Start here: learn personal finance from scratch

If you do not know where to begin, follow these guides in order. Each level builds on the previous one: first you organise your money, then you learn to invest it and, finally, to analyse companies and property. Guides you open are marked as read (in this browser only) so you can see your progress.

1. Level 1: Get your finances in order

   Know where your money goes, build a cushion for emergencies and get rid of expensive debt.

   1. The 50/30/20 rule: how to budget your money
   2. Emergency fund: how much you need and where to keep it
   3. Debt avalanche vs snowball: which method eliminates debt faster
   4. High-yield savings account vs money market fund: where to park your cash
   5. What is inflation and how does it affect your money?

   Practise with: Loan calculator

2. Level 2: Save and invest

   Understand why to invest, how much risk you can take and how to start with index funds or ETFs.

   1. What is compound interest and how does it grow your money?
   2. Why you should start investing today (not tomorrow)
   3. What is risk tolerance in investing and why it matters
   4. What is an ETF and how to invest in one
   5. What is Dollar Cost Averaging (DCA) and why it works
   6. How to build an investment portfolio from scratch
   7. How to open a brokerage account: step-by-step guide

   Practise with: Compound interest calculator

3. Level 3: Learn to analyse stocks

   Read a company's accounts, understand its ratios and judge whether its price is reasonable.

   1. How to do a basic fundamental analysis of a stock
   2. P/E ratio explained: how to value a stock
   3. ROE explained: measuring management quality
   4. How to read a company's income statement
   5. Free cash flow: why it matters more than earnings
   6. How to value a stock: multiples and discounted cash flow
   7. Panic Selling: Why We Sell at the Worst Possible Moment

   Practise with: Company profiles · Stock analyzer

4. Level 4: Housing and property investing

   Know how much mortgage you can afford, what buying costs and when a rental pays off.

   1. How much mortgage can you afford? Debt-to-income explained
   2. How much does buying a house really cost? All the fees explained
   3. Fixed vs variable rate mortgage: which is right for you?
   4. Rental Yield: Gross vs Net, How to Calculate It, and What It Means
   5. What is cash flow in real estate investing?
   6. Real estate leverage: when it multiplies and when it destroys

   Practise with: Mortgage calculator · Rental property calculator