When your parents were in high school, their curriculum probably included a personal finance class. This course taught students the basics of day to day financial literacy, including how to set up a budget and how to balance a checkbook.

Unfortunately, as the decades have passed, many high schools have phased out this important course. As a result, a number of millennials are amazing at a number of things including how to use technology, but may be lacking in a solid knowledge of money and finances, as well as what it takes to start their own business.



Fortunately, there are a number of types of educational programs that are easy to access and fit into your busy schedule that can help get you up to speed on your financial knowledge and health. For example, check out the following ideas:

Amway Education

If you are interested in entrepreneurship and/or working for yourself, along with learning more about finances in general, Amway Education is a great place to start. From the moment you sign up for the program, you can get access to a full library of print materials, along with a huge online curriculum of over 80 courses — all of which are designed to help you learn at your own pace. The classes are all free and were created with the help of Independent Business Owners who truly understand the challenges of being an entrepreneur. Rather than scheduling time to sit in a regular classroom, you can complete as much of the Amway Education program as you wish from the comfort of home; if you want to learn more about it, check out Amway’s YouTube page at any time.

CNN’s Money 101

CNN Money offers free online lessons on an impressive 23 financial topics including spending, debt, stocks, bonds, taxes and much more. Each online course includes a great deal of detailed info and a test at the end of the lesson will help you make sure that you grasped the concepts. In addition to being flexible, the online program covers topics that range from the more basic to complex, and you can go through the courses in any order that you choose. For example, the course on Banking offers tips on how to get “free” checking with interest and how to shop around for the best deals on checks, and the course on Traditional IRAs explains who can contribute and how much, plus the benefits of doing so.

Udemy’s Core Four of Personal Finance

Udemy offers a number of online financial courses that can help boost your knowledge about money and ultimately your finances. For example, the free Core Four of Personal Finance course is made up of 17 lectures that help teach you the basics of money — one step, one day and one dollar at a time. You will learn how to manage your debt, how to earn more money, how to reduce expenses and how much you need for retirement, along with a great budgeting tool that will help you to stay on track.

ALISON’s Financial Literacy Course

Another great online course that is also free to take is called Financial Literacy. Available on the ALISON website, it teaches how money can impact every area of your life. The interactive class offers seven modules that cover how to set up a bank account, work up a budget and plan for retirement, all of which will put you on a path to financial wellness.