Foundation Track
Master the fundamentals before specializing
The universal starting point for every investor. Five sequential courses take you from 'I have a paycheck and a bank account' to 'I just made my first stock purchase' — without jargon, without prerequisites, and without telling you what to buy. Complete this track first, then choose your specialization path.
Courses in order
Complete each course before moving to the next.
What you'll learn
By completing this path, you'll be able to:
- Understand what you need financially before investing — emergency fund, debt picture, and goals
- Explain what stocks, bonds, ETFs, and index funds actually are, in plain language
- Read a stock price, understand bulls vs bears, and tell the difference between a stock and a share
- Recognize how brokers work, how stock prices move, and what risk really means
- Know which type of account to open (taxable vs IRA vs 401(k)) and why it matters
- Place your first stock purchase confidently and understand exactly what happened
- Identify common beginner mistakes before you make them
Frequently Asked Questions
None at all. The Foundation Track is designed for complete beginners — if you can use a banking app, you can complete it. We explain every term the first time it appears, and a glossary is one click away.
About 2.5 hours of reading total across 35 lessons, though most people spread it over a week or two. Each lesson is 4–8 minutes.
Yes. The Foundation Track is free educational content — we make money through educational affiliate partnerships, not by selling course access. Sign up to save your progress, earn badges, and unlock the full library.
Each course builds on the previous one — Money Basics is the prerequisite mindset, Foundations gives you the concepts, Investing Essentials teaches the practical skills, Accounts is where you'll keep the money, and Start Investing is where you put it together to make your first trade. Skipping ahead works but you'll have gaps.
Three specialization paths: Build Wealth (long-term investing strategies), Protect Wealth (tax efficiency and retirement planning), or Trade Smart (active trading mechanics and options). Pick the one that matches your goals — or explore all three.