In The Concept of Money, we touched on what money is, how it derives its value, and what causes changes in its value.

In The Monetary System, we explained the current structure of the monetary system, who the major players are, and how they interact.

In this post, we feature part 1 of 6 of the series The Ascent of Money, which explains the financial history of the world.

This series is based on Niall Ferguson’s book, The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World, and it covers the details of how we got to where we currently are financially. It explains how the modern financial systems that are in place came to be and why they they work the way they work.


Your credit is the financial tool by which you are judged by any institution that is considering putting their trust in you financially. Whether you are applying for a credit card, a mortgage, an auto loan, or even a job; institutions check your credit in order to determine whether or not they want to do business with you.

Establishing credit and maintaining a good credit score are important to being able to succeed financially. Unless you have the cash on hand to be able to pay for everything you need in life, you are going to use your credit at some point to help you acquire something you either need or want.

The goal of this lesson is to teach you the most important things you need to know about your credit. This includes understanding what credit, a credit report, and credit score are, learning how to improve your credit score, and knowing what to take into consideration so you can make good decisions when it comes to your credit.


This is the final part of our three-part lesson on Formulating a Career Strategy. In this part of the lesson, we will explain how to go about executing your career strategy so that you can achieve the greatest level of success.

They say that success is where preparation meets opportunity. When you have completed this lesson, you should be on your way to acquiring the skills and the knowledge you’ll need to take advantage of the opportunities you are going to encounter throughout your chosen career path.


In Formulating a Career Strategy - Part 1, we covered the part of the strategy formulation process that has to do with defining exactly where you want to end up in life and what career you want to get you there.

In this part of the lesson, we’ll show you how to embark on the next leg of the journey, which includes determining your strengths, identifying your weaknesses, and putting a roadmap together in order to improve on your weaknesses and achieve the wealth and career success you desire for yourself.


As mentioned in our lesson about your personal financial toolbox, your career is going to be the single biggest investment you make throughout your lifetime. Chances are, it is going to require enormous amounts of your money, time, and attention.

Because of this, you want to make sure you have a solid strategy in place for making the most of your career and for ensuring the investment you’ve made, and will continue to make, pays off over the long run.

In this three-part lesson, we will teach you how to put a strategy together that, if followed, will put you on the road to having a successful career and help you attain the financial situation you want for yourself.


In order to achieve what you want financially, you have to begin with the end in mind.

At first, this may seem counter-intuitive. You may think that the first step toward financial prosperity is deciding what you’re going to do next, but more important than that is figuring out where you want to end up.

What we’re referring to is defining what “wealth” and “success” mean to you. Wealth and success are relative concepts. They mean different things to different people, and the differences between what one person thinks of them and what another thinks of them can be quite drastic.

Defining wealth and success isn’t as easy as it sounds. There are a lot of things you need to take into consideration and several difficult choices you have to make.

However, if done correctly, having a clear definition of where you want to end up can set the stage for achieving everything you want in life… and that’s why it’s so important.


If you wanted to build a house, you would surely need to start with the right materials. You would need a foundation, bricks, wood, and a roof among other things. But those things aren’t enough by themselves. You would also need the right tools.

Similarly, you also need the right tools to build your financial house… that is, the financial situation you want to build to shelter the other aspects of your life.

Aside from the building blocks of personal finance, the tools in your financial toolbox are the most important things you need to tend to when it comes to your finances. Learning how to properly use the tools in your financial toolbox can have a tremendous impact on your financial success.

What are these tools, and how can you use them to build the financial life you want for yourself?


In order to have the ability to make good financial decisions, you have to have an understanding of the basics of personal finance…the building blocks. In this lesson, we lay those building blocks out for you and teach you exactly what you need to know about them. Your knowledge of these building blocks will lay the foundation for how you think about your finances and will allow you to know what choices to make when options present themselves.

The purpose of this lesson is to:
• Give you a solid understanding of the building blocks of personal finance
• Teach you how they relate to your life and the things you do everyday
• Teach you how to think about them in a way that will make you more likely to make good financial decisions

With that out of the way, let’s get started.


In its simplest form, the monetary system in the United States consists of a central bank, a treasury, and a network of banks.

The Department of the Treasury, or the Treasury for short, basically handles the finances of the United States’ government.

Banks are institutions where people and businesses deposit money in order to earn interest and borrow money in order to fund major asset purchases that help them grow financially. Banks make money from the interest people and businesses pay on money the bank lent them.

The central bank in the United States is called the Federal Reserve, or the Fed for short. Think of the Fed as a bank for the government and other banks.


The purpose of this lesson is to give you a better understanding of what money is, where it derives its value, and what causes changes in the value of money.

We all use money on a daily basis to purchase necessities and maintain our lifestyle. It is generally defined as a store of value, a measure of purchasing power, and a medium of exchange for goods and services. Exactly what does this mean? Allow us to explain.

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