Personal Finance — Study Path Agent

Chapter 1

Financial Foundations & Mindset

1

Set goals and define your financial priorities

2

Understand income, cash flow, and net worth

3

Build a personal financial plan (1–5 year roadmap)

4

Avoid common behavioral pitfalls (lifestyle creep, bias, impulse spending)

Chapter 2

Budgeting & Cash Management

5

Choose a budgeting method (zero-based, 50/30/20, envelope)

6

Track spending and categorize transactions

7

Manage bank accounts and cash buffers

8

Automate bills, savings, and sinking funds

↗ Understand income, cash flow, and net worth (see Chapter 1)

Chapter 3

Credit, Debt, and Borrowing

9

Understand credit reports and credit scores

10

Debt payoff strategies (avalanche vs snowball)

11

Manage high-interest debt (credit cards, personal loans)

12

Evaluate mortgages and car loans (APR, term, total cost)

13

Use credit cards responsibly (rewards, fees, utilization)

Chapter 4

Saving & Risk Management

14

Build an emergency fund (target size and where to keep it)

15

Insurance basics (health, auto, renters/homeowners, life, disability)

16

Prevent and respond to fraud and identity theft

17

Create a financial “resilience” plan (job loss, medical, disaster)

18

Choose appropriate savings vehicles (HYSA, CDs, money market)

Chapter 5

Investing & Retirement

19

Investing fundamentals (risk/return, diversification, compounding)

20

Investment accounts and wrappers (401(k), IRA, Roth, HSA, brokerage)

21

Asset allocation and rebalancing

22

Index funds and ETFs vs individual stocks

23

Understand fees, taxes, and fund/portfolio costs

2 subtopics

24

Expense ratios, loads, advisory fees, and trading costs

25

Tax impacts of investing (capital gains, dividends, tax-advantaged accounts)

26

Retirement planning basics (targets, withdrawal rules, sequence risk)

Chapter 6

Taxes, Major Purchases, and Life Planning

27

Income taxes basics (withholding, deductions, credits, filing)

28

Big purchases decision-making (rent vs buy, vehicles, education)

29

Plan for family and dependents (child costs, college savings)

30

Estate basics (beneficiaries, will, healthcare directives)

31

Negotiate compensation and benefits (offers, 401(k) match, ESPP)

32

Organize documents and build a yearly money checklist