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Free NPMCA course · 9 lessons

Personal Finance 201: Build Wealth

Free lessons on a full emergency fund, 401(k)s and IRAs, investing basics, tax credits, how much vehicle you can afford, and renting or buying a home.

A glass jar full of coins with a small green plant growing from the top

Photo: Towfiqu barbhuiya / Pexels, Pexels License

Lessons

  1. P201.1
    From starter cushion to full emergency fund

    4-minute read

  2. P201.2
    Retirement at work: 401(k)s and the match

    5-minute read

  3. P201.3
    Retirement on your own: IRAs, Roth and self-employed accounts

    5-minute read

  4. P201.4
    Investing basics: how money grows and what it costs

    4-minute read

  5. P201.5
    Investing traps: hype, crypto, day trading and "guaranteed" returns

    4-minute read

  6. P201.6
    Taxes, level two: credits, refunds and free filing

    5-minute read

  7. P201.7
    Cars and trucks: how much vehicle you can afford

    4-minute read

  8. P201.8
    Rent or buy a home

    5-minute read

  9. P201.9
    Earn more: skills, trust and your next chapter

    5-minute read

Course final

Take the course final

Up to 20 questions from this course's lesson checks, scored when you finish. Pass with 80% to earn the course badge and a certificate of completion. Retakes are unlimited. It needs a free NPMCA account.

Go to the course final →

Course wrap-up

Your capstone Move

Build "My wealth plan": one page, or one note in your phone, made from this course's Moves. It holds your emergency fund target and monthly amount, your retirement accounts and the percentage going in, your investing plan and no-speculation rule, your rules for your next vehicle and your housing, and your 12-month earning plan. Check it against this list:

  • My emergency fund has a dollar target, its own insured account and an automatic transfer, and my Winter Fund stays separate.
  • I know my retirement accounts, my match and vesting, and the percentage of household income going in.
  • I've run the growth calculator, I know what my funds charge, and my no-speculation rule is written down.
  • I've compared my vehicles with half my yearly income, and my next vehicle has a price, a date and a monthly cash amount.
  • I know the housing payment that fits my budget, and I've booked a HUD-approved counselor if I'm thinking about buying.
  • My 12-month earning plan names one skill, one credential and one conversation, each with a date.

Review it every winter, when the work slows down.

What's next

Personal Finance 202: Lead Your Family. It turns this plan into a household plan: money talks with your partner, kids, insurance, a will, Social Security and a 10-year plan.