How to Learn More About Personal Finance
By Grace McGowan
Knowledge about personal finance is one of the most important skill sets for adult life. However, many of us don’t learn about personal finance in school, and we enter adulthood feeling like we are missing information we need to understand things like loans, credit, insurance, investing, taxes, and more. How should you manage debt? How do you make smart purchases and investments? How do you build wealth? Trying to seek out all of this information can feel overwhelming. Women in particular can feel like it’s difficult to break into the finance world, and many of us don’t know where to begin or how to educate ourselves. Here are five great, free resources that answer the need-to-know personal finance questions and will help you make smart, informed financial decisions.
1. CNN’s Money Essentials
CNN’s Money Essentials defines and explains all of the financial basics like investing your money, buying a home, getting a job, and planning for family and retirement. The “Getting Started” section is especially helpful for beginners, breaking down banking, spending, debt, taxes, and how to set financial goals. These easy to read explanations are a great place to start in understanding all of the pieces involved in personal finance.
2. My Top Three Personal Finance Blogs
Blogs dedicated to personal finance contain an abundance of information. My personal recommendations for college students are Money Under 30, The College Investor, and 20 Something Finance. Even though these blogs are geared towards a younger crowd, they contain information that can be useful for all stages of life. These blogs are great because they cover the basics but also get into more detailed topics.
3. Khan Academy Finance and Capital Markets
Khan Academy’s Finance and Capital Markets series will teach you about the ins and outs of interest, stocks, inflation, banking, and so much more. I like the video format of Khan Academy, which I think makes it easier to understand more complex topics. Check out this series if you want to go beyond the basics. The videos get into the more complicated facets of finance, but it can be helpful to understand the larger meanings and implications of inflation, for example, while also learning what it means for you and your finances.
4. Bad With Money
Comedian and acclaimed author Gaby Dunn explores the intersection of finance and social justice on her podcast, Bad With Money. On each episode, she and a guest (a journalist, politician, activist, or financial expert) explore different financial issues that we face today, such as rent, health insurance, and student loans, with a refreshing and brutally honest viewpoint. Bad With Money is comedic, relatable, and never fails to teach me something new. This podcast is free on a variety of streaming platforms (Apple Podcasts linked above).
5. Take a personal finance course at Villanova
This isn’t technically a free resource like the others in this article, but since we’re paying tuition anyway, we might as well use our credit hours to learn more about personal finance. There are three different personal finance courses offered in Spring 2020: ASPD 2011 (1 credit), VSB 2500 (3 credits), and HON 5300 (1 credit). Anyone can enroll in these courses, though HON 5300 requires special permission if you are not in the Honors program. Consider adding one of these courses to your schedule next spring, or at least making time for one before you graduate. At the least, adding a 1 credit course to your schedule is an easy way to learn about finance without adding too much stress to your schedule or overloading. Taking a personal finance course is perhaps the most effective, in-depth way to set yourself up for financial stability and to build your confidence in managing your finances.
