In this article:
- 1. Introduction to Personal Finance (University of Florida via Coursera)
- 2. Personal and Family Financial Planning (University of Florida via Coursera)
- 3. Financial Literacy (Khan Academy)
- 4. Finance for Everyone: Smart Tools for Decision-Making (University of Michigan via edX)
- 5. Planning for Risk and Retirement (Kelley School of Business via edX)
- 6. Introduction to Managing Your Personal Finance Debts (Alison)
- 7. Behavioral Finance (Duke University via Coursera)
- 8. Personal Finance Essentials (McGill University)
- 9. Financial Markets (Yale University via Coursera)
Does managing your money sometimes feel overwhelming? Taking a course on personal finance can help you learn the basics and gain confidence—and you don't need to enroll in college (or even leave the house) to do it. Some of the best online personal finance courses to consider include Khan Academy's free Financial Literacy course, Coursera's one-week Introduction to Personal Finance, edX's Finance for Everyone and the seven others below.
1. Introduction to Personal Finance (University of Florida via Coursera)
Looking for a quick course to get your feet wet? The University of Florida's Introduction to Personal Finance course, taught by certified financial planners, takes just one week and about 10 hours. This general overview of personal finance covers budgeting, cash flow, setting financial goals, taxes, credit scores and more, helping you assess your current financial situation and take action toward your priorities. Learn at your own pace through videos, reading and activities that help you apply concepts in real life. Completing the course earns a certificate you can share on LinkedIn.
| Best for | Those seeking a quick, basic personal finance course |
|---|---|
| Knowledge level | Beginner |
| Cost | $49 or included with Coursera Plus |
| Length | 1 week, 10 hours per week |
2. Personal and Family Financial Planning (University of Florida via Coursera)
The Personal and Family Financial Planning course takes you through topics such as budgeting, saving, taxes and maintaining good credit. Unlike University of Florida's shorter personal finance course above, this one includes a second week where you'll learn how to use insurance to manage risk, the fundamentals of investing and how to invest through mutual funds. You'll end by creating a personal action plan. Learn through videos, readings and quizzes; completion earns a certificate that's shareable on LinkedIn.
| Best for | Those seeking a slightly more in-depth course than Introduction to Personal Finance |
|---|---|
| Knowledge level | Beginner |
| Cost | $49 or included with Coursera Plus |
| Length | 2 weeks, 10 hours per week |
3. Financial Literacy (Khan Academy)
With 14 units covering budgeting and saving, consumer credit, loans and debt, insurance, setting financial goals, investing for retirement, scams and fraud, taxes, employment, banking, car buying and housing, plus additional resources, Khan Academy's Financial Literacy course gives you a thorough, practical grounding in personal finance.
Each unit includes instructional videos, articles and interactive exercises so you can apply what you learn to real life. As you complete exercises, you level up to master each skill and track your progress. Take the units in any order or pick and choose the ones you want. Like all Khan Academy courses, Financial Literacy is free.
| Best for | Those seeking a comprehensive, free introductory course |
|---|---|
| Knowledge level | Beginner |
| Cost | Free |
| Length | 14 self-paced units |
4. Finance for Everyone: Smart Tools for Decision-Making (University of Michigan via edX)
Finance for Everyone: Smart Tools for Decision-Making is a self-paced, comprehensive course focused on real-world decision-making. Mirroring a true college course, there are weekly learning modules from university instructors including videos and interactive learning exercises. You'll gain the tools to confidently make all your financial decisions—from buying a car to taking out student loans.
While there are no prerequisites, comfort with high school algebra will help. You can audit the course for free or enroll in the premium course, which includes graded tests and a certificate upon successful completion, for $59.
| Best for | Those seeking practical tools for making everyday financial decisions |
|---|---|
| Knowledge level | Beginner; familiarity with high school algebra is helpful |
| Cost | Free to audit; $59 for the verified track with grading and certificate |
| Length | 6 weeks, 5-6 hours per week |
5. Planning for Risk and Retirement (Kelley School of Business via edX)
If you've got the basics (like budgeting and credit) under your belt or just want to dive a little deeper into risk management and retirement planning, this course could be for you. The self-paced, four-week Planning for Risk and Retirement course devotes half the lessons to insurance and half to retirement savings.
You'll learn how to protect yourself with life, home and auto insurance, explore your risk tolerance for investing, assess your income needs in retirement and work step-by-step to develop a retirement plan. The self-paced course includes videos, reading and activities, as well as the option to earn a certificate.
| Best for | Those interested in understanding insurance, investing and retirement planning |
|---|---|
| Knowledge level | Beginner |
| Cost | Free to audit; $199 for the verified track with grading and certificate |
| Length | 4 weeks, 4-6 hours per week |
6. Introduction to Managing Your Personal Finance Debts (Alison)
If debt is weighing you down, Alison's free personal finance course can help you develop a plan to tackle it. In just a few hours, you'll create a spreadsheet to identify and prioritize debts, determine which debts to pay off first based on interest rates or minimum payments and explore different debt payoff strategies. You'll also learn how to negotiate lower interest rates with creditors and how to implement an emergency debt payoff plan if necessary. There's the option to earn a certificate for completing the course.
| Best for | Those seeking a plan to pay off debt |
|---|---|
| Knowledge level | Beginner |
| Cost | Free |
| Length | 1.5-3 hours |
7. Behavioral Finance (Duke University via Coursera)
Do you want to make better financial choices? Behavioral Finance is a self-paced, five-hour course focused on the psychological aspects of personal finance. Theoretically, people make financial decisions based on rational thinking. In practice, however, their choices are often driven by emotion or common biases that cause them to make bad decisions.
In this course, you'll learn about common biases, how to identify them and how to avoid them so you can make smarter decisions about spending, saving and investing going forward. Completing the course gives you the option to earn a certificate you can share to your LInkedIn profile.
| Best for | Those interested in the psychology of financial decision-making and how to avoid bad decisions |
|---|---|
| Knowledge level | Beginner |
| Cost | $49 or included with Coursera Plus |
| Length | 5 hours |
8. Personal Finance Essentials (McGill University)
Canadians seeking personal finance knowledge can benefit from this self-paced course designed in collaboration with the Royal Bank of Canada. You'll start by covering budgeting, the time value of money, compound interest and debt. The course then explains basic investing principles and investment options such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs and guaranteed investment certificates (GICs).
You'll also learn about retirement planning and various possible sources of retirement income. Bonus modules cover responsible investing and cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.
| Best for | Canadians wishing to improve financial literacy |
|---|---|
| Knowledge level | Beginner |
| Cost | Free |
| Length | 2-3 hours total |
9. Financial Markets (Yale University via Coursera)
Financial Markets is a self-paced, three-week course that provides an overview of how banking, insurance and securities function in society. If you've ever struggled to understand how inflation works or what the federal funds rate means for your budget, this course could be for you.
You'll begin by learning about the basics of financial markets and insurance before diving into concepts such as pricing, debt, inflation, stocks, bonds, dividends, options, shares and market caps. You'll come away with a better understanding of how financial institutions affect our daily lives.
| Best for | Those interested in a big-picture overview of how financial institutions work |
|---|---|
| Knowledge level | Beginner |
| Cost | $49 or included with Coursera Plus |
| Length | 3 weeks, 10-11 hours per week |
Take Charge of Your Finances
Knowledge is power, and taking a personal finance course can give you the knowledge you need to make the most of your money. Taking charge of your credit can help, too. Good credit scores can make it easier to access credit with better terms and lower interest rates, which can smooth the path to your financial goals.
You can start by checking your credit report and FICO® Score☉ Θ for free from Experian. You'll be able to see what impacts your credit scores and get insights into things you can do to improve your credit.