Free Resources
Financial Literacy Articles
Plain-language guides to budgeting, credit, saving, investing, debt, and taxes. Free to read, written for people who were never taught this in school.
Budgeting
- Budgeting
How To Build Your First Budget
A step-by-step walkthrough for turning your income into a plan you can actually stick to.
6 min read - Budgeting
The 50/30/20 Rule, Explained
Needs, wants, and savings — how the most popular budgeting split works and when it does not.
5 min read - Budgeting
Tracking Your Spending Without An App
Simple pen-and-paper and spreadsheet methods for seeing exactly where your money goes.
4 min read
Credit
- Credit
What Is A Credit Score, And How Is It Calculated?
The five factors behind your score, which ones matter most, and what moves the number.
6 min read - Credit
Your First Credit Card: What To Look For
Annual fees, APR, rewards, and the traps that catch first-time cardholders.
5 min read - Credit
How To Build Credit From Zero
Secured cards, authorized user status, and the habits that establish a credit history.
5 min read
Saving
Investing
- Investing
Investing Basics: Stocks, Bonds, And Index Funds
What you are actually buying, how risk and return trade off, and where beginners start.
7 min read - Investing
Compound Interest: Why Starting Early Wins
The math that makes a small amount saved at 18 outrun a large amount saved at 40.
5 min read - Investing
Roth IRAs Explained: Retirement Saving In Your Twenties
Why a retirement account you open at 22 is worth far more than one you open at 35.
6 min read
Debt
- Debt
Student Loans: Understanding Your Options
Subsidized, unsubsidized, and private loans — plus repayment plans worth knowing before you sign.
7 min read - Debt
Avalanche vs. Snowball: Two Ways To Pay Down Debt
One method saves the most money, the other keeps you motivated. Here is how to choose.
5 min read