How to Save Money: Making Smart Financial Decisions

This course is for people:

• Who know they need to save but not how much.
• Who don’t know whether it would be better to put $100 in an IRA or to pay off $100 of their credit card balance?
• Who has never read their credit report?
• Who has both low auto insurance liability coverage and a low deductible?
• Who don’t know their liability coverage?
• Who doesn’t know what liability coverage is?
• Who would ever consider leasing a car instead of buying?
• Who own stocks but not mutual funds.
• Who own mutual funds but not index funds.
• Who don’t know what index funds or Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are.
• Who don’t know how much they are paying in mutual fund fees.
• Who are considering hiring a financial advisor?
• Who wonder how much savings they will need to retire.

You will learn the basics of personal finance: how to balance spending and saving, which debts to pay first, what insurance you need and don’t need, how to invest for retirement and other long-term goals. In addition to watching online lectures, you will be shown how to do practical “homework” assignments, including looking up the fees on mutual funds and requesting a free credit report.

What you'll learn

Skip What you'll learn

• Tips to start saving money
• How to prioritize spending
• Why you need an emergency fund
• How to lower your insurance costs
• Where to look up mutual fund fees
• How to set savings goals and financial goals
• How to save and invest
• About retirement planning
• How to improve your credit score
• When to file for Medicare and Social Security
• How to spend money in ways that make you happier

University of California, Berkeley

Terrance Odean Rudd Family Foundation Professor of Finance University of California, Berkeley

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