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The course in 30 seconds
About 30 seconds, with captions. Free, about 10 minutes a lesson.
The lessons
Money Fundamentals
A budget for pay that changes month to month, what protects you when you pay by cash, card or app, buying smart, and how banks and deposit insurance work.
Understanding NIL Deals
Which rules apply at your school, what a contract is really offering, why a parent has to be part of it, and the red flags that mean walk away.
NIL and Taxes
Why most NIL checks come with no tax taken out, when you owe, why free gear counts, and how much to set aside.
Make It Grow
How money grows on its own growth, why cash loses value, what stocks, bonds and funds are, and how to spot an investment scam.
Accounts That Build Wealth
Checking vs savings, what FDIC and SIPC protect, accounts for minors, and how NIL pay for work can go into a Roth IRA.
Protect the Bag
The scams aimed at athletes, how to guard your identity, how credit scores work, credit cards before 21, and what debt really costs.
Want your own numbers? Try the NIL Tax Calculator.
Your season so far
Finish a lesson's Film Room and you earn a badge. Your progress is saved on this phone only. Nobody else sees it, and there is no account to make.
Finished Modules 02 and 03? Get your certificate → Modules 01, 04, 05 and 06 add their badges to it.
New phone, or your browser cleared its data? Type the season code you saved and your badges come back.
For parents and coaches
These lessons teach high-school athletes the basics before an NIL offer shows up: how to budget pay that changes month to month and how banks and payment protections work, which league rules apply, why a contract with a minor needs a parent involved, how the FTC's #ad rule works, why NIL pay for work is usually taxed as self-employment income, how investing and compound growth work, and how NIL pay for work can go into a Roth IRA. Every figure and rule cites its source. Nothing here is personal tax or legal advice, and nothing here sells anything.
Parents: the short version is written for you. Read the parent's guide, about five minutes: signing the contract with your teen, when your teen files taxes, and how NIL pay can go into a custodial Roth IRA.
Teachers and schools: see how this course aligns with the National Standards for Personal Financial Education, lesson by lesson, and what it does not cover yet. To teach it in class, use the free teacher kit: a 45-minute plan, discussion questions and answer keys for every lesson.
Coaches: run it with your team. Players can do each lesson on a phone in about ten minutes. If you want a team link so you can tell your players how many of them finished, email eslyn@nychonor.org.
NYC Honor Foundation is a 501(c)(3) that puts elite youth basketball teams on the floor: travel, uniforms and tournament entry. Volunteers write and teach these lessons at no cost. If they helped your player and you want to support the program, you can give here.
Parent and coach updates
New lessons and program news, a few times a season. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
About the Academy
NYC Honor Academy is the free money course from NYC Honor Foundation Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity in New York (EIN 42-1836369). The same foundation puts our basketball teams on the floor. The Academy is the part that gets players ready for the money side of the game.
Who writes it. Eslyn Hernandez, the foundation's Treasurer, writes and edits the lessons as a volunteer. Nobody is paid for them.
How we check it. Every lesson ends with the list of sources its rules and numbers come from, mostly the agency that sets them: the IRS, the FTC, the CFPB, the FDIC, the SEC and New York State. Each lesson shows the date it was last updated and the tax year its figures are for. Every January the tax figures are updated to the IRS's numbers for the new year.
What it never does. It does not sell anything, recommend any company, or give personal tax, legal or investment advice. No sponsor's name appears on a lesson.
What it covers. Six lessons, each about ten minutes on a phone. See how they line up with the National Standards for Personal Financial Education, including what the course does not cover yet.
Your privacy. Players never make an account, and we never ask a player for a name or an email. Progress stays on the player's phone. The privacy page lists everything the site collects.
Spot a mistake? Email eslyn@nychonor.org. We fix it and the lesson's update date changes.
Educational content only. Not tax, legal, or investment advice. Check your own situation with a parent and a tax professional. Developed and taught by NYC Honor Foundation volunteers.