Module 1: Money Management 101 is Marvelous! Learners will gain comprehension of how to understand the big picture of managing their money and basic personal finance, including but not limited to:

• All the ways you can store, save, and invest your money (overview of bank accounts, funds, investment, etc. to be covered in more depth later),
• Creating your income and cash flow goal (using cash flow statements), plan, and strategy,
• Determining what you can and cannot afford and when,
• Using a balance sheet and milestones to evaluate your progress towards your goals,
• Establishing liquidity, and

Managing income and debt,

• Asset-to-Debt Ratio,
• Debt Service-to-Income Ratio,
• and Debt Payments-to-Disposable Income Ratio.

Module 2: Budget! Make It and Don’t Break It! Learners will obtain all the detailed fundamentals of budgets, why they are necessary, and how they improve quality of life when managed, adjusted, and adhered to. Topics include:

• Setting financial goals,
• Making and reconciling budget estimates,
• Cash flow planning,
• Spending control,
• Types of budgets,
• Components of a budget,
• Estimating revenues, fixed and variable costs,
• One-time expenses, and
• Technology for budgeting and money management.

Module 3: Bankrolls Beware! – All the Ways You Can Lose Your Money.  In this module, learners will visit the dark side of money and money management, identifying risks and treats, and managing same. We’ll take a thorough look at:

• Risk types i.e. pure, liquidity, speculative, currency, and ventures,
• Risk control tools i.e. risk analysis (fundamental, technical, and quantitative),
• Predatory Lending,
• Spams and Scams,
• Debit/credit card fraud,
• Identity theft,
• Hacking, and more.

Module 4: You Can Fix It! — Credit and Debt Repair. We’ve all overextended ourselves and here’s how to dig out of credit and other debt problems.

• Types of consumer credit,
• How to build and maintain good credit, know your debt limit, and build a good credit reputation,
• How to know you’re overindebtedness,
• All about debt collection,
• Steps for getting out of debt,
• Where and how to get help with debt,
• Achieving credit and credit score repair, and
• Designing your manageable debt future based on a good financial safety net.

Module 5: Your Spending Practices. Get Them in Line! In this module we do interactive exercises to foster discussion about how to understand one’s spending practices and how to improve them without diminishing lifestyle. These are some of the areas covered:

• Subscriptions and memberships,
• Utilities,
• Housing,
• Consolidating debt, insurance, etc.,
• Groceries and dining out,
• Cash-only consumerism, and
• Coupons, sales, comparison shopping, bulk buying…

Module 6: Love Your Taxes! How to make your taxes your friend and use them to improve your finances year-after-year.

• Understanding your federal (state and local) taxes,
• Calculating your taxes,
• Legal tax avoidance practices and strategies,
• Tax breaks, credits, and deductions,
• Taxation trends,
• Tax forms and technology, and
• Using your previous years’ tax filings for financial planning.

Module 7: Insurance Yays and Nays. Learners will explore ways insurance can benefit them more and cost less.

• Auto,
• Disability,
• Health,
• Home,
• Life,
• Long-Term Care,
• Renters,
• Umbrella, and
• More!

Module 8: Dream Big. Asset Building Part 1. Strategy and planning.Practical asset acquisition and value enhancement.

• Introduction to investing,
• Buying a house or land,
• Financing a house or land purchase,
• Yield accounts,
• Funds,
• Bonds,
• Stocks, and
• Asset protection.

Module 9: Dream Bigger! Asset Building Part 2. Strategy and planning. Beyond “traditional” investing.

• Invest in someone’s small business,
• High-yield collectibles,
• Technology,
• Luxury items,
• Antiques and art,
• Health savings accounts, and
• So much more.

Information Module 10: Roundup Roundtable. Where we talk about what we learned, what we still want to know, and think forward to what modules need to be added in the future.