The Core Four of Personal Finance including Recession Basics (Udemy.com)
A global recession has started! Learn the core four pillars of personal finance. Get and stay motivated!
Created by: BrainyMoney and Son Han, CFA, CPA
Last updated June 2020
Our take
Based on the ratings of 2,350 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in June 2020. No course pays to be reviewed.
This is a beginner personal finance course from Son Han, a CFA and CPA who teaches under the BrainyMoney name. It runs about 5.6 hours across 160 lectures and 24 sections. The core idea is four habits: earn more than you spend, pay off debt, cut spending, and invest steadily. Later sections add a side hustle block, a second investing section, a debt section on homes, cars and credit cards, and a bonus on recessions. The course itself says it suits US residents best, and reviewers agree.
Students like the plain explanations and the spreadsheets. Several mention the Excel files, the budgeting walkthrough and the mortgage and loan calculators as things they actually used. Han's energy comes across like a motivational talk, which some enjoy. The complaints are consistent. The layout feels choppy, with lots of tiny sections and the odd video in the wrong place. Some find topics stretched or repetitive. One reviewer says the instructor mostly reads slides and left questions unanswered for over ten days. Another says the promised Betterment investing demo never happened.
The last update was June 2020, so the COVID recession material is dated, though one reviewer still found it useful because recessions come back. About 22,700 students have taken it, and roughly 85 percent of the 2,350 ratings are four or five stars. We would point US beginners here for a first pass at budgeting and debt. Experienced investors will find it basic, and anyone outside the US will want other sources for local investing options and markets.
Pros
- Excel budgeting sheets and mortgage and loan calculators that reviewers say they actually used
- Budgeting, debt, investing and recessions covered in one 5.6 hour course
- Han's upbeat, motivational delivery leaves some reviewers keen to take money seriously
- A 34-lecture recession section that a reviewer still finds useful because recessions are cyclical
Cons
- Choppy layout with many tiny sections and a few videos that seem to sit in the wrong place
- Last updated June 2020, and the examples lean heavily on the US
- Some topics feel stretched or repetitive, and there is no help with screening stocks
I like the fact that it incorporates good budgeting with sound investment principles.
Listed as All Levels, but it really suits beginners. No finance background needed, just the patience to stick with it.
What you will learn
- Identify the Core 4 Principals of Personal Finance
- Learn how to invest in a diversified portfolio of stocks and bonds!
- Learn how to manage their debt
- Learn how to earn more money and reduce their expenses
- Learn about the basics of a Recession and how to live through it
- Learn the difference between financing a home versus actually owning it
- Learn how much they need for retirement
- Learn about the best monthly budgeting tool
Course content
24 sections · 160 lectures · 5.6 hours of video 1 article
- 1Introduction to the Core Four of Personal Finance 6 free previews7 lectures · 10 min
- 2This is Personal2 lectures · 2 min
- 3Building a Capital Base and At-Will Employment9 lectures · 13 min
- 4Budgeting 101 - Calculate Your Net Worth and Budget! 1 free preview8 lectures · 24 min
- 5Intro to The Course Four3 lectures · 7 min
- 6Core Principal #1 - Earn More Than You Spend4 lectures · 8 min
- 7Core Principal #2 - Pay Off All Your Debt2 lectures · 3 min
- 8Core Principal #3 - Cut Your Spending By Practicing Essentialism2 lectures · 6 min
- 9Investing 101 Animations11 lectures · 10 min
- 10Core Principal #4 - Invest $10 A Month Through Betterment7 lectures · 15 min
- 11Automate Your Finances2 lectures · 3 min
- 12Credit Scores1 lecture · 2 min
- 13Student Loans1 lecture · 2 min
- 14Financial Freedom and the Art of A Side Hustle 2 free previews21 lectures · 54 min
- 15Financing a Car1 lecture · 4 min
- 16Financing a House1 lecture · 2 min
- 17Debt1 lecture · 2 min
- 18Conclusion1 lecture · 2 min
- 19Bonus Section - Recession Basics! 34 free previews34 lectures · 47 min
- 20Bonus: Recession Deep Dive into 2020 COVID-19 Recession 4 free previews4 lectures · 8 min
- 21Bonus: Preparing for a Recession 3 free previews3 lectures · 7 min
- 22Bonus Sections1 lecture · 4 min
- 23Investing 102 - A deeper dive in stocks 2 free previews18 lectures · 52 min
- 24Debt 101: Home, Auto and Credit Cards16 lectures · 47 min
Who it is for
The instructor says it suits
- Students who want a strong foundation for Personal Finance
What you need before you start
- Students need to understand that this is a marathon, not a sprint
Course Description
Update April 2020:
A global recession started during February 2020. We added an entire section about how to prepare and work your way through a recession. I graduated from grad school during the Great Recession of 2008 and half my class at EY was laid off in the first month. I know first hand what it's like to go through a recession.
Do you want to get your finances in order but not sure where to start?
Please note that this course is more applicable to residents of the United States.
The financial techniques of personal finance are easy to understand. This is not rocket science and the foundation of personal finance is easy to understand. Where people have issues is getting and staying motivated. Just like with a lot of things in life, getting distracted is very easy.
I’m going to teach you about the core four tenants of personal finance. We will go into detail about the core 4 pillars of personal finance.
At the end of this course, you will know how to get your finances under control, get and stay motivated. Later on, if you want to become an expert on personal finance and retire early for example, you will have a strong foundation to understand how to do so. You’ll also understand the advantages and disadvantages of different personal finance paths.
My goal for you is to understand the core four principals of personal finance and to have a strong foundation.
Personal finance is a lifelong journey. Personal finance is a marathon, not a sprint.
Instructor Details
- 4.6 Rating
2,350 Reviews
BrainyMoney and Son Han, CFA, CPA
Personal Finance is easy. It takes 2 hours to learn. The hard part is staying motivated. We build the best personal finance courses,cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to improve financial lives of our peers. Follow us on Instagram to find daily motivational videos. Instagram: @Brainy.Money
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Reviews
By Andre Jordan on 11/6/2024
This course was everything that I felt that I was missing in my understanding of personal finance. I had a good understanding from videos ive seen on YouTube ,but this course was able to go over everything. Even some extra topics to allow me to have a better understanding of money, how debt works in America, while teaching me investing all in the same course.
By Anonymized User on 1/8/2023
The trainer's enthusiasm is infectious, and the way he talks about his work ethic almost feels like a motivational seminar and pumped me up to take my work more seriously. I appreciated the bonus section on recession basics and COVID-19 portions even tho it's past 2020, since recession is cyclical and info will be useful in future. Also particularly liked the Debt 101 sections and learnt quite a few things from his mortgage / loan calculators - thanks for those! :)
By Amit Kumar Burman on 11/14/2022
Well , before I started my own legal practice was an investment banker at Standard Chartered bank , based in Calcutta but had many opportunities to travel many countries . Now people in spite of knowing my current profession ask for my advice for good investments when our index , Sensex around 61500 @ Nifty 18300 now . The question is when recession is knocking at the door or the theory may be slightly BS , bur the way FED & RBI is increasing bank rates its obvious share market will have or may have some negative impact on the other hand if people bank of debt funds totally or bank deposit they cant survive a reasonably happy life . Therefore trying to understand what should we do with our hard earned money to get at least 15% return ? last three years avg yeild was 23% since April 2020 ...Lets see if you can add value to the areas where I dont have real applied knowledge ...looking forwards to that , thanks
By Tami vanderWal on 2/9/2022
I loved that this course covers so many areas of finance. Only gave it 4 instead of 5 stars because the layout felt disjointed and choppy. However, the Bonus courses at the end did smooth out. The investing section was not completed as he said we'd invest 25$ in Betterment together at the end and never did. Also, I get that home "Ownership" is more than the mortgage payment but comparing a mortgage payment to rent payment is not comparing apples to apples. Yet, I would recommend the course.
By Ashley Knight on 5/5/2021
I would like to first off think y'all for making this awesome class you put it in terms everybody can understand a lot of information jam-packed but not overwhelming a lot of drilling into your memory would not much notice of it keep up the great work worth all the money I paid thank you very much sincerely Ashley Knight
By Maxine Smith on 2/26/2021
I so ENJOYED this!! I am not a young person and felt really good about the information you gave me. You spoke in terms I could understand and helped me to see clearly regarding debt, and buying a house and a car. I will start using these skills TODAY! Buying a house is my dream but I don't feel as though I can afford it at this time after watching this. But that being said; I will be paying off debt and saving more so that dream can become a reality. I'll keep you posted. Best Regards
By Hiba Alhomoud on 6/12/2020
Great course!!! Comprehensive overview, covers all the major personal finance topics in enough detail that you have all you need to know and can feel confident taking control of your financial health and future. Son strikes an amazing balance between being thorough without being overwhelming or throwing a bunch of finance lingo or formulas at us. The fact that this is accomplished in 4.5hrs is beyond impressive. Son is passionate and knowledgable which makes the course engaging on top of being informative. Definitely recommend!
By Kenneth Givens on 12/19/2019
I am 36 and I was never properly taught how to manage money. So because of that lack of information, I have made some serious mistakes that have been haunting me for several years. After taking this course, I feel like I have some sort of game plan and tools to help financially unburden me. I know it won't happen in a day but at least I have hope. Thank you so much, Son!!!
By Ruby Camacho on 10/17/2019
Son really has a passion for this field of work, you hear it in the way he shows and explain things. I really enjoyed this class. He provided key information and examples on everyday finance. I just wouldn't pay more than $40 for the class because the videos were short and fast and straight to the point, which I enjoyed. But I wouldn't pay more than $40. Other than that, I can truly say I look at things differently, and I budget religiously. Great class!
By Caroline Warren on 5/24/2019
Because it’s true it was very easy to watch and was very informative and I feel so much more aware of what is actually going on around me. I have never committed to a credit card but know enough now about where to get the right card for my own personal needs. I also wish I had seen this long before I traded in my paid off car for a new one to make payments on in hopes to build my credit! The opposite happened but I will get through it! Thank you
Quality Score
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Overall Score : 92 / 100









