Happyness Highlights Slides
The Pursuit of Happyness
Finance in Film
The Setting
San Francisco, 1981
A busy city. Money is being made, but many people are losing jobs.
Hard Times
The economy was bad. It was very hard to find a good job.
San Francisco District
Money Words
1
Commission
Getting paid only when you sell something.
2
Stockbroker
A person who helps others buy parts of companies.
3
Assets
Things you own that are worth money.
4
Risk
The chance of losing money.
Chris Gardner
"I was homeless, but I wasn't hopeless."
- This is a true story
- He had very little money
- He never gave up
Watch For:
- 🕒 How he uses his time
- 💪 How he handles failure
- ✏️ The spelling of "Happyness"
- 🤝 Helping other people
The Movie Guide
Keep your worksheet ready as we watch! Use the Word Bank on your paper if you need help.
Follow Along
Use Word Bank
Stay Focused
Brokerage Blueprint Worksheet
Movie Guide Worksheet
The Pursuit of Happyness
Name:
Date:
1
Starting Out & Choices
Daycare
Dean Witter
Hotel
Jail
Need
Parking
Risk
Rubik's Cube
Scanners
Taxes
$250
1. Chris Gardner spends all his money on medical .
2. Each machine must be sold for to make his money back.
3. Chris's wife works extra shifts at a .
4. The IRS takes money from Chris's bank because of unpaid .
5. Chris tries to get an internship at a firm called .
6. Only one person will get a real job. This makes the program a high !
7. Chris goes to his interview in messy clothes because he just got out of .
8. Chris was held by police because of too many unpaid tickets.
9. Chris gets upset that "Happyness" is spelled wrong at the .
10. Chris shows off his skills by solving a in a taxi.
11. A scanner is a luxury. Consumer skills help you tell a "want" from a .
2
Money, Risk & Credit
Asset
Company
Credit Score
Ferrari
Hang up
Insurance
Pay
Rent
Shelter
Two
Water
12. The internship is very risky because Chris gets zero .
13. To pay all his bills, Chris needs to sell at least scanners a month.
14. When a scanner is stolen, Chris loses a physical .
15. Unpaid tickets and late rent will hurt Chris's .
16. Chris wants to be a stockbroker after seeing a man in a red .
17. To work faster, Chris decides he will never the phone.
18. Chris does not drink so he can keep working without breaks.
19. Chris has no health to help pay for doctor visits.
20. "Equity" means you own part of a .
21. After losing their home, Chris and his son sleep in a .
22. Eviction happens when you cannot pay your monthly .
3
Debt & Hard Times
Bathroom
Blood
Constitution
Do
Expecting
Football
Management
Paycheck
Sell
5:00
23. Chris has so little money that he sells his own .
24. Ignoring his parking tickets was bad debt .
25. Chris is living from "paycheck to ."
26. The machines are bad "capital" because they are hard to .
27. In the hardest scene, they sleep on the floor of a subway .
28. Chris tells his son: "Don't let anyone tell you that you can't it."
29. A "cold call" is calling someone who is not your call.
30. Chris tries to meet a CEO by going to a game.
31. To get a bed at the shelter, Chris must leave work by PM.
32. The "Pursuit of Happyness" is a right in the U.S. .
4
Scams, Success & Legacy
Broker
Chris Gardner
Cry
Daycare
Gardner Rich
Garnishment
Persistence
Relationships
Scam
Value
33. At the end, the bosses tell Chris he is the new stock .
34. When he gets the job, Chris is so happy he starts to .
35. Chris runs straight to the to see his son.
36. This movie is about the real life of .
37. Chris was told the scanners were a "sure thing." This was almost a .
38. In real life, Chris started a firm called .
39. When the government takes money for debt, it is called a .
40. Fixing a broken scanner makes it worth more. This is adding .
41. A big lesson in the movie is never giving up. This is called .
42. To be good at business, you must build good .
PERSONAL FINANCE • MOVIE STUDY GUIDE • SERIES: DEAN WITTER 81
Blueprint Keys Teacher Guide
Blueprint Keys
Teacher Guide & Answer Key (Expanded & Simplified)
TEACHER USE ONLY
Confidential Internal Document
Section 1: Starting Out
- Scanners
- $250
- Hotel
- Taxes
- Dean Witter
- Risk
- Jail
- Parking
- Daycare
- Rubik's Cube
- Need
Section 2: Money & Risk
- Pay (Salary / Income)
- Two (Scanners per month)
- Asset
- Credit Score
- Ferrari
- Hang up
- Water
- Insurance
- Company
- Shelter
- Rent
Section 3: Debt & Hard Times
- Blood
- Management
- Paycheck
- Sell
- Bathroom
- Do
- Expecting
- Football
- 5:00
- Constitution
Section 4: Scams & Success
- Broker
- Cry
- Daycare
- Chris Gardner
- Scam
- Gardner Rich
- Garnishment
- Value
- Persistence
- Relationships
Finance Debate Prompts
Debt Management
Chris ignored his parking tickets for a long time. Why do people avoid small debts? How did the $600 levy (taking money from the bank) change Chris's situation?
Consumer Skills
Chris bought scanners hoping they would make him rich. Was this a good choice or a gamble? How does a salesperson make a "want" look like a "need"?
The Credit Trap
How would late payments affect Chris's Credit Score? Can a high income fix a bad credit history immediately?
Insurance & Scams
When Chris is hit by a car, he just keeps running. Why? Discuss the risk of being "under-insured." Was the medical scanner market a scam?
© 2026 Finance in Film Series 42 Answer Guide