The Complete Personal Finance Course: Save,Protect,Make More

Master how small daily savings and the power of compound interest build substantial wealth, with practical exercises on future value, goal seek, and rent vs. buy decisions.

Learn the time value of money by calculating required monthly savings, using automatic paycheck deductions, and projecting future value with Excel’s FV and goal seek tools.

Explore the time value of money by calculating future value for a one-time saving of $24 and monthly savings using interest rates, annual periods, and the Excel future value formula.

Create and improve your personal income statement to track money in and money out, then explore more than 100 ways to save or reduce expenses and boost long-term wealth.

Create your current monthly income statement to map money in minus money out, identify savings, and boost net worth through exercise two and three, using monthly figures and currency options.

Use the income statement and dashboard to implement saving strategies and raise your savings rate. Learn more than 100 ways to save in the next section; small changes add up.

Create your new and improved monthly income statement from money in and money out, and explore 17 save money lessons to improve budgeting and savings.

Explore 14 alphabetically sorted tax-savings tips, from buying from another state or province and charitable deductions to education plans, retirement accounts, and hiring strategies, to lower taxes across jurisdictions.

Discover 13 car and transportation savings tips, from buying used and timing purchases at month-end to carpooling and using parking apps.

Save on childcare by limiting gifts to holidays and birthdays, turning off led lights, and teaching kids money skills, price shopping, and small arbitrage ideas.

Save on communications and computer costs by unplugging unused devices and using sleep mode. Sell electronics, match prices online, ditch home lines, and use WhatsApp or Skype for international calls.

Save on education costs by buying used books or renting ebooks. Keep receipts for tax deductions, use the library, and teach online with a free Udemy course.

Discover seven practical ways to save on entertainment, from free family activities and bringing your own snacks to buying used media, canceling subscriptions, cooking at home, and cutting the cord.

Learn practical strategies to cut fees and charges, from appealing fines and avoiding bank fees to choosing ETFs over mutual funds, paying bills online, and using cash.

Discover 13 practical strategies to save on food and drinks, including bringing your own water, brewing at home, meal prepping, freezing leftovers, and shopping with a list.

Save on gifts and donations with four tips: keep receipts, track mileage, and deduct related expenses. Learn how donating stocks can avoid taxes and find budget-friendly gift ideas on Pinterest.

Save on health costs with generic drugs and price shopping for insurance, plus re-testing life insurance after healthier habits. Track your health with 10,000 daily steps and leverage employer benefits.

Discover practical strategies to save on housing costs, from renting rooms via airbnb and smart locks to diy renovations, energy savings, and smart timing for buying.

Learn five practical personal care savings: wash laundry in cold water, cut your own hair, reduce dry cleaning, air-dry clothes, and use a steamer instead of an iron.

Plan for pet expenses from $500 to thousands, and save by buying bulk food, grooming at home, making your own toys, and avoiding vet purchases by buying online.

Save money with 16 shopping tips, including post-purchase discounts, bargaining, coupon codes, and price checks. Use cash, generics, discount cards, and avoid impulse buys to maximize points.

Save on vacation costs by using Airbnb, booking early, and freezing unused accounts for discounts or free cancellation; cook with a kitchen and groceries on site, and travel off season.

Save on other expenses with eight practical tips, from end-of-period pricing and complaints to credit card analysis, unsubscribing, hiring an accountant, avoiding lottery, and Pinterest and wedding cost hacks.

Create your new and improved income statement by entering expenses on the dashboard, explore savings videos for each category, and review bottom results before analyzing charts in the next lesson.

Analyze your current and new income statements to compare savings rates, housing expenses, and debt costs as percentages of pre-tax income, and learn to set automatic savings for future raises.

Set up a save money meeting with a successful saver, collect five tips, log them in your personal finance dashboard, and update your income statement with tax savings ideas.

Complete exercise six, save money checklist, by selecting savings tips and entering monthly savings, then view the 30-year forecast at 10% in the green box.

Analyze insider trading, hedge funds, and securities enforcement to understand ethics and risk in finance. Learn Regulation FD, leverage, alpha, and long and short strategies shaping market oversight.

Change your perception of money by prioritizing saving and giving, and follow your dreams instead of chasing wealth to find happiness and purpose.

Teach your kids about saving money and personal money management, use dinner time lessons on compound interest, and practical exercises to build the three pillars: saving, protecting, and making money.

Create your personal balance sheet, calculate your net worth, and protect your money with insurance, wills, trusts, and tax shelters, while improving credit and organizing finances.

Learn how a balance sheet shows assets minus liabilities equals equity, defining net worth and liquidity, with examples of assets like a house and liabilities like mortgages and credit cards.

Build and understand your balance sheet by listing assets and liabilities to calculate your net worth, then analyze asset composition and investment emphasis in upcoming lessons.

Analyze your balance sheet by calculating solvency, debt-to-equity, and debt-to-assets ratios, aiming for a solvency ratio above 50% and a lower debt-to-equity and debt-to-assets ratio over time.

Analyze your balance sheet and income statement to compute the lost job coverage ratio and the life insurance coverage ratio, using net worth, annual expenses, and life insurance payout data.

Assess whether a financial advisor is worth the 1 percent annual fee, and learn the 11 essential questions—covering fees, commissions, independence, certifications, and client references.

Hiring an affordable accountant can unlock deductions; keep receipts, mileage logs, and charitable receipts, and gather tax documents (W-2, 1099, K-1) while planning ahead with the tax filing organizer.

Learn how retirement savings create tax advantages and how to minimize taxes by maxing retirement contributions, understand tax brackets, employer matches, and the role of an accountant.

Estimate retirement needs by targeting about 75 percent of current expenses, adjust for taxes and inflation, and use a retirement calculator with a 300x monthly factor to tailor savings.

Explore education tax savings plans like U.S. 529 and Canada's RESP; they offer tax-free growth to fund schooling, with taxes paid on withdrawal, employer matches, and ESA options.

Calculate how much to save monthly to cover your children's college expenses using a flexible framework, incorporating your assumptions, expected interest rates, and years, and consider taxes on withdrawals.

Ask HR about employer tax benefits, including healthcare and retirement plans, daycare, education, veteran programs, and flexible savings accounts to save pre-tax money.

Explore pay less tax strategies by evaluating retirement tax shelters, saving for retirement and education, and planning for big purchases like an airplane, with rate scenarios from 0% to 50%.

Organize your finances with the one-page tax filing organizer, using an accordion file or Excel, to track monthly statements, receipts, and tax forms like W-2 and 1099.

Explore expense tracking apps like Mint, Expensify, MileIQ, Credit Karma, Qapital, Shoebox, and Quicken, plus an Excel dashboard. Secure data with password protection and avoid cloud storage for personal finances.

Explore how to manage your money with Quicken on a PC, focusing on security, local storage versus cloud, updates, pricing, and budgeting features.

Explore Quicken for Mac to manage money, including importing accounts, budgeting, and net worth reports. Discuss security and privacy concerns and subscription pricing of 30-45 dollars per year.

Create a monthly budget using the personal finance Excel dashboard to manage your balance sheet and income statement, automate savings after raises, and pursue retirement and a vacation home.

Create a monthly budget in the complete personal finance dashboard by entering expected spending for income-statement categories, dividing annual numbers by 12, and tracking actuals against the plan.

Compare bank fees and ATM costs, choose large banks with low fees, understand government deposit insurance, and consider index funds for cheaper, safer long-term investing.

Compare five banks for safety and fees, using questions on government-insured deposits, interest rates, withdrawal fees, monthly fees, switching banks if fees are high, and reviewing monthly statements.

Learn how a will and a trust protect your assets, designate an executor, and guide taxes, guardianship, and transfers for your heirs.

Understand how your FICO score is determined and learn practical steps to improve it, including paying on time, reducing debt, and monitoring credit reports from the big three agencies.