FIN 201 - Personal Finance & Money Management - Spring 2024 - Professor Brandi
Learn how to budget your money, overcome debt and balance between savings and investments.

Led by Jay Brandi & Farnoosh Torabi View Instructor Bios

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$49.50 $49.50 USD
Lifetime Access
  • One time payment, money back guarantee
  • Self-paced online course, lifetime access
  • Interactive content and downloadable materials

Course Description

The host of the award-winning podcast So Money has partnered with Investopedia to create Personal Finance, a course dedicated to helping you plan your financial future—and enjoy your financial present. Get the answers to the questions you should be asking, and not the ones your parents are.

Learn how to payoff student loans, wipe out credit card debt and more, all while doing the right thing to invest in your future—from buying a house to securing retirement income. Leave this course with the basic understanding of setting goals, budgeting, saving, and investing.

If you haven’t started to plan for your financial future, we’ll show you where to start. And if you have, this course provides you with the tools, strategies and advice to take your finances from good to great.

You’ll learn how to:

  •  Build—and follow!—a plan to create the financial future you want
  •  Increase current revenue streams (supplemental income, trades, etc.)
  •  Pay down debt and/or student loans while increasing your net worth

This course includes:

  • Over 5 hours of on-demand video, exercises, and interactive content.
  • Lifetime access to every one of the videos in this course.

With over 15 years experience in personal finance, Farnoosh Torabi has dedicated her career to ensuring the financial success of millennials, and is excited to bring that passion to Investopedia Academy to help you learn how to Invest In Yourself.

Certificate of Enrollment

Receive an Investopedia Academy Certificate of Enrollment with this course

Course Curriculum

Set Your Goals
  • Workbook
  • Introduction
  • Lesson
  • Round Table
  • Index
Budgeting
  • Workbook
  • Introduction
  • Lesson
  • Examples
  • Round Table
  • I make $50K a Year: How Much Rent Can I Afford?
  • 6 Reasons Why you NEED a Budget
  • 5 U.S. Cities with High Paychecks and a Low Cost of Living
  • Index
Saving
  • Workbook
  • Introduction
  • Lesson
  • Round Table
  • Pros and Cons of a Health Savings Account (HSA)
  • How Interest Rates Work on Savings Accounts
  • The 7 Best Places to Put Your Savings
  • Why Saving Money is Important
  • Index
Invest In Your Future
  • Introduction
  • Lesson
  • Round Table
  • Will Your Retirement Income Be Enough?
  • How to Make Your Wealth Last
  • Index
Tackle Debt
  • Introduction
  • Credit Card Debt
  • Student Debt
  • Round Table
  • Escape Your Student Loans
  • Debt Avalanche vs. Debt Snowball
  • How to Invest When You're Deep in Debt
  • Index
Three C's of Credit
  • Introduction
  • Lesson
  • Round Table
  • Credit vs. Debit Cards
  • Index
Large Purchases
  • Introduction
  • Lesson
  • Round Table
  • When Leasing a Car Is Better Than Buying
  • The True Cost Of Owning A Car
  • 5 Things You Need to Be Pre-Approved for a Mortgage
  • Index
Increase Your Earning Power
  • Introduction
  • Lesson
  • Index

About the Instructors

Jay Brandi, Ph. D., CVA
Jay Brandi, Ph. D., CVA Chair, Department of Finance, University of Louisville

Dr. Jay T. Brandi is the Chair of the Department of Finance, College of Business at the University of Louisville. A Professor of Finance, Dr. Brandi has held various positions at the University of Louisville, College of Business to include Chair of the Department of Computer Information Systems and Finance, and Executive Director of the School of Business. Dr. Brandi earned his Ph. D at the University of Arizona and holds a Certified Valuation Analyst certification from the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA). He is the President of FinPlan Associates a financial consulting firm offering seminars, as well as business valuation, professional portfolio manager performance analysis, and other financial services to include expert testimony and family business advising. Dr. Brandi has served as a Financial Investigator, and as the Assistant Securities Director for the Florida Division of Securities, and as a lobbyist for the Comptroller of the State of Florida. Professor Brandi’s research has appeared in finance, entrepreneurship, and law journals, and he has authored several texts and chapters in the area of finance and securities. He teaches courses in securities brokerage, personal finance, investments, and corporate finance, and has been honored with teaching, faculty excellence, and outstanding faculty member awards at the University of Louisville. Dr. Brandi is also a member of the Educational Advisory Board for the Louisville Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Farnoosh Torabi
Farnoosh Torabi Financial Expert, Bestselling Author

Farnoosh Torabi is one of America’s leading personal finance authorities — hooked on helping Americans live their richest, happiest lives. From her early days reporting for Money Magazine to hosting a primetime series on CNBC and becoming the resident financial columnist for O, The Oprah Magazine, she’s become a favorite go-to money expert and friend. Millions of Americans tune into Farnoosh’s award winning podcast, So Money, where she interviews leading experts, authors and influencers – from Tony Robbins to Magaret Cho – about their financial perspectives, money failures and habits. Farnoosh is a sought-after speaker and bestselling author of multiple books. Her work and advice have been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Forbes and Time. She appears on major news and talk shows regularly including The NBC Today Show, Dr. Oz, and CNBC. Farnoosh graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Finance and International Business. She also holds a Master’s from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She resides happily in Brooklyn with her family.

Students are Saying...

I love the way Investopedia designed their courses. The Academy allows me to have complete on demand access to each course I purchase. Investopedia Academy was perfect in that it allowed me to take the courses at my own pace and I could rewatch any lessons I wanted. 

Samy Abouseda
Student at HEG, Bachelor in Business Administration