, Round Rock ISD CTE Specialist
• Kay Norton, Teacher
• Violet Snell, NBEA, Curriculum Reviewer
• Randy Jasek, Dave Ramsey Volunteer
• NHP Private Operating Foundation, funding
• Rene Gonzales, Virtual-Enterprises.com
• Taylor Tackitt, Website Maintenance
• Marisa Brice, Exec. Dir., FCSTAT
• Tom Booker, Former Dave Ramsey Script Writer, Humor Coach

Events & Milestones

• 2026 (Spring): Workshops for Career Prep students
• 2025 (Fall): Workshops for Financial Literacy students
• 2025 (Oct): Presenting at the DECA Texas Collab, Council for Economic Education (CEE) and National Business Education Association (NBEA) national teacher conferences
• 2025 (July): Presented at FCSTAT and CTAT teacher conferences
• 2025 (Spring): Workshops for students, with apps awarded to students requesting it after a Texas school district approved providing the app to students based on it successfully completing the Student Data Privacy Agreement application process. This is believed to be a national first in financial literacy education.
• 2024 (Feb–Nov): Workshops delivered to 500+ students across Round Rock ISD, plus first conference presentations at FCSTAT, CTAT, and DECA

Memberships

S&B or Dean Harris are members of:

• Career & Technical Association of Texas (CTAT)
• National Business Education Association (NBEA)
• National Association of Economic Educators (NAEE)
• Family & Consumer Science Teachers Assoc. of Texas (FCSTAT)
• DECA Texas
• National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)
• Texas Council for the Social Studies (TXCSS)
• America Saves (Consumer Federation of America)
• Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE)
• Texas Association for Literacy and Adult Education (TALAE)
• PTAs at Stony Point & Round Rock High Schools (Texas)
• CTE Business, Marketing, and Finance Advisory Councils at Round Rock ISD and Leander ISD (Texas)

Disclaimer

Our sample problems do not generally consider the effects of income taxes and inflation, and all answers shown are approximate. S&B provides education only. We do not offer financial, accounting, or investment advice, nor are we vendors for any apps, products or services.

Contact

Dean@SavingAndBorrowing.org

Donations

Donations are used to provide the time value of money skills and the financial calculator app as described above for high school students’ smartphones. This allows them to carry their new life skill into the real world.