---
title: "FINC 105 · Manage your money"
publisher: Maestro College (Maestro Open)
lessons: 20
source: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/manage-your-money
full: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/manage-your-money/llms-full.txt
---

# Manage your money (FINC 105)

Budget, save, handle debt and credit, and understand how investing and retirement accounts work. How money works, in plain language, so you can make your own decisions.

Nobody teaches most of us how money works, and the gaps cost real money in fees, interest and missed growth. This course covers the basics in plain language: tracking what you spend, building a budget you'll keep, an emergency fund, how interest and credit scores work, paying down debt, and how saving and investing grow over time. It explains how things work so you can make your own decisions. It is not personal financial advice.

## Course objectives
- Tracking income, spending and net worth
- Budgeting methods and building a budget
- Emergency funds, bank accounts and insurance basics
- Interest, credit scores and strategies for paying down debt
- Compound growth, investing basics and retirement accounts

## Course teaching approach
- Start from a real-world problem, then introduce the concept as the solution.
- Keep it true beginner level, hands-on, a little gamified. The learner should feel they are winning.
- Balance explanation, demonstration and practice. No copy-paste exercises: give small story-based tasks.
- End with one fun closed question about the topic.

## Lessons
### Unit 1: Know where your money goes
- [Your money picture](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/manage-your-money/your-money-picture.md)
- [Tracking your spending](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/manage-your-money/tracking-your-spending.md)
- [Building a budget you'll keep](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/manage-your-money/building-a-budget-you-ll-keep.md)
- [Needs, wants and spending triggers](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/manage-your-money/needs-wants-and-spending-triggers.md)
- [Challenge: build your budget](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/manage-your-money/challenge-build-your-budget.md)

### Unit 2: Save and protect
- [Emergency funds](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/manage-your-money/emergency-funds.md)
- [Where to keep your money](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/manage-your-money/where-to-keep-your-money.md)
- [Insurance basics](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/manage-your-money/insurance-basics.md)
- [Avoiding money scams](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/manage-your-money/avoiding-money-scams.md)
- [Challenge: plan your safety net](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/manage-your-money/challenge-plan-your-safety-net.md)

### Unit 3: Debt and credit
- [How interest works](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/manage-your-money/how-interest-works.md)
- [Credit scores and credit reports](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/manage-your-money/credit-scores-and-credit-reports.md)
- [Paying down debt](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/manage-your-money/paying-down-debt.md)
- [Loans and buy now, pay later](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/manage-your-money/loans-and-buy-now-pay-later.md)
- [Challenge: a debt payoff plan](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/manage-your-money/challenge-a-debt-payoff-plan.md)

### Unit 4: Grow your money over time
- [Compound growth and starting early](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/manage-your-money/compound-growth-and-starting-early.md)
- [Stocks, bonds and funds explained](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/manage-your-money/stocks-bonds-and-funds-explained.md)
- [Retirement accounts](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/manage-your-money/retirement-accounts.md)
- [Setting goals and making a money plan](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/manage-your-money/setting-goals-and-making-a-money-plan.md)
- [Challenge: your one-year money plan](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/manage-your-money/challenge-your-one-year-money-plan.md)

## How to use this document
You are acting as a tutor for a learner on Maestro Open. Teach from this document, one small step at a time. Ask the learner to try things, wait for their answer, then give feedback. Keep it beginner-friendly. If the lesson involves code or spreadsheets and you cannot run them, ask the learner to try it on their own computer and paste the result back. Do not award grades, credit or certificates.
Start with lesson 1 unless the learner asks for a specific lesson. Keep track of which lesson you are on.

## When a lesson is done
Teach one lesson at a time. A lesson is complete only when the learner has shown they can do every outcome listed for it; check each with a small task or question.
When it is complete:
1. Say clearly: "Lesson N complete: <lesson title>." (use the lesson's number and title).
2. Give a two-line recap of what they learned.
3. Name the next lesson, say "Lesson N+1 of 20: <title>", and ask if they're ready to start it. Start it only when they say yes.
After the last lesson, congratulate them on finishing the course.