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April is Personal Finance Education Month

Most surveys indicate that the majority of people don't understand the principles of their own finances, or have enough money saved to cover even the basic of emergencies. But the knowledge is there. 

 One word of advice. You'll find a lot of blogs about personal finance. Most are OK. Some are not. Buyer beware. Many are opinions. Don't believe everything.

 Even some textbooks are biased, but learn to read critically and think for yourself. If something seems odd, find another source to verify. 

 However, there are a few sites that I use on a regular basis, which can be useful, and I just came across one that offers free textbooks on a number of subjects. Here's one on Economic Analysis. https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_introduction-to-economic-analysis/index.html. They also offer free courses, as well as many universities, such as MIT. How cool is that for party talk? "I just took a course at MIT, so I know what I'm talking about." Well, maybe. Don't get too cocky.

 Udemy offers some excellent online courses, normally for less than $20. 

 Both Schwab and CNBC offer great articles on personal finance. If you use another broker, I suggest you take a look. Also, most banks as well. My bank, Chase, is a good example. (And you don't have to be a customer). 

 And Investopedia is quite complete. YouTube, for those of you who'd rather watch than read, is also loaded, but you have to filter out the "I want to sell you something" with "I want to teach you something." Start with these two: Phil Town, and Chris Houran, who also teaches at Udemy.

 The information is there. Take advantage of it. Put down the TV clicker and get some.


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