It all started with an idea.
An idea that maybe, just maybe, we could all live happier, healthier, more comfortable lives if we were taught basic personal finance skills.
(you know, the ones we need to be successful adults).
Take a look at our current approach to financial education. Do you notice that there isn’t one? Doesn’t it seem like it’s time for this to change?
Friend, imagine a world where we taught basic financial literacy skills in school. A world where we graduated into adulthood knowing how to handle money, advocate for proper pay, avoid debt, manage our taxes, and build wealth.
Maybe it’s just me, but doesn’t that sound like a better system than our current approach of: ‘Gee, i hope they figure it out’?
You see, I was one of the lucky ones.
I was given a basic financial education at home.
My parents signed me up for after-school seminars at my local bank called ‘personal finance for teens’. I was given classic financial books to read like ‘The Wealthy Barber’, and was shown just enough to understand how important finance was, and that I hardly knew anything.
I didn’t go on to study a degree in finance though, because oddly enough, you don’t learn anything about personal finance by going to school to study finance. (see, again with the theme of: how are we supposed to learn this!?!).
Instead, I completed my BSc in a field I was interested in (marine biology), but that was largely useless to my intended career path. (what? you too? crazy.). I decided that I should just start working instead of pursuing MORE degrees, so I started my first business and have been an entrepreneur ever since.
I continued to study personal finance on my own though.
I read everything I could get my hands on about personal finance, LOVED the financial side of running a business, and through trial and error, adapted the classic financial information I was learning to today’s world, and built a financially successful and stable life. Taxes, spending plans, account optimization, credit scores, credit products, insurance, home buying, and investing are all topics I actively pursued learning about through my 20’s. I developed a broad base of knowledge, and started to seehow it all works together to make up a whole interconnected ecosystem per se of personal finance.
Somewhere in my mid to late 20’s though, I really started to see the blaring inequality of not providing everyone with a financial education. So many people seemed to be struggling, not because they had to, but because they simply didn’t understand money.
This is what planted the idea. This is how the How To Adult School came to be.
The How To Adult School is an online personal finance education company. We offer a variety of online courses and other educational resources, all dedicated to teaching you the personal finance skills you *should* have been taught in school.
At HTA we believe that being financially secure is a basic necessity to creating a healthy and happy life. We believe that everyone deserves the education that will allow them to create their own financial security. We believe that the current financial education system is failing to provide people with the knowledge they need to build financial security, and that it.doesn’t.have.to.be.this.way.
So, what are we doing about it?
The How To Adult School offers easy to understand and actionable personal finance education that is immediately applicable to people living within our modern day financial system. We take many of the tried and true teachings about personal finance, and adapt them to work in today’s financial environment (you know, because buying a house no longer costs your annual salary x2).
In addition to mountains of free education, online social media communities, templates, and guides, HTA offers a signature two step course series designed to teach you everything the everyday person needs to know about money.
Taken together, these two courses cover everything from organizing your accounts properly, to building mindful spending plans, using the tax system to your advantage, understanding credit scores, using investing accounts, getting started building your own self directed investing portfolio, and so much more. Think of this as the financial literacy certification course you need to be allowed out into the world as a financially secure ‘adult’.
If you’re just getting started on your financial literacy journey and aren’t ready to dive into any courses yet, HTA also produces a free weekly finance show that is available on Youtube and podcast platforms. Tune in to the show, sign up for the freebies, and join the weekly mailing list to start dipping your toes into the stream that will ultimately lead you to mastering your money.
So, what is the how to adult school?
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Browse the courses
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watch the show
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join the online community
A final note
So, why am I here to teach you?
Because the truth is, I AM you, but with one tiny difference.
I simply had the enormous fortune to have been born into a family that emphasized the importance of a financial education. And what skills I didn’t learn at home, I at least learned enough to know it was necessary to pursue more knowledge on my own.
And now, I’m passing all of this knowledge and information on to you, because there IS no standard model of personal finance education yet. We all know school doesn’t teach us these skills, heck even a university degree in finance doesn’t teach you anything aside from what you need to work in a financial field. I once gave a talk at a bank to a room full of analysts,traders, and advisors who are certified to sell you investment products, but had NO idea how to manage their own personal finances!
All that to say, you don’t need to be special to learn how to master your money. You don’t need to be a math whiz, you don’t need a degree in finance, you don’t need to have a huge salary, and you don’t need to have sold your tech start-up for millions by the age of 27. I pursued a BSc in marine biology and ran a wedding photography business before founding HTA, and have consistently built a secure, happy, and financially successful life simply by applying personal finance skills and building out a clear plan to follow.
By applying all of these finance skills altogether, before I was 30 I’d accomplished goals like saving a 12 month emergency fund, buying a house, and building an investment portfolio that will retire me with everything I need even if I never contribute another dollar. The biggest flex though? I accomplished these goals while still traveling, eating out, shopping, and enjoying life, because I don’t believe you have to sacrifice enjoying today in order to build a financially secure tomorrow. How? By understanding personal finance, understanding the psychology behind managing money, and following a plan.
Whether your goals are to buy a house, become work-optional, pay for your next vehicle in cash, wipe out your credit card debt, or simply to sleep at night stress-free knowing your money is doing what it’s supposed to, you can and will accomplish all of these milestones with just an added pinch of *financial literacy*.
One of the main mantras of what I teach is ‘you’re not bad with money, you just haven’t been taught any money management skills yet’. So, let’s get started shall we?