Financial Avenue Courses

Financial Avenue offers ten self-paced online courses designed to give you the skills you need for lifelong financial success. Developed in accordance with the U.S. Department of Treasury's core competencies, these courses provide a solid foundation for your financial future. Explore the full catalog below and start learning today!

Build Your Financial Knowledge, One Course at a Time

1. Psychology of Money

Explore your personal money philosophy and how emotions and past experiences impact your spending and saving habits. This course helps you identify your financial personality type and provides strategies to retrain your brain for better decision-making.

• You will learn to: Recognize how your preferences influence decisions, identify external pressures, and create a plan to build good money habits.

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2. Foundations of Money

Learn the "Why, How, and What" of money management. This course covers the fundamentals of setting financial goals, creating a spending plan (budget), and choosing the right financial products to support your journey.

• You will learn to: Compare banking products, understand the importance of saving, create a budget, and identify the costs of alternative banking services.

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3. College and Money

Maximize the value of your college investment. This course covers understanding the net cost of college, navigating financial aid, finding alternatives to loans, and determining the return on investment for your degree.

• You will learn to: Calculate the cost of college, compare financial aid offers, recognize the link between academics and financial aid, and avoid unnecessary debt.

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4. FAFSA

Get a step-by-step guide to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This course demystifies the entire process, from how and when to apply to understanding your Student Aid Report (SAR) and accepting your aid package.

• You will learn to: Outline the FAFSA timeline, identify key components of the application, understand terms like EFC and SAR, and know how to renew your FAFSA each year.

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5. Loan Guidance

For federal loan borrowers, this course helps you actively manage your student loans while in school to prevent over-borrowing. Learn about critical terms like grace periods and default, and use tools to understand how your borrowing affects your future.

• You will learn to: Understand your Master Promissory Note, calculate the cost of borrowing, find your loan servicer, and create a personal plan to repay your loans.

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6. Earning Money

This course explores all aspects of career development, from crafting a resume to negotiating salary and benefits. You will also learn the essentials of understanding a paycheck, including taxes and other deductions.

• You will learn to: Prepare for an interview, examine a benefits package, understand the components of a paycheck, and recognize the importance of filing taxes.

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7. Credit and Protecting Your Money

Learn how your financial decisions create your "money story" through your credit history. This course teaches you how to read your credit report, build a good credit score, and protect yourself from identity theft and consumer fraud.

• You will learn to: Identify the components of a credit report and score, resolve errors, build or repair credit, and take steps to protect yourself from fraud.

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8. Spending and Borrowing

Learn to make smart choices when spending and borrowing. This course helps you identify spending leaks, resist impulse purchases, and understand the fine print in contracts to avoid hidden costs.

• You will learn to: Save money on large purchases, compare needs vs. wants, interpret financial contracts, and calculate the true cost of borrowing with interest.

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9. Debt and Repayment

Focus on strategies for repaying student loans and credit card debt. This course reviews different repayment scenarios and options, helping you create a plan to eliminate debt and avoid unnecessary borrowing in the future.

• You will learn to: Compare debt repayment strategies, calculate the cost of paying only the minimum, understand the consequences of non-repayment, and communicate effectively with your debt servicer.

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10. Future of Your Money

Look ahead to big-ticket purchases and long-term goals. This course introduces you to topics like buying a car or home, choosing insurance, and the basics of investing for the future, such as for retirement.

• You will learn to: Understand the importance of emergency savings, compare insurance policies, recognize the relationship between investment risk and return, and weigh the pros and cons of major life purchases.

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