Money 101: A Free Personal Finance Course
Last updated 10/14/2026 by
Andrew Latham
Summary:
Money 101 by SuperMoney is a free financial literacy course in nine short units: paychecks and taxes, banking, budgeting, credit, borrowing, paying for college, investing, protecting yourself, and a final project. Each unit has lessons, a worked example, an activity and a five-question quiz. Teachers and homeschool families can download the whole course as a printable PDF with a teacher guide and answer keys. No account or sign-up needed.
Most people learn how money works the expensive way: a first paycheck smaller than expected, a credit card balance that never seems to shrink, a student loan signed at 17 without comparing offers. Money 101 covers those decisions before they happen, in plain language and with real numbers.
It was written for a one-semester high school class, and it works just as well for homeschoolers and for adults who never got this class. Take the units in order or jump to the topic you need. Your quiz scores and progress are saved in your browser on this device, so there is nothing to sign up for.
Course Units
- Unit 1: Earning Income, Paychecks and Taxes (2 weeks)
How to read a pay stub, why take-home pay is smaller than gross pay, how tax brackets and refunds work, and what changes when you do gig work. - Unit 2: Banking and Payment Tools (1.5 weeks)
How to choose a bank account, avoid overdraft fees, check that your money is insured, and use payment apps without losing money you can’t get back. - Unit 3: Budgeting and Saving (2.5 weeks)
How to track spending, build a budget that survives irregular bills, size an emergency fund and let compound interest do the work. - Unit 4: Credit Reports, Scores and Credit Cards (2.5 weeks)
How credit scores are calculated, how to build credit at 18, and why paying only the minimum on a card can cost more than the purchase. - Unit 5: Borrowing and Getting Out of Debt (1.5 weeks)
How to compare loans by total cost, when buy now, pay later becomes a problem, how to spot high-cost credit and two proven ways to pay off debt. - Unit 6: Paying for College and Career Training (2.5 weeks)
How to pay for college with the cheapest money first: the FAFSA, net price, comparing aid offers, the 2026 federal loan rules and how much is too much to borrow. - Unit 7: Investing and Building Wealth (2.5 weeks)
Investing for teens and beginners: risk and return, index funds, what fees really cost, the 401(k) match, Roth IRAs and how to judge hype on social media. - Unit 8: Protecting Yourself: Insurance, Identity and Scams (1.5 weeks)
Insurance basics (premiums, deductibles, what to buy), the scams that target young people, credit freezes and how betting apps are designed. - Unit 9: Capstone: Your First Year on Your Own (1.5 weeks)
Put it all together: build a first-year financial plan for college, a trade, the military or a job, and adjust it when life throws three surprises at it.
Finished? Take the Money 101 final quiz: 40 questions across the whole course. It picks up where you left off, so you can do it in more than one sitting. Score 80% or higher and you can download a certificate of completion with your name on it.
For Teachers
Money 101 is built to be taught as-is or adapted. The course book includes:
- Lessons written to be read aloud or read independently
- An activity worksheet for each unit, built around sample documents: a pay stub, a credit card disclosure, two financial aid offers and a set of “scam or legit?” messages
- A five-question quiz per unit, with an answer key and an explanation for each answer
- A pacing guide for a standard 18-week semester, a capstone rubric and life event cards
- A certificate of completion to print and fill in for each student
The course covers all five topics in the Promoting Financial Literacy in Secondary Schools Act (H.R. 10528) and all six areas of the National Standards for Personal Financial Education from the Jump$tart Coalition and the Council for Economic Education. A unit-by-unit alignment table is on page 3 of the PDF. You can read more about the bill and what the research says about personal finance classes in what schools should teach about personal finance.
Money 101 is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0. You can copy it, edit it, and share it with students and other teachers. Please keep the credit to SuperMoney, and don’t sell it.
For Homeschool Families
Plan on two or three short sessions a week, and the course fits one semester. Read a lesson together, talk through the worked example, then let your student do the activity. Where you are comfortable, swap the sample documents for real ones from your household: your own pay stub or a real card statement makes the lesson stick. The online quizzes grade themselves, and the answer keys for the worksheets are in the PDF.
For Adults
You don’t need to start at Unit 1. If you want a fast foundation, do Unit 3 (budgeting) and Unit 4 (credit) first, then pick the topics that match what’s in front of you: a new job, a car loan, a child heading to college.
Want the course built around your own numbers? Sense AI in the SuperMoney app can teach these topics using your actual paycheck, accounts, cards and loans, one short lesson a day. It takes a few minutes to connect, and it is free for 7 days. Start your personal Money 101
Sense AI is not a licensed financial advisor.
Sense AI is not a licensed financial advisor.
FAQ
Is Money 101 really free?
Yes. The online course, the quizzes and the PDF course book are free. There are no accounts, no sign-up and no email required.
What grade level is it for?
It is written for high school students in grades 9 through 12, and it works for adults too. Younger students can follow most units with extra help on the math.
How long does the course take?
As a class, one 18-week semester. On your own, each unit takes about 45 to 90 minutes to read and complete the quiz.
Does it meet my state’s personal finance requirement?
Money 101 covers the six areas of the National Standards for Personal Financial Education, which most state standards are based on. Check your state’s own standards for specific requirements, such as required instructional hours or a state-approved provider list.
Is my progress saved?
Quiz scores and completed units are saved in your browser on the device you used. If you switch devices or clear your browser data, your progress starts over. We don’t ask for names or email addresses. We only count anonymous activity, such as how many people finish each unit, to improve the course.
Who wrote and reviewed the course?
The course was produced by SuperMoney and reviewed by Andrew Latham, CFP®. Examples state their assumptions, and figures that change every year, such as contribution limits and loan rules, point to the official source.
Can I change it for my class?
Yes. The Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial license lets you adapt it, as long as you credit SuperMoney and don’t sell it.
Andrew is the Content Director for SuperMoney, a Certified Financial Planner®, and a Certified Personal Finance Counselor. He loves to geek out on financial data and translate it into actionable insights everyone can understand. His work is often cited by major publications and institutions, such as Forbes, U.S. News, Fox Business, SFGate, Realtor, Deloitte, and Business Insider.
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