Financial Literacy Resources
General Personal Financial Management Guides
Government of Canada Money Management Resources
This is a database of information on topics ranging from how to create a budget to how to use credit cards to how to plan for retirement. This is a solid resource for a general overview of how to establish good financial health. Note that this is Canada-centric, though the principles are generalizable to other countries too.
Government of Australia Money Management Resources
This is a collection of information on money management, debt reduction, and investment strategy for Australian citizens/residents.
This is a flowchart of the steps you should take (and in what order) to establish financial security. This is US-centric, though the general principles hold globally.
This is a flowchart similar to the one above, but for citizens/residents of the UK.
Personal Finance Subreddit Money Management Guide
This provides a general overview of the steps involved in establishing sustainable personal finances, from creating a budget, to creating an emergency fund, to investing. Note that this is US-centric, though the general principles hold globally. The above flowchart is sourced from this document.
Budget Apps
One of the most popular budget apps, YNAB (You Need a Budget) is a great way to automatically track your budget and spending, as it allows you to link your financial accounts to pull spending/income info automatically.
A solid alternative to YNAB, Goodbudget is somewhat simpler. It’s a good option if you just want to track basic spending & income info. Note that info needs to be added manually to Goodbudget.
Quicken is a great tool for tracking personal finances and investments in greater detail than YNAB or Goodbudget. It is much more complex than either but also more powerful and customizable in terms of the info you can track & automatically import. Quicken is good if you have a substantial investment portfolio you would like to track in addition to your budget.
Government of Canada Budget Planner
This free tool from the Government of Canada lets you quickly set up a basic budget. It’s a good tool for getting a general overview of your income vs. spending.
Debt Management
Government of Canada Six Steps to Get Out of Debt
This guide from the Government of Canada outlines the steps you should take to get out of debt if your debt is hard to manage, and has a number of helpful links with more information on each step. While this is Canada-centric, the general principles apply globally.
Investing Resources
This is a general overview of different ways to invest, from a US perspective. Investopedia itself is a great resource for more detailed and deep-dive information on the principles of investing.
This is a wiki containing investment advice (US-focused but applicable globally) based on the investment philosophy of John Bogle, founder of the Vanguard Group. This investment philosophy emphasizes simplicity, exposure to a wide range of assets through index funds, and investing for the long term. This strategy is easy to implement and generally optimal for personal investing.
Credit Monitoring
This is a tool to check your credit score in Canada for free, without impacting your score (i.e. not a hard inquiry).
This is a tool to check your credit score in the USA for free, without impacting your score (i.e. not a hard inquiry).
