Economic Fundamentals110 · Module III · Lesson 09 of 9
Capstone · 240 min

Capstone: The State of the Household

A written report on your household inside the current macro cycle, defended orally.

Capstone

A capstone that binds the Financial Foundations program into a single artifact. The Scholar produces a comprehensive 'State of the Household' report — balance sheet, cash flow, debt plan, insurance audit, tax dashboard, and one macro paragraph — and defends it orally.

Deliverables

  • A complete household balance sheet with quarter-over-quarter columns for the trailing year.
  • A twelve-month rolling cash-flow forecast.
  • A written debt repayment plan under the chosen method.
  • An insurance audit listing every household policy and the tail risk it addresses.
  • A tax dashboard with current-year contribution status for every tax-advantaged account.
  • A one-page macro paragraph on the household's exposure to the current cycle.

Rubric

  • Every artifact reconciles to the others — the balance sheet and cash flow agree, the debt plan matches the balance sheet, the tax dashboard matches the retirement lines.
  • The insurance audit identifies at least one gap or overinsurance and defends the recommendation.
  • The tax dashboard names at least three actions to complete before year-end with dollar impacts.
  • The macro paragraph engages honestly with the specific vulnerabilities of the household's income and balance sheet.
  • Oral defense: the Scholar can answer three questions from the review panel without reference to notes.

Oral Defense

  • State the household's net worth trend and its trajectory.
  • State the largest single risk in the household's balance sheet.
  • State the one financial habit that has changed most in the last quarter.
  • State the number in the report you are least confident in and how you would tighten it.
  • Answer one question from the reviewer chosen at random.
Capstone

The terminal work that binds the module.