Build: Budget to Retirement

For anyone more than 12 years from retirement, from a first job to mid-career. You'll build a budget that pays you first, capture every dollar of employer match, learn which accounts to use and why, and watch time and compounding do the heavy lifting. The course ends with a thousand simulated futures and a 90-day action plan.

Welcome and your goal (15 min)
What the course covers, how the plan works, and the retirement goal you're aiming at.

Your compensation (30 min)
Gross pay versus take-home, where payroll deductions go, and why the employer match is part of your pay.

Budgeting best practices (50 min)
Pay yourself first, 50/30/20 as a starting point, needs and wants, sinking funds, and the savings pool.

Emergency fund and debt (30 min)
How big an emergency fund should be, where to keep it, and the order to tackle debt and saving.

Retirement account types (45 min)
401(k), IRA, Roth, HSA, brokerage and cash. Tax now versus tax later, limits, and what happens to money over a limit.

Growth and compounding (30 min)
Compounding, real versus nominal returns, why a growth rate is an assumption, and what fees cost.

Retirement income and spending (50 min)
How much retirement costs, Social Security timing, other income, taxes on withdrawals, and the order to draw accounts.

Putting it together (30 min)
Read the year-by-year plan, see what moved it, and try the four big levers.

Capstone: a thousand futures (60 min)
Monte Carlo simulation, percentiles, probability of success, sequence-of-returns risk, and flexible spending.

Your action plan (15 min)
Choose three actions for the next 90 days, check your confidence, and get your certificate.