Learning path
Start investing
“Everyone says start early. Start what, exactly?”
What you're actually buying, why the 401(k) match comes first, how compounding rewards starting now, and the account order that builds wealth on autopilot.
12 lessons · about 76 minutes · across 4 tracks · 100% free
Saved on this device only — no account needed.
- Investing Basics
1. Stocks, bonds, funds, and ETFs — what you're actually buying
A stock is a slice of a company. A bond is a loan. A fund is a basket of both. Once you know that, investing stops feeling like gambling.
8 min read
- Investing Basics
2. Risk, return, and diversification — the only free lunch
Higher returns come bolted to bigger swings, by design. Learn to tell a scary dip from a permanent loss, and why owning everything beats betting on anything.
7 min read
- Investing Basics
3. Your first $100 — opening an account and actually starting
You don't need wealth, a finance degree, or perfect timing — just a brokerage account, $100, and a boring index fund. Here's the walkthrough, including the one fee that matters.
7 min read
- Retirement & 401(k)
4. What a 401(k) is — and why the match is free money
The 401(k) is the most valuable employee benefit most people ignore. Learn how it works, what an employer match pays you, and why skipping it is turning down a raise.
5 min read
- Retirement & 401(k)
5. Roth vs traditional — pay taxes now or later?
Traditional saves tax today; Roth saves it in retirement. Compare the two fairly, see when each wins, and learn the 2025 limits and rules.
6 min read
- Retirement & 401(k)
6. Compound growth — why starting at 22 beats starting at 32
Compound interest pays you on your past earnings, not just your savings. See the real math behind the Rule of 72, and why ten years of waiting can cost $345,000.
5 min read
- Building long-term wealth
7. Net worth: the real scoreboard
Your salary is not your score. Learn to calculate net worth in one subtraction, why a lower earner can be wealthier than you, and which three levers move the number.
6 min read
- Building long-term wealth
8. Asset allocation and diversification
See all your accounts as one portfolio, understand the stocks-bonds-cash tradeoff, why diversification lowers risk for free, and how to rebalance when your mix drifts.
6 min read
- Building long-term wealth
9. The account order of operations
Where should your next spare dollar go? Learn the seven-step order — debt, emergency fund, 401(k) match, HSA, IRA, more 401(k), brokerage — and the return each step earns.
6 min read
- Building long-term wealth
10. Wealth-destroying mistakes to recognize
Most of building wealth is dodging seven expensive mistakes: timing the market, panic-selling, lifestyle inflation, high fees, hot tips, concentration and idle cash. Learn to spot each one.
6 min read
- Financial independence & early retirement (FIRE)
11. What financial independence really means
Financial independence means work becomes optional, not that you never work again. See why your savings rate, not your salary, decides how many years it takes.
7 min read
- Financial independence & early retirement (FIRE)
12. The math of FIRE: the 25x rule and the 4% guideline
Turn your annual spending into an FI number with the 25× rule, map your savings rate to a timeline, and see where the 4% guideline stops being reliable.
7 min read
Tracks on this route
Want more on any stop? Each of these tracks is a full course you can read end to end.
- Investing Basics
- Retirement & 401(k)
- Building long-term wealth
- Financial independence & early retirement (FIRE)