Whether you need to save for retirement, want to cut back on shopping or just need to come up with a savings game plan – the first step in your personal finance journey is financial education. And no we don’t mean studying a Bachelor of Commerce, our solution is – short (and affordable) online courses that give you the necessary tools you need to improve your personal finances and credit health.
In South Africa, there are a number of local and international short courses that are available for consumers, however, it can be quite tricky navigating which ones are worth your time and money. We’ve made it our business to sift through the online finance courses available for consumers, and we’ve rounded up the top 5.
5 personal finance online courses available in SA
Let’s take a look at who is leading the way in personal finance short courses in South Africa:
1. Fincheck Academy – Credit Health Course
Sometimes it’s okay to toot your own horn, especially if the courses that we offer are tailored to help make money as simple as possible for consumers. Our academy offers all the tools you’ll need to better your financial future under one roof. From calculators to estimate the cost of just about anything to quick money tips from our team, you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to financial education. Our Credit Health Course will assist you in understanding your credit report, it will also give you the power to know exactly what your credit status is, as well as improve your financial and credit potential.
The course is broken up into 10 lessons that cover a range of topics. Each lesson will allow students to better understand complicated financial terminology and you’ll be given actionable steps to improve your credit score and overall financial well-being. After every couple of lessons, there will be a short quiz where you’ll be graded on your results as you answer the questions, but don’t stress if you choose the incorrect answer you’ll be prompted to re-read the relevant lesson (and try again). This course along with all the free resources available on Fincheck Academy will set you on the right path in no time.
Course fee: R99 (which is 70% off)
Overall rating: 9/10 – because we couldn’t give ourselves a 10 😉
2. Capitec – Becoming Money Smart
All you’ll need to do to get started is to register via the Live Better Academy (and no you do not need to be a Capitec customer to sign up). Then select ‘Becoming Money Smart’ from the list of courses available on their home dashboard. The course consists of 11 modules, each is very short and easy to understand with the objective of improving your financial future. The course will first walk you through essential concepts you need to understand before you can master your money.
In between each module, there are short quizzes that test your knowledge from the module before. The quiz questions use very practical examples so that it’s easy to understand for consumers. From understanding how compound interest works to how you can build your wealth, the course offers a fantastic overview of finance and how you can get started on saving and improving your financial fitness.
Course fee: FREE
Overall rating: 9/10
3. Udemy – Personal Finance Masterclass – Easy Guide to Better Finances
Udemy is renowned for offering courses for just about everything, from how to understand coding to becoming a professional photographer. Of particular interest to those wanting to better their finances is the ‘Personal Finance Masterclass’, which unpacks everything you need to know to improve yours. This Udemy course is 7 hours long, with short videos explaining each of the topics covered. This isn’t your traditional personal finance course, as it wasn’t created by a bank or financial institution, instead, it was created by three people who understand the needs of consumers. Each of the videos will give you a better understanding of budgeting, investing, taxes, retirement and the psychology of money.
Whether you are a millionaire or can only afford to save R500 a month, the aim of the course is to take your finances to the next level with helpful tools & resources to help you along the way.
Course fee: R279.99
Overall rating: 8/10 – only because there aren’t quizzes in between each topics
4. Worth – Wealthy Me
For a lot of South Africans, the idea of becoming “wealthy” can seem far-fetched, especially when you are spiralling into debt. Worth – your money matter courses are designed specifically to get consumers out of bad debt cycles and put them on a path where they can eventually grow their wealth. Often consumers can find it difficult to manage their money, sometimes terrifying and or even just plain boring. Worth aims to make financial education a crucial life skill, where consumers can feel confident about the financial decisions they are making.
The 60-day Wealthy Me™ course is designed to empower consumers so that they can regain control of their cash flow, get out of debt, and build lasting wealth. The course consists of videos, case studies, and lessons. Throughout each lesson, you’ll be able to download templates and tools. They recommend doing one hour per week. During the 5 lesson course, you’ll learn about the power of prosperity, how to drive profitability, the power of assets and how to put together a game plan.
Course fee: R4990 or R399 with Discovery
Overall rating: 8/10
5. PocketFin – How to Budget like a Boss
Sometimes we need to get back to the basics to truly understand how savings, budgeting and investment work. PocketFin is determined to make financial education affordable, easy to understand and convenient. Their website aims to create a simple yet conclusive educational experience, where you can master the world of money. The team behind PocketFin, use their experience and heaps of knowledge in the financial sector to unpack financial well-being. We enrolled in the ‘How to Budget Like a Boss’ to learn how to pave the way to financial success. PocketFin explain budgeting, as simply as, it’s breaking down your income vs your expenses to learn where you are able to save money and cut down on expenses.
The course is broken down into four chapters: The importance of budgeting, Categorising, Disposable Income and Rules of Thumb and Continuously Reviewing. Although the course is very short, it gives you all the basic information you’ll need to start your budgeting journey, including a monthly budget template.
Course fee: FREE
Overall rating: 7/10 – a great basic overview of the content, however, there are no quizzes in between chapters.
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