Take control of your money: build a budget, get out of debt, raise your credit score, decide whether to buy a home and start investing with 401(k)s, IRAs and index funds, from beginner to expert.
No sign-up needed: just start reading. Create a free account to save your progress and get your certificate.
Every lesson starts by telling you what you’ll be able to do.
Real-life cases from U.S. households and small businesses.
Check what you learned with immediate feedback.
Practice first, then compare with the solution.
4 levels · 16 lessons · 3h 14min of content
The five pillars, net worth, savings rate, debt-to-income ratio and habits that work on autopilot.
Expense types, four budgeting methods, a SUMIFS spreadsheet and a 20-minute monthly review.
How many months to save, high-yield savings and Treasury bills, FDIC and NCUA coverage, and how to build it.
APR, the minimum payment trap, a five-step payoff plan, balance transfers and credit counseling.
Budgeting on uneven income, the four-account system, self-employment tax, quarterly estimates and pricing your work.
15- vs. 30-year mortgages, PITI and PMI, the 28/36 guideline and the unrecoverable-cost comparison.
Inflation, real returns, compound interest, the Rule of 72, employer matches and the power of time.
401(k), traditional and Roth IRA, HSA and brokerage accounts with 2026 limits, plus the main investment types.
Risk capacity and tolerance, diversification, rebalancing, the real cost of fees and the red flags of fraud.
Indexes, the three-fund portfolio, target-date funds, ETFs vs. mutual funds and rebalancing with numbers.
Fact sheets and prospectuses, expense ratios and loads, risk measures, performance vs. the index and red flags.
SMART goals, monthly contributions with PMT, the Rule of 25, protection and a one-page plan.
How FICO scores work, free weekly credit reports, building or rebuilding credit, comparing APRs and loans to avoid.
Deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums, priorities by life stage, life insurance needs and term vs. permanent coverage.
Gross yield, NOI and cap rate, the effect of leverage, depreciation and REIT index funds.
Bitcoin and stablecoins explained, historical crashes, how much to invest, U.S. taxes, security and common crypto scams.
A practical, step-by-step personal finance course for Americans who want to take control of their money, whatever they earn. You start with an honest financial checkup and finish with a one-page financial plan you can put to work the same week.
You'll learn how to build a budget with the 50/30/20 rule or zero-based budgeting, size and store an emergency fund with FDIC or NCUA insurance, pay off credit cards with the avalanche or snowball method, manage irregular 1099 income and quarterly taxes, and decide whether to rent or buy a home. Then you'll move on to compound interest, 401(k)s, traditional and Roth IRAs and HSAs (with 2026 contribution limits), index fund and ETF portfolios, how to analyze a fund and how to spot investment scams. The Expert level covers FICO credit scores and loan APRs, insurance, rental property and REITs, and the real risks of crypto. There are 16 lessons across four levels, each with interactive quizzes, charts and a worked exercise. This is general education, not personalized financial advice.
Includes a free downloadable template: a personal finance spreadsheet for Excel or Google Sheets with net worth, a 50/30/20 budget, an emergency fund calculator, a debt payoff planner (avalanche and snowball) and savings goals, all with working formulas.
Templates and practice data you’ll use throughout the course. Free, no sign-up.
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