Welcome, and the goal you're aiming at
Concept
Most budgeting advice stops at the end of the month. Most retirement advice starts with a big number you're supposed to have at 65. This course connects the two: the budget you keep today is the retirement you get later, and you'll see that connection with real numbers in every lesson.
Here's how it works. Over the next nine modules you'll build one plan, a piece at a time:
- your pay, and what reaches your bank account
- your budget, and the money left over to save (your savings pool)
- an emergency fund
- the accounts your savings go into
- how that money grows
- what retirement costs, and where the income comes from
As you add each piece, the plan is projected month by month to your plan-to age. You'll always see the result at the top of the page: whether the money lasts, how much you'll have when you retire, and how much you save each month. Then, in the capstone, the course replaces the steady growth rate with a thousand simulated futures, so you learn what uncertainty really looks like.
You're on the Build track: more than 12 years from retirement. For you, the biggest lever is time. Small habits now compound for decades.
Two promises. First, every number can be checked: look for the small question-mark buttons, which show the formula with the plan's own figures plugged in. Second, this is education, not advice: the course explains how things work and lets you test your own assumptions. It never tells you what to buy.
Worked example
Maya is 24 and six months into her first full-time job. She earns $62,000 a year and wants to know whether the small choices she's making now (a 4% 401(k) deferral, a budget that leaves $550 a month to save) are actually enough.
She sets two goals. She'd like to retire at 65, and she wants the money to last to 95, so she's covered even if she lives a long time. That gives her 41 working years to save and 30 years in retirement to fund. Her plan's top line already answers her first question: with her current habits, the money lasts.
Your numbers, and the effect
Set the age you'd like to retire and the age the money should last to. If you're not sure, 65 and 95 are reasonable starting points. You can change them any time.
You're in the free preview, practicing with Maya's numbers. Create an account to save a plan.
Watch the plan ribbon at the top of the page. It updates as soon as you change something. The years to retirement decide your track: more than 12 years is Build, 12 or fewer is Prepare.
Checkpoint
Answer at least 70% correctly to unlock the next lesson. Retakes are unlimited, and every answer is explained.
Common questions
Do I need to know anything about investing to start?
No. The course starts with your paycheck and your budget and builds up from there. Every financial term is explained the first time it appears, and the glossary is one click away.
Will this tell me what to invest in?
No. The course teaches how budgets, accounts, growth and withdrawals work, and lets you test assumptions. It never recommends a fund, stock or product. For personal advice, look for a fiduciary adviser.
Why does the course need my birth month and year?
Only if you project your own plan. The plan runs month by month, and many rules switch on in a specific month: retiring, Social Security, catch-up contributions, penalty-free withdrawals at 59½, Medicare at 65. We never ask for the day.
Is my data shared with anyone?
No. Support staff can see your plan numbers only if you choose to share them on a support request. Course statistics only ever show groups of five or more learners.
Still stuck? Search the help center or the glossary.