Choose a path
Not sure where to start?
I’m carrying debt
Start with what borrowing really costs, then choose an order.
I’m about to sign something
Learn a method that works on any product.
I want to start investing
Buffer first, then what you own, what it costs, and how to keep it.
I’m thinking about a home
Lenders’ view, the mortgage, and rent versus buy.
I’m planning retirement
Sources, withdrawal rates and the long game.
The map
Six parts, from vocabulary to strategy
Part 1
How Money Works
The vocabulary and forces that sit underneath every money decision.
- 01The Language of MoneyWhat are the words and numbers that money decisions are built from?
- 02The Quiet Tax: Inflation and Purchasing PowerWhy does the same money buy less every year?
- 03The Price of Time: Interest and CompoundingHow does time turn small amounts into large ones, or small debts into heavy ones?
- 04Every Choice Has a PriceWhat does every choice really cost?
- 05The Mind Behind the MoneyWhy do smart people make poor money decisions?
Part 2
Running Your Own Finances
Turning income into a system you can run, and a plan for what to do first.
Part 3
Inside the Financial System
How banks, lenders and products actually work, and what borrowing really costs.
- 09How Banks Actually Make MoneyHow do banks actually make money?
- 10Credit: How Lenders See YouHow do lenders decide whether you are a good risk?
- 11The True Cost of BorrowingWhat does borrowing really cost?
- 12Credit Cards, Overdrafts and Revolving DebtWhy are cards and overdrafts so easy to start and hard to finish?
- 13Mortgages and the Rent-or-Buy QuestionShould you buy or rent, and how do you borrow for a home?
- 14Making Debt DecisionsHow should you decide whether, and how, to borrow?
- 15How to Evaluate Any Financial ProductHow do you evaluate any financial product?
Part 4
Protecting What You Have
Deciding what to protect, what to absorb, and how not to be fooled.
Part 5
Investing
What you actually own when you invest, what it costs, and how to keep it on track.
- 19From Saving to Investing: What You Actually OwnWhat do you actually own when you invest?
- 20Risk and Return in PracticeHow do risk and return work in practice?
- 21The Cost of InvestingWhat do investment costs do over decades?
- 22Building and Keeping a PortfolioHow do you build a portfolio and keep it on track?
Part 6
From Stability to Wealth
Earning power, retirement and the long game.