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LifestyleAcorns' Guide to Personal Finance (Udemy.com)
5 Steps to Building Wealth: Budget Better, Pay Off Debt Faster, Save and Earn More Money and Invest Wisely
Created by: Jennifer Barrett
Last updated January 2018
Our take
Based on the ratings of 5,901 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in January 2018. No course pays to be reviewed.
This is a short, beginner-level overview from Acorns, the investing app company. Jennifer Barrett, its Chief Education Officer, walks through five steps: budget, pay down debt, save, earn more, and invest. It runs 48 minutes across 32 short lectures in seven sections, with downloadable worksheets. Nothing is required except your own numbers handy, like take-home pay and debts. It is aimed at people who have never built a budget or looked at a portfolio, not at anyone who already has a handle on their money.
Reviewers like how brief and clear it is. They mention the visual summaries, a review at the end of each section, and tips like the 50/20/30 budgeting rule. Students describe the teaching as clear and concise. The criticism is about depth. Two reviewers wanted lessons on mutual funds versus ETFs, index funds and Roth IRAs, and one said the PDF resources would be better as real spreadsheets. The harshest reviewers say it is stuff learned in high school or found on YouTube.
The last update was January 2018, and a 2024 reviewer wished it would be refreshed rather than retired, so treat the investing section as a starting point. One student also found it a little pricy for how much it covers. It is a quick first pass, not a course to learn from at length. Take it if you want an hour and a set of worksheets to get moving, then step up to a longer course. Skip it if you want depth.
Pros
- Short enough to finish in one sitting: 32 lectures, 48 minutes in total
- Reviewers like the visual summaries and the review at the end of each section
- Covers budgeting, debt, saving, raises and side income, not just investing
- Downloadable action plans and worksheets to fill in with your own numbers
Cons
- Last updated in January 2018, so the investing material may feel dated
- Stays shallow: reviewers want mutual funds, index funds and Roth IRAs explained
- Resources are PDFs; reviewers wanted real spreadsheets or an online calculator
Good overall beginners take on personal finance but does not go into too much detail. Good if you're looking for that instead of the in depth course.
Genuine beginners only. The only requirement is your own pay, debt and savings figures handy.
What you will learn
- How to calculate your net worth.
- How to start a successful side hustle.
- How to set goals—and build a budget that will help you reach them.
- How to ask effectively for a raise or a better job offer.
- How to pay off debt faster—and pay less in interest.
- All the basics of investing in stocks and bonds.
- How to cut your expenses without feeling the pinch.
- How to build a low-maintenance portfolio that will help you build wealth.
- How to save more money (101 ways!).
Course content
7 sections · 32 lectures · 47 min of video
- 1Introduction to Building Wealth 1 free preview1 lecture · 2 min
- 2Step One: Budget Better 1 free preview7 lectures · 8 min
- 3Step Two: Pay Down Your Debt Faster 3 free previews4 lectures · 8 min
- 4Step Three: Save More Money4 lectures · 4 min
- 5Step Four: Earn More Money5 lectures · 8 min
- 6Step Five: Invest Successfully 1 free preview10 lectures · 16 min
- 7Conclusion1 lecture · 2 min
Who it is for
The instructor says it suits
- Anyone who wants to learn the basics of personal finance, pay off debt faster and start building wealth.
What you need before you start
- No prior knowledge or tools required. Just an interest in helping your hard-earned money grow!
- For the exercises, you will want to have some of your financial info handy—like your take-home pay, how much debt you owe (student loans, credit cards, etc.) and how much you have in your savings, checking and investment accounts.
How it compares
Against the other 33 rated Udemy courses in Personal Finance on CourseDuck:
- Rating4.2 out of 5higher than 9% of them
- Reviews5,901#2 of 34 by number of reviews
- Length0.8 hoursshorter than 93% of them
- Last updatedJanuary 2018earlier than 90% of them
Course Description
If you're ready to get your finances in shape, but aren't sure where to start, this is it! In under an hour, find out how to save, invest and earn more money, stop living paycheck to paycheck and make real progress toward the future you want.
Led by Jennifer Barrett, Chief Education Officer at Acorns, this basic course breaks down the what, when, how and why of personal finance to help you start building wealth—no matter how much money or financial knowledge you've got to start.
You’ll learn the basics of personal finance and get simple, on-the-go techniques and tools to help your money work as hard as you do.
What’s the difference between this and other personal finance courses? We’re focused on methods that are easy and sustainable—not disruptive to your everyday life.
By the end of this course, you will have a clear sense of where you are financially, where you want to be—and how you’re going to get there. You’ll feel less stressed about money, and more confident about reaching your goals.
You’ll know: how to create a budget you can follow, pay debt off faster, save more money on everyday purchases and big-ticket expenses, ask for a raise, start a successful side hustle and invest wisely to build wealth. (Make sure to check out the downloadable action plans, worksheets and other resources, too, to get the full benefit of the course!)
Apply what you’ve learned and you should see a noticeable difference not just in your finances, but in your life.
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Instructor Details
- 4.2 Rating
5,901 Reviews
Jennifer Barrett
Acorns is one of the country’s largest saving and investing apps, with more than 9 million users. Its easy-to-use, mobile-first technology makes it simple to set aside and invest spare change. You can invest automatically in a low-cost, diversified portfolio of exchange-traded funds, constructed with help from Nobel Prize-winning economist Dr. Harry Markowitz.
Acorns smart portfolio algorithms automatically work in the background of life, helping you build wealth naturally, pennies at a time. Access Acorns via the app for iPhone, Android or desktop and have the option to invest automatically in regular, IRA, and custodial brokerage accounts and sign up for the debit card that helps you invest when you spend.
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Reviews
By Michael Wasfy on 12/21/2020
This course has helped me understand the very basics on building wealth in such short, clear and concise videos. Although it is a little pricy in proportion to the knowledge given, it has definitely helped shift my understanding of the basics of money and wealth.
By Aaron Ong on 11/15/2020
The investing portion is very useful for someone like me who has no idea about investing. Thanks for the accurate subtitles! Honestly the course could be summarised into 3 or so articles and the subtitles make it possible to fast forward.
By Dawid Krol on 10/19/2020
Concept of budgeting was merely scratched.
By Ijeoma Egwim on 9/27/2020
Yes it is a good match for me as it would be me budget my income properly
By ADANLETE Komlan on 9/27/2020
Interesting course. It will help me budget better before spending. I really like the 50/20/30 rule
By Anthony Riccelli on 9/24/2020
to basic
By Linda Baker on 9/17/2020
This course was very informative and helpful.
By Ricky Diaz on 9/16/2020
Definitely needed it
By Andrew Vietmeier on 9/14/2020
Getting to the point quickly, and great advice.
By Menaka Gandhi on 9/12/2020
I wish I got to know this a little earlier. Useful content and pragmatic techniques that can be put to use. Great learning experience.
By Marjan Raeinizadeh Akbari on 9/6/2020
Well the course is obviously is for Us residents as all the retirement and most of explanations dont apply to a country like Canada. It would be nice if she did a Canadian version. She also speaks very fast and the videos are very short.
By Ernestina Velasco on 8/26/2020
This course give me a better understanding on how to calculate and budget my money thank you.
Quality Score
No CourseDuck member has rated this course yet. Taken it? Give each part a thumbs up or down.
Overall Score : 84 / 100
- Video Duration:
48 mins - Price: $13.99
- Provider: Udemy
- Updated:
January 2018 - Level:
Beginner - Language:
English - Certificate:
Yes - Lectures:32 in 7 sections
- Students:32,600
- Subtitles:2 languages
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