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 Prepare track: 12 or fewer years from retirement. For you, the big levers are when you retire, when you claim Social Security, what you'll spend, and catch-up contributions.
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
Linda is 58 and wants to retire at 63. She has $420,000 in her 401(k), and she wants the money to last to 95.
That gives her five more working years and 32 years in retirement. The top line of her plan delivers news she needed to hear early: as things stand, her money runs short around 90. Over this course she'll find out which changes fix that, and how much each one helps.
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.