Managing money can be a nightmare to say the least; even if you’re good with numbers.
Tracking accounts, budgeting and investing is complicated, but the good news is there are personal finance tools and online courses available to help Canadians figure it all out.
Below, we will look at the features and benefits of some of the top personal finance courses available online.
To begin our list, we will look at a free budgeting program called My Money Coach.
This website offers courses that are delivered via interactive webinars or workshops, and consists of:
These webinars go into financial topics including, but not limited to:
What’s really unique about this course is they also offer a grocery component, giving tips on creating healthy and financially stable meals and ways to create economical meal plans.
This workshop is led by the Credit Counselling Society to help Canadians develop better money management skills and use credit wisely.
The education team goes to communities in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario to deliver their message via webinars, train the trainer presentations and information sessions.
Participants include community agencies, employers and post-secondary institutions.
My Money Coach is perfect for Canadians who want an overall education about personal finances and how to manage them.
The premise behind this e-course is that everyone should have access to free knowledge that can help them climb out of debt.
The content is tailored to 20 somethings who are in debt because of steep education costs and want to learn how to make more money, pay off debt and invest to build wealth.
The course is broken down into 8 modules. The first 3 modules set users up with the basic information and tools needed to start a debt repayment plan. Much of the later modules provide motivation and inspiration to help users put their plan into motion.
There are also free downloadable Millennial Money Spreadsheets which include:
• The Budget Pie
• Debt Buster
• 2 Year Simple Savings Plan
• Save Six-Figures In 7 Years
Money After Graduation’s Debt Crusher eCourse is ideal for young Canadians who want to build long-term, sustainable wealth.
The Canadian Securities Institute’s (CSI) flagship Canadian Securities Course (CSC) offers basic training for those who want to work in the Canadian securities industry.
Participants who take the course will develop:
• A stronger understanding of the financial services landscape in Canada
• Increased knowledge about financial instruments such as fixed-income securities, equities, managed products, derivatives and more
• The skills needed to assess industry, market and company performance accurately
• Ability, tools and knowledge to best serve clients
The CSC is great for Canadians who want to get a general understanding of how the Canadian financial system works.
The course costs about $1,000 but you can save some money by signing up for the CSI newsletter, which frequently includes coupon codes for this course.
For full CSC details, visit the CSI website.
The Financial Post has compiled a list of free online courses related to finance from many sources including major educational institutions such as Yale, Stanford and Columbia.
The list also includes massive open online courses (MOOCs) offered for free on websites such as Udacity and Coursera.
Although they probably won’t help you get a job in the industry, they will definitely give you a well-rounded education on personal finance.
They begin the list with a course on financial markets taught by Professor Bob Shiller, an economist, academic, best-selling author, and American Nobel Laureate. Professor Shiller is famous for predicting the dotcom bust in 2000 and the U.S. housing crash in 2007.
Whether you want to budget your finances, get out of debt or build wealth, the above personal finance courses will put you in the right direction.
