Lesson 1 · Investing
What Happens If You Invest $100 a Month? The Honest Math
You put in $48,000. You could walk away with about $262,000. Here is exactly where the other $214,000 comes from, and why waiting ten years costs more than $140,000.
All lessons: personal finance for beginners
13 free lessons, in the order we recommend. Each one has a short video and a full write-up with the math, the assumptions and the sources.
Lesson 2 · Credit & Debt
The Credit Card Minimum Payment Trap: How $2,000 Becomes $4,600
Pay only the minimum on a $2,000 card and it takes almost 12 years and about $2,600 in interest to clear. Here is where every payment really goes, and three ways to escape.
Lesson 3 · Saving & Banking
How Banks Make Money: Your Bank Pays You 37¢ and Earns Up to $22 on Your $100
Your $100 isn't sitting in a vault. Here's what your bank actually does with it, how the spread turns 37 cents into up to $22, and how to get on the right side of the deal.
Lesson 4 · Credit & Debt
Your Credit Score, Explained: How It Works and How to Build One From Zero
A three-digit number helps decide your apartment, your car loan and your mortgage rate. Here's what goes into it, what drags it down, and how to build good credit from zero.
Lesson 5 · Saving & Banking
The Emergency Fund, Explained: How Much You Need and Where to Keep It
The same $2,000 car repair costs about $4,600 on a credit card and exactly $2,000 with an emergency fund. Here's how much you need, where to keep it and how to start when money is tight.
Lesson 6 · Budgeting & Planning
The 50/30/20 Rule, Explained: A Simple Budget for Beginners
Sam takes home $3,500 and it's gone in two weeks. Here's a budget that takes about 20 minutes to set up, runs almost by itself and never asks you to write down a single coffee.
Lesson 7 · Investing
Compound Interest Explained: Why $25 a Week Becomes $284,000
$25 a week, invested for 40 years, could grow to about $284,000 even though you only put in $52,000. Here's the curve behind it, and why the first ten years feel like nothing is happening.
Lesson 8 · Budgeting & Planning
The Smartest Order to Use Your Money: From Paycheck to Portfolio, Step by Step
You have $400 left over this month. Pay the card, save it or invest it? The order matters more than you think: skipping one free step at work can cost about $152,000 by retirement.
Lesson 9 · Investing
What Happens If You Invest $10,000 in an Index Fund? The Honest Math
Videos promise that $10,000 in an index fund becomes $700,000. That needs almost 15% a year for 30 years. Here's the honest version, how index funds beat most stock pickers, and the number you can actually plan on.
Lesson 10 · Big Money Decisions
Gas, Hybrid or Electric? What a Car Really Costs Over 5 vs 10 Years
Most comparisons stop at five years, right when a car has lost the most value. We run the honest math for 5 and 10 years, and show why the answer can flip just by keeping the same car longer.
Lesson 11 · Big Money Decisions
Lease, Finance or Pay Cash? The Honest Math of Your Next Car
Same $30,000 car, same day at the dealership: lease it, finance it or pay cash? We follow all three for 3, 6 and 10 years, and the gap at the end is about $30,000.
Lesson 12 · Big Money Decisions
Renting vs Buying a Home: Who Actually Wins? The Honest Math
"Renting is throwing money away." Is it? We follow a buyer and a renter with the same income and savings for 30 years, using today's rates and every real cost, and show the three conditions that actually decide the winner.
Lesson 13 · Investing
401(k) vs Roth IRA: Why It's a Perfect Tie (Until It Isn't)
Sam's 401(k) statement says $887,000 and Alex's Roth says $781,000. After tax, they keep exactly the same amount. Here's why, the four things that break the tie, and which account to fill first.