Wayfinder: What they learn by playing.
Story gives context, visuals make it concrete, and practice makes it stick. The learning path stays friendly while building real-life habits.
Want the research? (sources)
Meta-analysis evidence that financial education can improve knowledge and downstream behaviors:Kaiser et al. (2022)
A framework for building youth financial capability (habits, executive function, decision skills):CFPB (2016)
How the Framework Mirrors Natural Learning
Just like you learned to speak (listen → visualize → practice), financial behavior is learned through structured progression from purpose to action to lasting habits.
Different minds learn differently - so we teach in multiple formats
Temple Grandin popularized the idea of “thinking in pictures”: some people learn best when ideas are concrete, visual, and practiced - not just explained. Wayward Woods is built the same way: story (audio) → visible systems (world-building) → hands-on practice (puzzles), so more kids can actually absorb the skill.
Direction
Purpose as foundation
Planning
Realistic strategies
Decision
Avoiding behavioral traps
Anchor
Long-term habits
Direction: Choose what matters
In plain English: Pick a goal that matters, name your priorities, and understand the trade-offs. When people know what they're aiming for, money decisions stop feeling random.
Skills practiced: Goal setting, priorities, trade-offs, and recognizing that your needs change over time.
Research behind this stage
Clear, meaningful goals help people focus attention and follow through.
SourceWhen people connect actions to personal values, they're more likely to stick with the plan.
SourceYour money needs change over time. This line of research helps explain why saving, spending, and risk-taking look different at different ages.
Nobel PrizeBig idea: start with a meaningful goal and connect it to real life, so later skills (planning and decisions) have a clear purpose.
Planning: Make a plan that survives real life
In plain English: Make a plan, expect surprises, and price in the boring stuff people forget (fees, repairs, “one-time” costs).
Skills practiced: Budgeting, estimating, comparing options, building a buffer, and making backup plans.
Research behind this stage
People systematically underestimate costs and risks while overestimating benefits—even with ample experience showing otherwise. Countered by adopting an “outside view” that considers historical data and worst-case scenarios.
SourcePeople mentally categorize money into separate accounts, affecting budgeting and spending in predictable ways. Teens can harness mental accounting positively through disciplined category-based budgeting while avoiding its pitfalls.
SourceOverconfidence causes people to underestimate risks and fail to plan for adverse scenarios. Teaching teens to test plans against both good and bad times directly counters documented unrealistic optimism.
SourceBig idea: good plans include realistic estimates, hidden costs, and a buffer for when life changes.
Decision: Make clear choices under pressure
In plain English: Learn the common traps that make us overspend, panic, or stick with a bad plan just because we already invested time/money.
Skills practiced: Calm decision routines, opportunity cost, and knowing when to walk away.
Research behind this stage
People tend to weigh losses more heavily than gains, which can push decisions toward fear, panic, or impulsive risk-taking.
SourceThree cognitive shortcuts—representativeness, availability, anchoring—lead to systematic, predictable judgment errors. Understanding these shortcuts enables teens to recognize when mental shortcuts are leading them astray.
SourcePeople irrationally continue investing in failing endeavors because of prior investment—driven by not wanting to appear wasteful. Recognizing this trap allows teens to walk away from losing investments rather than throwing good money after bad.
SourceBig idea: strong emotions and mental shortcuts can hijack money choices—so we practice decisions in a safe, story-driven setting.
Anchor: Build habits that compound
In plain English: Small choices repeat. Over time they add up—either for you or against you.
Skills practiced: Diversifying, keeping costs low, staying patient, and avoiding short-term panic.
Research behind this stage
Diversifying (not putting all your eggs in one basket) is a core way investors try to reduce risk over the long run.
SourceResearch finds that frequent trading and overconfidence can hurt returns—one reason we emphasize patient, repeatable habits.
SourceFees compound over time. Keeping costs low is one of the few levers investors can control.
SourceBig idea: long-term wealth is mostly about habits—diversification, patience, and keeping costs low.
Season 1 Covers 8 Essential Categories
Each lesson maps to specific stages: Every financial topic progresses through Direction (understanding why) → Planning (creating strategy) → Decision (making choices) → Anchor (building habits)
Ready to see the curriculum in action?
Built from behavioral economics, learning science, and financial education research, Wayward Woods translates academic insights into practical skills.Kaiser et al. (2022)CFPB (2016)