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Personal Finance: Budget, Safety Cushion, Debt and Investing

Take charge of your money without giving up the things you enjoy. See where your money goes, build a safety cushion for real Ukrainian risks, work out what a loan or "pay in parts" really costs, live on irregular income, choose where savings live, invest without illusions, protect your family and plan for the long run. Educational, not financial advice.

Free32 lessons~11 h 1 min of learning

Two parents and a toddler at a kitchen table look at an open notebook, next to a phone, a small house-shaped money box, a cup of tea and a savings jar with an orange lid.
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  1. Module 1: Where does my money go?

    Tracking a month, a spending plan with fun money, subscriptions and small payments, and running out before payday.

    A long receipt unrolls from a phone on a kitchen table toward a shopping bag, a coffee cup, a bus ticket and a small gift, with an orange magnifying glass above them.
    1. 1.1Tracking a month without a spreadsheet habitSee where the money actually went, from a month of card payments.~20 min

      1.1 Tracking a month without a spreadsheet habit

      ~20 min · 6 exercises

      StartRead theory
    2. 1.2Spending plan: needs, wants and fun moneyA spending plan that covers needs, saving and the things that make life good.~18 min

      1.2 Spending plan: needs, wants and fun money

      ~18 min · 6 exercises

      StartRead theory
    3. 1.3Subscriptions and small payments: the leaksHow small and recurring payments add up to more than one big purchase, and how a ten-minute monthly audit lets you keep what you value on purpose.~18 min

      1.3 Subscriptions and small payments: the leaks

      ~18 min · 6 exercises

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    4. 1.4Case: Sam's family lives paycheck to paycheckSam's family lives paycheck to paycheck, 6,558 UAH short every month. Find the gap in a month of data, close it with recurring cuts, keep fun money and start saving first.~29 min

      1.4 Case: Sam's family lives paycheck to paycheck

      ~29 min · 6 exercises

      StartRead theory
    Module examComplete 4 more lessons to unlock

  2. Module 2: What if the income stops?

    How big a cushion to keep, where to keep it, how to build it automatically, and a cushion plan for summer and wartime.

    A jar full of coins rests on a soft cushion under an orange umbrella as rain starts to fall, next to a wallet.
    1. 2.1Emergency fund: how many months of essentialsHow much should an emergency fund be? Size it from essential costs and from how likely, and for how long, an income could stop.~18 min

      2.1 Emergency fund: how many months of essentials

      ~18 min · 6 exercises

      StartRead theory
    2. 2.2Where to keep it: access, currency, several banksMoney you can reach on a bad day, in the right currency and not all in one place.~19 min

      2.2 Where to keep it: access, currency, several banks

      ~19 min · 6 exercises

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    3. 2.3Building it without pain: pay yourself firstPay yourself first: automatic saving on payday instead of saving what is left, with a fixed sum for a salary and a percentage for irregular income.~18 min

      2.3 Building it without pain: pay yourself first

      ~18 min · 6 exercises

      StartRead theory
    4. 2.4Case: Dana builds an emergency fund for summer and warHow to build an emergency fund on a seasonal income: a tutor separates a predictable summer dip from real emergencies, sizes both, places the money and plans how to fill it by June.~31 min

      2.4 Case: Dana builds an emergency fund for summer and war

      ~31 min · 6 exercises

      StartRead theory
    Module examComplete 4 more lessons to unlock

  3. Module 3: What does this debt really cost?

    The real annual cost of a loan, credit cards and the minimum payment, installment plans and microloans, and a way out of debt.

    A bank card is chained to a heavy orange ball on a kitchen table, beside a shopping bag cut into equal slices and an almost empty savings jar.
    1. 3.1APR: the real annual cost of a loanAPR vs interest rate: why "0%" can cost as much as a credit card, and how to compare loans by everything you pay, not by the advertised rate or the monthly payment.~18 min

      3.1 APR: the real annual cost of a loan

      ~18 min · 6 exercises

      StartRead theory
    2. 3.2Credit cards: grace period and the minimum-payment trapWhen a credit card costs nothing, how a balance quietly grows, and why paying the minimum can keep a debt alive for years.~18 min

      3.2 Credit cards: grace period and the minimum-payment trap

      ~18 min · 6 exercises

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    3. 3.3Buy now, pay later and payday loansWhen buy now, pay later is really free, when zero percent hides a price, and why payday loans, short microloans, are the most expensive money there is.~17 min

      3.3 Buy now, pay later and payday loans

      ~17 min · 6 exercises

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    4. 3.4Case: Sam's way out of debtA credit card and two installment plans, one fixed budget: compare paying the costliest debt first with paying the smallest first, and write the plan.~29 min

      3.4 Case: Sam's way out of debt

      ~29 min · 6 exercises

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    Module examComplete 4 more lessons to unlock

  4. Module 4: How to live on irregular income?

    Averaging a lumpy income over a year, setting taxes aside as a sole proprietor, paying yourself a salary from a buffer.

    Buckets pour coins unevenly into a large glass tank, and an orange tap at its bottom drips a steady stream into a cup next to a laptop.
    1. 4.1A year, not a monthWhy a great month is not a raise, and how to find your real income from a year of lumpy payments.~17 min

      4.1 A year, not a month

      ~17 min · 6 exercises

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    2. 4.2Taxes first: how much to set asideHow much to set aside for taxes when self-employed in Ukraine: a group 3 FOP's single tax, military levy and social contribution, moved out the day the money arrives, with a rule that still works in a thin quarter.~18 min

      4.2 Taxes first: how much to set aside

      ~18 min · 6 exercises

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    3. 4.3Paying yourself a salary from a bufferHow to pay yourself as a sole proprietor: turn an uneven income into a steady monthly salary with a buffer account, a salary set below the after-tax average, and a test against a weaker year.~18 min

      4.3 Paying yourself a salary from a buffer

      ~18 min · 6 exercises

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    4. 4.4Case: Dana's 12-month budgetA budget for the self-employed, built on a tutor's year: real income, taxes set aside first, a salary from a buffer that survives the summer, the cushion, and a test against a weaker year.~29 min

      4.4 Case: Dana's 12-month budget

      ~29 min · 6 exercises

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    Module examComplete 4 more lessons to unlock

  5. Module 5: Where should savings live?

    Inflation and the real rate, the currency of a goal, deposits and government bonds, and a two-year savings choice.

    A hand holds an orange coin above a table with a small bank building, a safe and a glass jar, while an ice cube melts on a stack of coins.
    1. 5.1Inflation and the real rate of returnA 14% deposit is not 14% richer: find the real rate of return by taking off the tax on interest, then inflation, and see what your savings can really buy a year later.~17 min

      5.1 Inflation and the real rate of return

      ~17 min · 6 exercises

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    2. 5.2Hryvnia or dollars: the currency of a goalSave in the currency the bill will come in. Currency risk, the cost of exchanging money and what to do when a goal mixes currencies.~16 min

      5.2 Hryvnia or dollars: the currency of a goal

      ~16 min · 6 exercises

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    3. 5.3Deposits and government bondsGovernment bonds (OVDP) and a term deposit compared side by side on the four questions for any place to keep savings: rate, tax, guarantee and access.~17 min

      5.3 Deposits and government bonds

      ~17 min · 6 exercises

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    4. 5.4Case: where to keep Dana's savings for two yearsShort-term savings on a worked case: Dana has 150,000 UAH for a kitchen renovation two years away. Price the goal, compare five options after tax, inflation and the exchange rate, stress-test them and write a recommendation.~31 min

      5.4 Case: where to keep Dana's savings for two years

      ~31 min · 6 exercises

      StartRead theory
    Module examComplete 4 more lessons to unlock

  6. Module 6: How to invest without illusions?

    Risk and return, diversification and index funds, what fees cost over time, and a regular plan instead of a hot tip.

    An orange watering can waters a long row of small potted plants with round leaves, while one tall plant wobbles alone at the end of the windowsill.
    1. 6.1Risk and return: no "high and safe"Higher expected return always comes with bigger swings. Read twenty invented years of three options, see why averages flatter and why a fall needs a bigger rise to recover.~18 min

      6.1 Risk and return: no "high and safe"

      ~18 min · 6 exercises

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    2. 6.2Diversification and index fundsWhat is an index fund, why owning a little of everything beats betting on one company, what diversification can't protect against, and what to check before buying.~15 min

      6.2 Diversification and index funds

      ~15 min · 6 exercises

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    3. 6.3Expense ratio: what 2% a year costsAn expense ratio, the yearly fund fee, is charged on the whole balance, every year, whatever the return. Over twenty years of 3,000 a month, 2% instead of 0.3% costs 220,130 UAH, about half of the growth.~19 min

      6.3 Expense ratio: what 2% a year costs

      ~19 min · 6 exercises

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    4. 6.4Case: "just buy crypto" vs a regular planLeo's coin rose 300% last year, and a messenger "platform" promises 2% a week. Check the maths, spot the red flags of an investment scam and write Dana a dollar-cost averaging plan that survives a bad year.~29 min

      6.4 Case: "just buy crypto" vs a regular plan

      ~29 min · 6 exercises

      StartRead theory
    Module examComplete 4 more lessons to unlock

  7. Module 7: How to protect what you have?

    Insurance for the losses you can't afford, fraud with calls and codes, family money documents, and a protection checklist.

    An orange shield stands behind a savings jar, a house-shaped money box and a folder of documents, next to a phone with a fishing hook on its screen.
    1. 7.1Insurance: big losses firstWhat to insure, what to pay from savings, and how to read a deductible and an exclusion.~18 min

      7.1 Insurance: big losses first

      ~18 min · 6 exercises

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    2. 7.2Phone scams: calls, codes and fake platformsHow phone scams work: the scripts fraudsters use, the rules that stop them, and what to do in the first hour if you've been scammed.~16 min

      7.2 Phone scams: calls, codes and fake platforms

      ~16 min · 6 exercises

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    3. 7.3Documents and access: if something happensA one-page money map, access without shared passwords, and documents your family can find in a hurry.~17 min

      7.3 Documents and access: if something happens

      ~17 min · 6 exercises

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    4. 7.4Case: Sam's family protection checklistNine protection options and 1,500 UAH a month: choose what to insure, what to save for, and add fraud rules and a money map.~28 min

      7.4 Case: Sam's family protection checklist

      ~28 min · 6 exercises

      StartRead theory
    Module examComplete 4 more lessons to unlock

  8. Module 8: What am I saving for?

    Goals with a price and a date, retirement, money in a couple, and a one-page money plan with a yearly review.

    A family walks a winding path from a savings jar past a house, a suitcase, a graduation cap and a rocking chair toward an orange flag.
    1. 8.1Goals with a price and a dateTurning wishes into amounts, dates and a monthly number, and deciding what moves when they don't all fit.~18 min

      8.1 Goals with a price and a date

      ~18 min · 6 exercises

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    2. 8.2Retirement: what the state gives and what you addHow much to save for retirement: the insurance record a pension needs, why the state pension is a floor, and how much a monthly amount can grow to over 20 or 30 years.~19 min

      8.2 Retirement: what the state gives and what you add

      ~19 min · 6 exercises

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    3. 8.3Money and a partner: joint, separate or bothSplitting shared costs fairly when incomes differ, and a few rules that stop money fights before they start.~17 min

      8.3 Money and a partner: joint, separate or both

      ~17 min · 6 exercises

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    4. 8.4Case: a one-page financial plan and the yearly reviewDana's year in numbers: plan against actual, saving rate, net worth and the cushion, then a one-page personal financial plan for the next year.~31 min

      8.4 Case: a one-page financial plan and the yearly review

      ~31 min · 6 exercises

      StartRead theory
    Module examComplete 4 more lessons to unlock