Who taught you about money? Our parents didn't talk about it, schools didn't cover it, and we've been winging it ever since. But that can end now.

Financial literacy isn't mystical knowledge. It's just about understanding basic concepts that dramatically impact your wealth.

We've made expensive mistakes: carrying credit card balances, not negotiating salaries, investing poorly. Each cost us thousands we'll never recover.

But we're natural skeptics and independent learners. YouTube, podcasts, library books—quality financial education is free… Continue Reading

At an Austin, Texas conference this last week, I ended up in conversations with multiple Gen Xers about finances.

Jen was shocked at how few people know they have to pay taxes on their 401Ks once they start withdrawing money from them. And that, for Gen Xers, at 75, we HAVE to start withdrawing, whether we like it or not. (Hello Required Minimum Distributions)

A conversation with James covered everything from the benefits of buying real estate to travelling, to whether we should invest more in crypto while prices are at least half of where they sat 9 months ago.

Gwen lamented that she started figuring out her finances so late in life, and felt she could have avoided issues like not negotiating salaries and not paying attention to her credit score had she gotten any financial literacy help earlier on. (I heard this from many people.)

For every person I spoke to, I asked some version of, “Where are you learning about your finances?”

Everyone had a different answer. And there’s the ever-present worry of following scams or people who don’t know what they’re talking about.

So in honor of these smart, open-minded people, The Wealthy Thinker collected ten excellent resources that we ourselves follow - that anyone can use to learn about money.

From user-friendly apps that simplify budgeting and tracking, to websites packed with expert articles, books, podcasts, and even games — financial education has never been more accessible.

Whether you're just starting your financial journey or looking to sharpen your money skills, these tools offer practical insights you can use right away.

Ready to take charge of your finances and make smarter money moves?

Let’s dive into 10 of the best financial literacy resources that can help you build a brighter, more secure financial future — one smart decision at a time.

Prefer a podcast? Skip to the ‘Go Deeper’ section at the bottom where we added a whole list of our financial podcast picks.

Credit Karma is one of the most comprehensive resources currently available for financial literacy.

With a concentration on credit scores and financial management, this free website provides a wealth of information and tools to enhance your financial literacy and help you accomplish your objectives.

The Credit Karma provides:

Additionally, you can observe and compare credit card, loan, and insurance offers. 

Investopedia is a vastly helpful financial education site, providing information on personal finance, investing, and trading.

You’ll find articles, tutorials, and videos on a variety of financial topics, making it a valuable resource for anyone seeking to increase their financial literacy. 

The website's primary objective is to provide exhaustive and accessible financial education, which it achieves by providing plain explanations and illustrations of financial concepts.

NerdWallet offers substantial value through its articles, tools, and reviews.

Individuals and small businesses have access to the resources, data, and insight necessary for making financial decisions.

Excellent, well-written articles about personal finance and offers for credit cards, mortgages, and other financial products are the primary forms of these elements.

You can track your net worth and cash flow, and learn about your credit score on the NerdWallet app.

If you learn best via data and numbers, FINRA is a tool that offers plenty to sift through.

FINRA has loads of resources, including:

FINRA's financial literacy quiz is also a great way to assess your financial knowledge and learn how to improve.

Access to these studies, reports, and resources is completely free, making this a fantastic resource to share with employees and students.

WealthSimple may not provide you with educational resources, but it is a good way to get practical in managing your finances. The personal finance app helps you track your expenses and long-term financial goals. 

You can:

You can also set notifications on spending limits. This way if your spending is nearing the pre-set limit, the app sends you a notification to remind you.

The title of this tool says it all - you need a budget.

If you’ve done any personal finance research, you’ve probably heard of YNAB.

YNAB can seem intimidating to newcomers because it feels like a training camp for your budget. Starting out may feel intense at first, and you’ll need a high level of self-honesty regarding your financial situation. 

However, some personal finance experts believe it’s this type of intense introspection that actually helps you achieve your financial objectives over the long term.

Books are excellent financial literacy resources - and there are a lot of them out there.

We've put together a few lists of personal finance resources that can teach you the basics of money management and personal finance.

If sitting down to leaf through pages is a major hindrance for you, look to audiobooks and listen at your convenience. 

There are a ton of videos and channels that teach personal finance.

But - given the popularity of social media and influencer culture, you have to be careful that you subscribe to channels that offer genuinely helpful advice - and not just repackaged drivel or dangerous investing tips.

These are a few of the YouTube channels our team follows: Top 5 YouTube Finance Accounts That Can Help You With Financial Literacy

Bonus: Humphrey Yang is a former financial advisor and has videos on credit cards, investing and building wealth and more.

Clever Girl Finance with Bola Sukunbi is another great channel to follow for budgeting tips, saving and frugal living tips.

Not many people realize that you can learn the basics of money management from playing Monopoly!

Financial lessons such as these can be learned by playing the game.

Better still, you get to do it with fake money, but the feelings it evokes may be just as real as when you invest in real life. 

The For Dummies book series are excellent financial literacy resources for anyone hoping to learn the basics of any topic including personal finance.

There are books on:

Like it’s title claims, the series breaks complex financial concepts down into simple basic terms to help beginners better understand. For any financial topic you’re interested in, there’s probably a For Dummies book on it.