Introduction
Going to school is something that is very important and will almost certainly help you get ahead
in life. And there are likely quite a few things you remember from your schooling days, too. You
might remember that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. Or that the capital of
Missouri is Jefferson City. Or even the Pythagorean theorem.
But while having these facts in the back of your head can be incredibly useful, in certain
situations, there are a lot of things about school—especially when it comes to “real life”—that
tend to be overlooked. Currently, only about 23% of schools in the United States require people
to take any sort of personal finance class in order to graduate. Even when personal finance is
included in the curriculum, the class is still often missing a lot of critical material. And that’s
assuming you even remember very much once it’s time to do your taxes, buy a home, or make
another important financial decision.
This book is by no means trying to put down the schooling system—in fact, we think it’s great
that the number of schools offering personal finance courses is finally starting to increase. But
there is also no denying that understanding how to read a credit card offer will likely be much
more useful than knowing Jupiter is the fifth planet from the sun (no offense, Jupiter).
The purpose of this book is to help you learn about some of the most important personal
finance topics that may have been overlooked while you were in school. Whether you
graduated decades ago or are yet to even graduate, taking the time to learn these important
financial lessons can help prepare you for future financial success.
This book, which will contain one hundred important lessons, will be divided into ten sections.
