Questions & answers
The things people ask most. If yours isn’t here, the about and disclaimer pages cover more.
- Is this financial advice?
No. Everything here is educational — it explains concepts and shows how the math works, using made-up numbers. It is not individualized financial, tax, or legal advice, and using the site doesn’t create any advisory relationship. For decisions about your own money, talk to a licensed professional. See the full disclaimer.
- Why is it free?
Because the people who most need this are the least able to pay for it, and charging would defeat the point. There’s nothing to buy, no premium tier, and no products we earn commissions on. The project is being set up as a nonprofit — more on the about page.
- Do you track me or collect my data?
No accounts, no email capture, no analytics, no cookies. Your progress — completed lessons, quiz scores, flashcard schedule, streak — is saved only in your browser’s local storage and never leaves your device. Clear your browser data and it’s gone. See privacy.
- What order should I take the courses in?
If you’re new to investing, start with Simple Steps for a Retirement Portfolio — it assumes nothing. From there, the stock courses (fundamental and technical analysis) and income investing each stand on their own; take whichever fits what you want to do. The “where do I start?” quiz on the home page can point you.
- Are the numbers current?
The concepts don’t change; specific figures do. Contribution limits, tax thresholds, and interest rates move over time, so where a lesson uses one we flag that it changes and tell you to check the current official number rather than trusting a figure you memorized. We cite the sources behind time-sensitive facts as we build them out.
- Do the examples use real companies or investments?
No. Examples use fictional tickers (like XYZ) and hypothetical numbers on purpose — so a lesson teaches a method that works at any broker, and never reads as a recommendation to buy anything specific. The calculators are the same: every number in them is one you enter or one we invented to show the shape of the math.
- Can I use this in my classroom or program?
That’s exactly the kind of use we’re hoping for. The material is free to read and learn from. The precise terms for reuse and redistribution are still being settled as the organization forms — see the terms, and check back as they firm up.
- How do I save my progress across devices?
Because we don’t have accounts, progress lives in one browser at a time. On your progress page you can download your progress as a file and restore it in another browser — the no-account way to move it around or keep a backup.
- I found an error. How do I report it?
Please do — accuracy matters here. A public way to report issues will be set up as the organization is established. Until then, treat every figure as something to verify against an official source before you act on it.