Parallelogramist

Curriculum map

Every tier, every lesson, in order — the whole path in one view. Completed lessons get a ✓ once you've marked progress on a lesson page.

Foundations

  1. Compound Interest & the Time Value of Money
  2. The Rule of 72: How Fast Does Money Double?
  3. Present Value: Should You Take the Lump Sum or the Payments?
  4. The Cost of Waiting: Why a Late Start Costs More Than the Years You Skip
  5. What Is Money & Inflation
  6. Income & Take-Home Pay
  7. Paycheck Withholding & the Tax-Refund Myth
  8. Which Dollar Is Worth Most: A Raise, a Side Hustle, or Cutting Costs?
  9. Gig Work & 1099s: The Self-Employment Tax Surprise
  10. Is a Second Income Worth It? The Childcare-and-Commute Math
  11. The Cost of Never Negotiating: A Small Raise, Compounded Over a Career
  12. Budgeting & Cash Flow
  13. The Emergency Fund
  14. Opportunity Cost & Trade-Offs
  15. The Latte Factor: What a Small Daily Habit Really Costs
  16. Net Worth & the Order of Operations: Where Every Dollar Goes First

Debt & Credit

  1. Loans & Amortization
  2. Credit Cards & the Minimum-Payment Trap
  3. Interest, APR & APY
  4. Debt Payoff Strategies: Avalanche vs Snowball
  5. Credit Scores: What Actually Moves the Number
  6. Good Debt vs Bad Debt: It's Not the Loan, It's What You Bought
  7. Emergency Fund or Pay Off Debt First?
  8. Buy Now, Pay Later — or Save Up First? The True Cost of Financing a Purchase
  9. Debt Consolidation: Does Trading Several Debts for One Actually Help?
  10. Balance Transfer: The 0%-APR Card That Becomes a Trap If You Miss the Deadline
  11. Payday Loans: What a 'Small' Two-Week Fee Actually Costs
  12. Borrowing From Your Own 401(k): The Loan That Sounds Free
  13. Co-Signing a Loan: Vouching for Someone Else's Debt

Saving & Growing

  1. Bank Accounts: Where Your Cash Should Actually Sit
  2. Sinking Funds: Saving Monthly for the Bill You Know Is Coming
  3. Real Returns: What Your Money Is Actually Earning
  4. You Just Got a Windfall: Where Should It Go?
  5. Dollar-Cost Averaging: Investing Through the Ups and Downs
  6. Risk & Return: Volatility Is the Price of Growth
  7. Why a 50% Loss Needs a 100% Gain: Volatility Drag
  8. Diversification: The Closest Thing to a Free Lunch
  9. Sequence of Returns: Why a Crash Hurts More at the Finish Line

Investing Instruments

  1. Index Funds, ETFs & the Quiet Cost of Fees
  2. Asset Allocation: How Much in Stocks vs Bonds?
  3. Stocks: Price, Dividends & What 'Total Return' Really Means
  4. Bonds: Why Their Prices Move Backwards
  5. Retirement Accounts & the Employer Match: The Closest Thing to Free Money
  6. Roth vs. Traditional: Pay the Tax Now, or Later?
  7. The HSA: The Only Account With a Triple Tax Advantage
  8. Cashing Out a 401(k) When You Leave a Job — vs. Rolling It Over

Big Life Decisions

  1. Two Job Offers: Compare Total Comp, Not Salary
  2. Tax Brackets: Your Bracket Is Not Your Tax Rate
  3. The Benefits Cliff: When a Raise Leaves You Worse Off
  4. How Much House Can You Actually Afford? The 28/36 Rule
  5. Rent vs Buy: It's a Break-Even, Not a Battle
  6. Insurance: Buy Term and Invest the Difference
  7. HDHP + HSA vs PPO: Picking a Health Plan Without Guessing
  8. Disability Insurance: Insuring Your Paycheck, Not Just Your Stuff
  9. Mortgage Points: Buying Down Your Rate Is a Break-Even
  10. Adjustable-Rate Mortgages: The Teaser That Resets
  11. Refinancing a Loan: When Does It Actually Pay Off?
  12. HELOC: Borrowing Against Your Home
  13. Retirement Planning: Will Your Money Last?
  14. When to Claim Social Security: The Break-Even Bet
  15. Savings Rate: The Shockingly Simple Math of Early Retirement
  16. Coast FIRE: The Age You Can Stop Saving and Still Retire On Time
  17. Paying for College: 529 Savings vs the Cost of Student Debt
  18. Student Loans: Standard vs Income-Driven Repayment (and Forgiveness)
  19. Pay Down Debt or Invest? The Guaranteed-Return Crossover
  20. Buying a Car: New vs Used vs Lease

Advanced Instruments

  1. Real-Estate Investing: Cap Rate, Cash Flow, and the Magic (and Menace) of Leverage
  2. Options: Calls, Puts, and the Hockey-Stick Payoff
  3. Tax-Loss Harvesting: Turning a Loser Into a Tax Break
  4. Annuities: Buying Yourself a Paycheck for Life
  5. Futures & Leverage: Controlling a Lot With a Little
  6. Foreign Exchange: What a Currency Really Costs to Swap
  7. Crypto & DeFi: The Hidden Cost of Being the Bank

Behavior & Pitfalls

  1. Behavioral Finance: Why We Sell at the Bottom
  2. Scams & Fraud: Spotting a Too-Good-to-Be-True Return
  3. Fees Everywhere: The Costs That Stack
  4. Capital Gains: Why Holding On (and Trading Less) Beats the Tax
  5. Lifestyle Creep: Bank Your Raises or Spend Them?

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