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20 Best Personal Finance Courses Free for Beginners

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by your finances? You’re not alone! A recent study found that only 32% of Americans feel confident managing their finances. But the good news is, that financial literacy is a skill you can learn, and it doesn’t have to be complicated.

Whether you’re a college student just starting out, a young adult looking to build a solid financial foundation, or an adult looking to improve your money management skills, there’s a personal finance course out there for you.

This blog post will explore some of the best personal finance online courses available, covering topics like financial planning, money management, budgeting, investing, and more. We’ll also look at some free resources and courses for beginners to help you get started.

What is Personal Finance?

In a nutshell, personal finance is all about managing your money effectively. It involves understanding your income, expenses, savings, and investments, and making smart decisions about how to use your resources to achieve your financial goals.

Why Personal Finance Education Matters

Financial education is crucial for everyone, regardless of age or background. Understanding how to manage money can lead to a more secure and prosperous future. Here are some compelling reasons to consider enrolling in a personal finance course online:

Empowerment: Gain confidence in making financial decisions. Knowing the basics of personal finance gives you the power to make informed choices about your money, instead of feeling overwhelmed or lost.
Financial Freedom: Learn how to manage your money effectively, allowing you to break free from the cycle of debt and worry. You can build a solid financial foundation that sets you up for success.
Future Planning: Understand the basics of financial planning and investing. This includes setting financial goals, creating a budget, saving for retirement, and understanding different investment strategies.
Practical Skills: Acquire essential skills for budgeting, saving, and investing. These skills are invaluable, no matter what stage of life you’re in.

What to Expect from Personal Finance Courses

Personal finance courses can vary in their format, content, and level of difficulty. However, most courses will cover some of the following topics:

Budgeting: Creating a plan to track your income and expenses to help you reach your financial goals.
Saving: Understanding different types of savings accounts and how to build an emergency fund.
Investing: Learning about stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and other investment options.
Debt Management: Strategies for managing credit cards, loans, and other forms of debt.
Retirement Planning: Setting goals and making plans for your financial future.
Financial Planning: Develop a comprehensive plan for your finances, including budgeting, saving, investing, and managing debt.

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Financial Planning for Young Adults

This Course, Financial Planning for Young Adults (FPYA), offers a comprehensive 4-week journey into essential financial planning skills tailored for young adults. Delivered in eight modules, it covers crucial topics like goal setting, budgeting, investing, and managing financial risks. What sets FPYA apart are its engaging video vignettes that simulate real-life financial scenarios, prompting participants to apply learned concepts critically. Beyond theory, the course delves into career prospects in financial planning through interviews with industry experts, providing valuable insights into this dynamic field. Perfect for anyone looking to secure their financial future, FPYA empowers you to define and achieve your financial goals confidently.

Introduction to Personal Finance

This course is a general overview of a variety of personal finance topics – including budgeting, the importance of your credit score, cash flow, setting financial goals, and taxes. Taught by two CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professionals, the concepts are broken down through videos, readings, and activities so you can apply what you are learning in real-time. The course provides the foundation to build on for the rest of The Fundamentals of Personal Finance Specialization or as a standalone survey course to improve your understanding of basic personal finance terminology, as well as how it applies to your own financial situation.

WellesleyX: Personal Finance, Part 1: Investing in Yourself

This course equips you with essential skills to make informed decisions about your money, whether you’re saving for a major life goal like buying a home or planning for retirement. Dive into topics like evaluating investments in education, understanding economic tools like Net Present Value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR), and optimizing your career path—whether you’re self-employed or part of a team. You’ll learn practical strategies for assessing salary packages, navigating health insurance options, and crafting a solid retirement savings plan. Empower yourself to think financially and build a secure future with this comprehensive guide to personal finance.

Fundamentals of Investing

This is primarily aimed at novice investors who want to better understand the concept of investing and how it can fit into their overall financial plan. Taught by a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional, this course will cover different investment vehicles, risk tolerance, diversification, and the difference between active and passive investing, as well as investment fees and taxes. Whether you are just getting started investing or want to play a more active role in your investment decisions, this course can provide you with the knowledge to feel comfortable in the investing decisions you make for yourself and your family.

The Fundamentals of Personal Finance Specialization

This Specialization is intended for anyone looking to take control of their finances. Through these courses, you will cover a variety of personal finance topics, including budgets, investing, and managing risk. The readings, videos, and activities will prepare you to understand the current state of your money, as well as take action to work toward your financial goals.

Personal Finance by Khan Academy

This course, Welcome to Personal Finance!, provides a comprehensive collection of videos and articles covering essential topics like saving, investing, managing debt, and insurance. It aims to give you a solid foundation in personal finance, equipping you with the knowledge and skills to make informed financial decisions. Whether you’re just starting your financial journey or looking to enhance your existing knowledge, this course offers valuable insights to help you effectively manage your personal finances.

PurdueX: Personal Finance

This personal finance course dives straight into the essential knowledge you need to navigate the often bewildering world of investments, credit, insurance, and retirement planning. Divided into four clear modules, each covering a critical area, the course empowers you to decode financial jargon and make informed decisions confidently. Whether you’re curious about Roth IRAs, credit card choices, or maximizing your retirement savings, this course breaks down complex concepts with real-world examples and practical solutions. By the end, you’ll not only understand these topics but also see how they connect, preparing you to manage your finances wisely at any stage of life.

An Introductory Course in Personal Finance and Credit

Learn how to manage your finances and access increased credit lines from banks with this free online course. This masterclass in personal finance and credit is a free online personal finance course where you will learn how personal finance works and how to build and sustain a top-rated credit status to reach your financial goals. This course begins by unraveling the foundational elements where you learn tips about creating a budget and how to allocate personal funds for investing by analyzing your spending habits and many other personal finance basics.

Artificial Intelligence in Personal Finance and Investments

Learn how Artificial Intelligence can help you automate tasks, analyze trends, and make smart use of your money.

This course explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming personal finance! Learn how AI helps you analyze your financial data, manage your investments through robo-advisors, and make informed decisions about your financial future. We cover everything from budgeting basics to advanced AI applications in investment management, expense tracking, savings, and more. Enrol now and uncover the potential of AI for your financial well-being!

Introduction to Personal Finance Management and Wealth Building

This free online course will teach you to take control of your money and establish proper financial practices. Personal financial management is a broad topic that encompasses budgeting, retirement planning, saving, insurance, and debt reduction. You do not have to be a finance expert to understand what these terms mean and how they affect you. This course will help you broaden your knowledge of how they all work together to avoid poor financial decisions as you become self-sufficient and build solid financial stability for you and your family.

Practical Lessons on Personal Finance

Take control of your personal finances and learn practical lessons about money management in this free online course. This free online course improves your money-management skills and overall financial literacy. Explore topics like intelligent savings, wise spending, electronic money management, investment strategies, and more. These simple yet effective techniques can turn your finances around so sign up to learn how to take advantage of opportunities and do more with less.

IUx: Planning for Risk and Retirement

Learn to assess your tolerance for risk, evaluate investment products, and develop an investment mindset. This course prepares you to compare insurance policies, and calculate your need for retirement income and includes a step-by-step workshop on retirement planning.

MichiganX: Finance for Everyone: Smart Tools for Decision-Making

This course covers essential topics like the time value of money, evaluating loans, and understanding stocks and bonds. You’ll learn to make smart financial choices, whether you’re deciding to rent or buy, evaluate loans, or explore educational investments. With no prerequisites except curiosity and a positive attitude, this course uses real-world examples to help you master financial concepts and tools, ensuring you’re equipped to make informed personal and professional decisions.

MITx: Foundations of Modern Finance II

This course introduces financial derivatives, and their valuation models, and explores the capital structure decisions of firms. You’ll learn to measure risk and value financial assets using advanced models and analytics, applying these techniques to stocks, bonds, project valuation, and capital budgeting. This course empowers you to understand the core of financial decision-making and equips you with the tools to evaluate business investments and determine fair asset prices.

Introduction to Managing Your Personal Finance Debts

Learn more about how to reduce your personal financial debts, with this free online personal finance course. This free online course in managing personal financial debts is designed to teach you good debt management practices and give you helpful tips for alleviating and managing your debt burden. When serious financial problems arise in life, people are often forced to take out loans, which can pile up, and eventually become unmanageable. This free online course will cover the prevention and alleviation of personal debt issues.

Effective Cashflow Management in a Crisis

Learn how to maintain an emergency fund and manage cash flow during a crisis in this free online personal finance course. This personal finance provides some money-saving tips and tricks to help you cope with unexpected emergencies. We teach you how to limit living costs, reduce energy and gas bills, save your pocket change, and grow your savings. We explain how to establish and maintain an emergency fund that provides the peace of mind you need to lead a stress-free life.

Financial Markets

This course provides a comprehensive overview of the ideas, methods, and institutions that help society manage risks and foster enterprise. With seven modules, it emphasizes financially savvy leadership skills and explores current practices and future prospects. You’ll delve into risk management and behavioral finance principles, gaining insights into the functioning of securities, insurance, and banking industries. The ultimate goal is to equip you with the knowledge to use these industries effectively, contributing to a better society. Through this course, you’ll develop the skills to navigate financial challenges and lead with confidence.

Creating a Budget with Microsoft Excel

This Course teaches you how to create a budget template in Excel using the free version of Microsoft Office Excel. You’ll learn to use Excel’s powerful features, including functions, formulas, tables, and graphs, to organize and analyze your financial data effectively. Whether for business or personal use, you’ll master both automatic and manual budgeting step-by-step. Excel simplifies record-keeping and tracking expenditures, increasing accuracy and efficiency. Basic graphing techniques will help present budget data clearly. No advanced Excel skills are needed, as you’ll use built-in templates and simple formulas to create a comprehensive budget for any purpose.

Finance for Everyone Specialization

The Finance for Everyone Specialization will help you learn the language of finance and understand how the flow of money relates to the most important key social issues influencing our lives and communities. You’ll examine the connections between global and local finance; the flow of assets through businesses, governments, and other institutions; and the commodity, bond, and equity market dynamics that create and destroy financial value. When you complete the Specialization, you’ll be able to better understand both global financial news and your own personal financial decisions.

Risk Management in Personal Finance

This course is primarily aimed at those who want to understand more about how they can protect their finances from unexpected events. Taught by a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional, this course covers the role insurance plays in your financial plan, including what kinds of insurance to explore, how to determine how much insurance you need, and how different kinds of insurance work. The course includes life insurance, health insurance, disability insurance, homeowners insurance, renters insurance, auto insurance, and umbrella insurance. You will also learn about estate planning, including the documents involved and special considerations for new parents. This course helps you understand how protecting your money is an important part of financial planning.

Finance for Everyone: Debt

This Course dives into the complexities of debt, tackling one of the most challenging financial questions: how much to borrow. You’ll learn why debt is tempting, especially with low borrowing costs, and how to determine the optimal debt level for maximizing corporate value. The course covers key concepts like norms and benchmarks, exploring debt’s impact on individuals and public sector organizations, including governments. Through case-based learning, you’ll uncover hidden financial information and understand when debt can be beneficial or detrimental. This comprehensive approach ensures you gain a cohesive understanding of debt management and its broader implications.

Saving Money for the Future

This course is designed for anyone who currently has, or will have in the future, savings goals. Learners will come to understand the importance of compounding growth, the variables that impact setting goals like retirement savings, and how much money you need to save now to reach future goals. The course will help learners think through individual goals, like retirement, but also how those goals fit into your bigger financial picture. For example, saving for retirement, buying a home, and funding college for your kids all at the same time. The instructors will also cover how preparing for emergencies can prevent the derailment of those financial goals. The concepts covered in this course are broad but through the activities offered, learners will see how to apply what they are learning about saving money for the future to their lives now.

Get ready to learn, grow, and gain the confidence you need to take control of your money and achieve your financial dreams! ✨

FAQ:

1. What is a personal finance course?

A personal finance course is a structured program that teaches individuals how to manage their money effectively. It covers topics like budgeting, saving, investing, debt management, and retirement planning. These courses can be delivered online, in person, or through self-study materials.

2. Why should I take a personal finance course?

Taking a personal finance course offers numerous benefits:

Gain Financial Confidence: You’ll understand how money works and make informed decisions about your finances.
Achieve Financial Goals: Learn how to budget, save, and invest effectively to reach your goals.
Reduce Debt: Master strategies for managing debt and reducing its impact on your finances.
Prepare for Retirement: Plan for your financial future and ensure you have enough resources for retirement.

3. What are the different types of personal finance courses available?

Personal finance courses come in various forms:

Online Courses: Convenient, flexible, and often self-paced.
In-person Classes: Interactive, offer personal attention from instructors, and allow for networking with classmates.
Books and Articles: Provide self-guided learning, but might require more initiative to stay on track.
Workshops and Seminars: Offer concentrated learning on specific topics like budgeting or investing.

4. How do I choose the right personal finance course for me?

Consider the following factors when choosing a course:

Your Learning Style: Prefer online or in-person learning?
Your Financial Goals: What do you want to achieve with your money?
Your Time Commitment: How much time are you willing to dedicate to learning?
Your Budget: Are you looking for free or paid courses?

5. Are there any free personal finance courses available?

Yes! Many free resources are available:

Khan Academy: Offers a comprehensive personal finance course.
Coursera: Has several free personal finance courses available through audit mode.
EdX: Offers free personal finance courses from reputable universities.
YouTube: Search for personal finance channels like “The Financial Diet” or “NerdWallet.”

6. What are some of the best online personal finance courses?

Here are some top-rated online courses:

The Complete Financial Planning Course: Teaches financial planning fundamentals, budgeting, saving, and investing.
Financial Planning for Beginners: Focuses on basic concepts and strategies for beginners.
Investing for Beginners: Covers stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and other investment options.

7. How can I find a reputable personal finance course?

In this blog post, we curated the top 20 best free personal finance courses.

8. What should I expect to learn in a personal finance course?

Common topics covered include:

Budgeting: Creating and managing a budget to track income and expenses.
Saving: Building an emergency fund, saving for retirement, and achieving financial goals.
Investing: Understanding different investment options, managing risk, and building a portfolio.
Debt Management: Strategies for managing credit cards, student loans, and other debts.
Retirement Planning: Planning for retirement income and securing a comfortable future.

9. Can a personal finance course help me get out of debt?

Yes! A personal finance course can teach you effective debt management strategies. You’ll learn about:

Debt consolidation: Combining multiple debts into one.
Debt snowball method: Paying off debts starting with the smallest balance.
Debt avalanche method: Focusing on debts with the highest interest rates.

10. What are the benefits of taking a personal finance course?

Taking a personal finance course can help you:

Increase your financial knowledge: Gain a better understanding of money management principles.
Improve your financial habits: Develop positive spending and saving habits.
Achieve your financial goals: Reach your goals faster by making informed decisions.
Reduce financial stress: Gain confidence in managing your finances and reduce worry.
Build a secure future: Take control of your financial future and plan for long-term financial stability.