The following is a guest post by Brian Jenkins at BrainTrack.
Looking for free personal finance courses online? They're out there, and many are offered at no charge by top-notch institutions, including leading universities like Rutgers and Purdue. The courses won't turn you into a financial expert, but they will help you make smart choices with your money. And surely your friends will be impressed when you tell them you were accepted into Rutgers!
Let's take a look at some of the quality courses available:
Financial Security for All at eXtension
eXtension is an educational partnership of 74 universities. The lessons were developed by seasoned college professors. Fortunately, they left out the grueling exams! Courses are available for just about everyone in the following disciplines:
- Prepare your estate plan
- Take the road to financial security later in life
- Communicate your advance directives for health care
- Plan for a secure retirement
- Legally secure your financial future
- Recover after bankruptcy
eXtension offers more than personal finance lessons - financial experts from leading universities answer your specific questions for free!
Personal Finance at University of Idaho Extension
Before the current recession began, almost 15% of U.S families had debts exceeding 40 percent of their income. The University of Idaho is here to help. If you have made bad credit choices, been denied credit, or failed to reduce your debt, the University's Credit & Debt section provides expert advice.
According to the FBI, identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the United States. The University of Idaho offers easy to implement, practical advice to protect yourself against crafty identity thieves.
How are your assets going to be distributed upon your death? Instead of spending hours reading books on estate planning, let the University's financial experts lead you through the process with their informative Estate Planning lessons. They provide you with all the essential details.
Personal Finance at the Learning Center for American Financial Solutions (AFS)
American Financial Solutions is a leading, national non-profit counseling agency. After you successfully complete their courses, they provide you with a certificate that can be added to your credit file.
AFS offers the following free personal finance courses:
- Your Banking Relationship
- Setting Financial Goals & Making a Budget
- Introduction to Borrowing
- Understanding Credit and Credit Reports
- Identity Theft & Predatory Lending
- Introduction to Investing
- Your Financial Life - For Young Adults
- Children & Money Tips for Parents and Teachers
Planning for a Secure Retirement at Purdue
Offered through Purdue Extension, this program includes 10 modules about retirement planning. Each module includes specific objectives and activities. The content was developed by Sharon DeVaney, professor Emeritus. The economics of aging is one of her specialties.
Plan Well, Retire Well: A how-to guide from the University of Illinois Extension
In 2006, the University of Illinois Extension was given the National Internet Education Technology Communications Award by the National Extension Association for Family and Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS).
The website offers a thorough, easy to understand personal finance video. The content has been reviewed by people with Ph.D, CFPTM, and MBA after their names, so you know the information you're getting is of the highest quality. A Spanish version is also available.
Investing in Your Future at Rutgers
The Rutgers Cooperative Extension offers a basic home study course designed for beginning investors. The course reviews topics such as setting goals, asset allocation, dollar cost-averaging, stocks, bonds, and tax-advantage investments.
Fundamentals of Personal Finance Planning at University of California, Irvine
This program is offered via OpenCourseWare and offers a comprehensive overview of personal financial planning. The course is not intended to replace a professional financial planner; however, after taking the course, you'll be prepared to meet with a financial planner and make smart choices. The entire course takes about 25 to 30 hours to complete. It includes the following education modules:
- Figuring Out Where You Are
- Your Financial Goals
- Taxation
- Defense - Keeping Things From Interrupting Your Goals
- Investing
- Funding Education
- Funding Retirement
- Estate Planning
These free, online personal finance courses are definitely worthy of your consideration. They'll help you manage your money wisely.
Fantastic post, thanks!
Posted by: Linda K | March 19, 2011 at 04:28 PM
What a great freakin' post with amazing resources. Yes, in our days of having info at your finger tips via the Internet, the big names in education are trying to cash in with free content and course material. I personally think it is a win-win for everyone because it is advertising for the school and people can get amazing info for free. You can also get many podcasts through iTunes and other podcast directories as well. Keep up the awesome posts!
Posted by: Dr. Timothy Lawler | March 20, 2011 at 11:39 AM
Every day I hear about some new scam with credit cards , it makes me not even want to use them!
Posted by: Mai | August 08, 2011 at 08:27 AM