How To Start Learning Finance Without Financial Skills

I have no finance skills at all, unless you count the fact that I’m really good at spending money. Does that not count? Oh well then, back to my point. Evidently there’s hope for others like me – those of us who do not have any financial skills. There are ways for us to learn finance. Don’t believe me? I didn’t believe me either, but it’s true. Here are some ways for you to learn finance.

Read Books
There are finance books everywhere, and there are a bunch tailored to millennials. Here are a couple of suggestions:

Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties by Beth Kobliner covers all aspects of personal finance that millennials deal with such as whether to rent or buy a home, retirement, debt, and more.

No More Mac’n’Cheese! The Real-World Guide to Managing Your Money for 20-Somethings by Lise Andreana uses different characters to showcase financial struggles dealt with by millennials such as buying a home. Plus, this book is only 154 pages, making it the perfect short read!

Online Courses
There are some universities which offer online courses in finance. Best of all? These are free!

University of Arizona offers a free personal finance course that you can complete in 15 hours. You do not have to do it all at once, and you won’t be graded. It’s solely just a tool to help you learn.

Yale is the school you probably wanted to go to, but was out of reach. Well, now’s your chance to take a course at the Ivy League institution. Financial Markets was a course taught at Yale in 2008, and now it’s right at your fingertips.

Read Articles
The Internet is filled with articles about finance. Here are a couple of easy-to-understand ones for you to check out:

Forbes – 7 Financial Skills Every 20 Year Old Needs To Learn is a pretty self-explanatory title. This article covers topics such as saving and credit score.

Millennials: Making It On Their Own integrates text, video, and statistics filled with ways to help you financially.

Use Apps
We already use apps daily, why not download a couple to help evolve your finance skills?

Mint is extremely popular, especially with millennials. Mint allows you to connect all of your accounts such as savings, checking, credit cards, investments, etc. to let you easily track and organize your money – both your spending and your earning.

Learn MBA, Finance and Investment by GoLearningBus is a free app that gives you introductions to a variety of different financial concepts. Disclaimer, there are no customer ratings so far for this app, but as it’s free, what do you really have to lose?

Full Finance Learning Course is an app that gives you access to over 1,500 flashcards covering many different facets of finance.

Read Blogs
Ploymint has already shared 14 personal finance blogs for young professionals, but here are a couple to refresh your memory.

Broke Millennial not only has a catchy name, but this blog gives you resources and information that can help you not be broke anymore.

Young Adult Money is a blog for millennials with great money-saving tips. They also provide ways to make money, too!

Interact on Twitter
There are many Twitter chats that sporadically focus on finance. There are also many financial advisors- even those specifically focusing on millennial – on Twitter. By following these advisors, you’ll receive tips, recommendations, and articles that may be of help to you. Here are some accounts to follow:

Douglas A. Boneparth is a financial expert that helps millennials. Follow him on Twitter here and visit his website. I was part of a Twitter chat in which he was a guest, and I can vouch that he’ll be a great asset to you.

Jasmine Birtles is also a financial expert, and author of 28 books. Follow her on Twitter here and visit her website .

Talk to a Financial Advisor
Of course, these can be pricey. However, take advantage of the free opportunities. Is there a member of your family who works in the finance world? Pick her brain. What about that friend from college who was in business school? Meet up for coffee and see what you can learn. Don’t be afraid to ask others for help.

These are all great ways to start learning finance for those of us who do not have the skills. They are great places to start, and who knows, maybe you’ll enjoy it so much, you’ll realize that the finance field is for you (or you’ll just much better understand your financial situation)!