Personal Finance: Money Smart Week & Financial Literacy Month: Websites

Learn what library and other resources are great for getting more savvy with your personal finances.

Notable Podcasts

Reputable Websites for Personal Finance

Open Access Textbooks

Personal Finance Course (Open Textbook Library
Personal Finance by Rachel Siegel and Carol Yacht is a comprehensive Personal Finance text. This book is arranged by learning objectives, and includes useful exercises and other learning materials. Topics range from saving to taxes to planning, and more.
Personal Finance (EcX)
This personal finance course, from Purdue professor Sugato Chakravarty, is free with optional upgrades. The 5-week course has four modules: investments, credit, insurance and retirement. Each module is independent and may be studied on its own, although studying them together provides a holistic understanding.

Additional Useful Sites

360 Degrees of Financial Literacy
This is provided by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants to provide information and tools "to help Americans to "understand their personal finances through any stage of life."
FINRA/Investors
This website from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) provides sources to "Protect Yourself," "Smart Investing," and "Market Data," as well as Alerts and Resources for different investment vehicles.
Consumer Alerts
Consumer Information from the Federal Trade Commission includes "Money & Credit," "Homes & Mortgages," "Jobs & Making Money," as well as links to free credit reports.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
This organization used to "make markets for consumer financial products and services work for Americans — whether they are applying for a mortgage, choosing among credit cards, or using any number of other consumer financial products." It is a high-quality, one-stop location to learn more about all things personal finance.

Although its front page was shut down in Feb. 2025, much of its contents are still available (indefinitely), and as of March 3, 2025, some staffing has returned to work. Their financial services and products complaints hotline is still up-and-running, although it's unclear whether or how fast issues can be addressed. If the site does close, key consumer help documents in the Internet Archive and multi-language resources are archived elsewhere, too. Highlights:
- Educational Tools You can Use for advice on many common money topics.
- Your money, your goals, a financial empowerment toolkit (2020)
MYMONEY.GOV
This site from the U.S. Government "is dedicated to teaching all Americans the basics about financial education." It is organized using five building blocks for managing money: Earn, Borrow, Save & Invest, Spend, and Protect. There are also a range of tools such as calculators and interactive worksheets.
Open University free courses in personal finance:
- Managing My Money
- Managing My Money for Young Adults (specifically geared to college aged people)
- Managing My Investments

UC San Diego Campus Resources

Benefits & Retirement Planning Resources @ UC
UC Net supplies a number of useful guides and walk-throughs on everything from using your benefits to careers to retirement planning
Brandes Center for Value Investing
This scholarly center, started in 2022, exists to research that "...uncover[s] investment strategies that may address long-term needs for institutional and individual investors." This site describes programming and research, and has a newsletter people can sign up for to stay informed.
UC e-Learning
This UC site for faculty and staff (including student employees), features a limited number of beginner- to intermediate-level personal finance topics. Including 5 courses under UC Essentials: Financial and retirement planning (topics like asset protection, beginner investing, preparing for retirement, etc); and a handful of ILT courses like financial education for post docs.