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Your Free Five-Step Personal Finance Roadmap
Work through these in order. Every step links to a long-form guide so you can go as deep as you need before moving on.
Track your spending
Before anything else, find out where your money actually goes. Pull the last three months of statements and categorize every line.
Read the budgeting guide →Build a starter emergency fund
Aim for $1,000 in a separate high-yield savings account. This keeps a flat tire from turning into credit card debt while you build the rest of your plan.
How much do I really need? →Attack consumer debt
Pick avalanche or snowball, automate minimums on everything, and throw every extra dollar at the target debt until it's gone.
Pick a method →Start investing — Roth IRA first
Once consumer debt is gone, open a Roth IRA and set up automatic monthly contributions into a low-cost index fund.
Open one in 20 minutes →Build real wealth
Increase contribution rates, consider house hacking, and start thinking about taxable investing and long-term goals.
House hacking 101 →