Financial Literacy Programs
Free ways to learn about money, from online courses and local classes to volunteering.
Learn at Your Own Pace
Free, self-paced courses and reference material you can start today — no sign-up, no sales pitch.
Free online courses and guides from trusted sources that you can work through whenever you like.
Federal starting points
MyMoney.gov is the U.S. government's cross-agency hub, and the CFPB's "Ask CFPB" answers common money questions in plain language.
FDIC Money Smart for Adults is a full course you can work through one module at a time.
Courses with lessons and quizzes
Khan Academy's personal finance unit is free and structured, covering budgeting, credit, taxes and investing.
FederalReserveEducation.org collects classroom-grade material on money, credit and the wider economy.
Investing basics
Investor.gov, from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, has a plain guide to getting started plus a compound-interest calculator.
FINRA's investor site explains brokerage accounts, fees and how to spot fraud.
For service members and families
The Department of Defense's Office of Financial Readiness offers free courses, calculators, and referrals to no-cost one-on-one financial counseling on and off base.
Links go to government and nonprofit sites; Manage Your Means has no affiliation with them. Some other free courses are funded by banks or card networks — still useful, but worth reading with the sponsor in mind. This is general education, not personalized advice.
Workshops & Webinars
Free financial-education classes and webinars near you, run by libraries, extension offices, credit unions and nonprofits.
Free money classes, in person or online, run by places like libraries and credit unions.
Your public library
Most branches host free budgeting and credit classes, and many lend online course access (Gale Courses, LinkedIn Learning, Universal Class) with a library card. Check your library's events calendar.
Cooperative Extension
The land-grant university in your state runs free community financial education through its local extension office. Find yours through extension.org.
Credit unions & nonprofit counselors
Most credit unions run free member seminars. Member agencies of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling offer free budgeting webinars alongside one-on-one sessions.
Federal & national programs
The CFPB and FDIC Money Smart run free webinars, and America Saves organizes an annual savings week with local events.
Dial 211 (211.org) for United Way referrals to financial coaching in your area.
Through your employer
Check your benefits portal: Employee Assistance Programs and 401(k) recordkeepers such as Fidelity, Vanguard and Empower all host free financial webinars for the people they cover.
Consider hosting one
If you've mastered a topic, a short workshop for coworkers, a club, or a faith group cements your own knowledge and multiplies the impact. Keep it practical, judgment-free, and built around one clear action.
Manage Your Means has no affiliation with these organizations, and availability varies by location. This is general education, not personalized advice.
Volunteer Opportunities
Established programs that train volunteers to teach money skills and prepare taxes — most ask for no finance background.
Programs where you help others with money, like preparing tax returns for free. Most train you, so you do not need to be an expert.
Prepare taxes for free
The IRS VITA and TCE programs certify volunteers each season to file returns for low-income, elderly, and disabled filers — no accounting background needed.
Locally these often run through AARP Foundation Tax-Aide or your United Way.
Teach in a classroom
Junior Achievement and the Council for Economic Education place volunteers in K-12 classrooms with ready-made lessons and training.
Coach one-on-one
Operation HOPE and local United Way Financial Opportunity Centers train volunteer financial coaches. Steady encouragement matters as much as technical know-how, and consistency beats intensity.
Mentor a small-business owner
SCORE volunteers mentor entrepreneurs on cash flow, pricing and financing — a good fit if your strength is business finance rather than household budgeting.
Manage Your Means has no affiliation with these organizations. Each sets its own training and certification requirements. This is general education, not personalized advice.
Bring Financial Education to a School or Nonprofit
Free curricula and organizations for anyone starting a financial-education program in a school, workplace, or community group.
Free lesson plans, and groups to contact, if you want to start teaching money skills at a school or in your community.
Ready-made K-12 curricula
Next Gen Personal Finance offers a free semester-long course and teacher training. The Council for Economic Education's EconEdLink has free, standards-aligned lessons.
Check your state's requirements
The Jump$tart Coalition tracks which states require a personal-finance course to graduate and maintains a clearinghouse of vetted materials and state coalitions.
Curriculum for adult & community programs
FDIC Money Smart is a free, rebrandable curriculum with instructor guides for adults, youth and small business.
The CFPB's "Your Money, Your Goals" toolkit is built for social-service organizations to train frontline staff.
Local partners
Your land-grant university's Cooperative Extension office can supply curriculum and trained educators. NFCC member agencies take referrals for one-on-one counseling and debt-management plans.
Build a lasting relationship
The strongest partnerships are ongoing, not one-off. Recurring workshops, shared resources, and a single point of contact keep momentum and let you measure real impact over time.
Links go to nonprofit and government resources; Manage Your Means has no affiliation with them and does not endorse a specific curriculum. This is general education, not personalized financial or legal advice.