As the pandemic rages, consider free online financial courses.
With millions out of work and craving activity, why not take advantage of free online courses designed to boost financial literacy?
A recent Forbes article highlighted several free digital resources for people of all ages to explore financial topics.
In addition to those resources, here are some options for online classes that are generally self-paced and can give you insight on a host of topics to improve your financial literacy. There are many online offerings choose from—these sites are only a sampling. The trick is to keep browsing around until you find the course or courses that interest you. And one word of caution: some sites offer a combination of free and paid courses, so just pay attention to what you’re signing up for.
One option to investigate is Alison, which offers an array of free financial class options. Enter your search terms or browse by category to find selections of interest. There are classes on financial literacy class, debt management, house-price negotiation techniques and more.
Another platform to check out is Clever Girl Finance. Topics include savings, organizing your finances, budgeting and building good credit.
Coursera also offers a selection of one financial planning and financial management courses, many of which can be taken for free. Browse around on the site to find a class that interests you. As a starting point, you could plug in the search term “personal finance” to see a few potential options.
edX is another platform to explore for a selection of free online financial classes. Browse the online catalog to find options that suit your needs. You might start by entering the search term “finance” and clicking the “Available now” option within the Availability tab. You can also filter by program type, level and language, among other things.
Interactive Brokers IBKR offers several dozen free online, on-demand courses in its Traders’ Academy. There are beginner, intermediate and advanced courses. Topics include stocks, bonds, exchange-traded funds, mutual funds, taxes and retirement, securities lending and borrowing and more.
Many people are familiar with Khan Academy as a supplement for their children’s education, but they may not realize the online site also offers free courses on economics and finance as well as as personal finance topics including saving and budgeting, interest and debt, paying for college and more.
Skillshare also offers free online classes in areas that include accounting, bitcoin, business, and investing. You can enter specific search terms or simply browse around. Just be sure to filter for free course offerings, unless you are willing to pay.
Beyond these platforms, several universities including Harvard, MIT and Yale provide open access to a selection of free courses, including some on financial-related topics.
Happy browsing!
