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Resources > Basic Financial Literacy eCourse

Basic Financial Literacy eCourse

10 lessons, each with a video · Free · By Lane Kawaoka, PE · Updated November 2026

Who this course is for

I made this course for non-accredited investors, and a lot of the people who take it are the kids of our clients. Part of my motivation was my own kids. Fortunately or unfortunately, they will probably never have to trade time for money as adults, since they will likely inherit what we have built. They also won’t have to feel the pain of things like taking a HELOC on their home for an investment that may or may not pan out.

That said, there are a lot of basic financial principles in this eCourse that many of us founding millionaires and accredited investors have forgotten, either the lessons themselves or how we learned them. We encourage the younger generations to join their accredited investor parents at our retreats. Get more information on our Events page.

Lane Kawaoka, PE

This course walks through personal finance in the order I would teach it to someone starting out: where you want to go, where you stand today, then credit, cash flow, insurance, debt, goals, investing accounts, estate planning and taxes. Each lesson has a video recorded for this course, exercises to do on paper and a few questions at the end to check what stuck.

The 10 lessons

  1. 1. Financial Planning: A New Fiscal Beginning
    Define what wealth means to you with the Vision Quadrant and a written wealth commitment.
  2. 2. Financial Solvency: Your Personal Financial Statements
    Build your personal net worth, income and cash flow statements, then read the ratios.
  3. 3. Financial Stability: Building and Protecting Your Credit
    How credit reports and scores work, how to dispute errors and how to build good credit.
  4. 4. Debt Freedom: Tracking Cash Flow and Spending Smarter
    Track every dollar of household cash flow, plug the leaks and shop smarter.
  5. 5. Managing Risk and Insurance
    A personal risk plan and the basics of auto, home, life and health insurance.
  6. 6. Debt Elimination: Building a Payoff Plan
    Build and work an accelerated debt payoff plan, and compare paying off debt with saving first.
  7. 7. Goals and Visions: Planning Your Financial Future
    Visualization, SMART goals and a written personal financial vision statement.
  8. 8. Financial Security: Saving and Investing Basics
    Tax-sheltered accounts, the Rule of 72, mutual funds, asset allocation and dollar cost averaging.
  9. 9. Financial Independence: Estate Planning and Asset Protection
    Wills, probate, living wills, powers of attorney and paying for estate costs.
  10. 10. Financial Freedom: Individual Tax Planning
    Tax avoidance versus tax evasion, deferring taxes, a home-based business and hiring a tax professional.

Course extras

Frequently asked questions

Who is the Basic Financial Literacy eCourse for?

It is made for non-accredited investors and people early in their financial life, including the kids of our accredited investor clients. Accredited investors also use it as a refresher on the basics.

Is the course free?

Yes. All 10 lessons are free and open to read and watch, with no login.

How long does it take?

Each lesson is a video plus reading and exercises. Plan on one lesson per sitting and take the exercises seriously; most of the value is in writing your own answers down.

Do I need to be an accredited investor?

No. The course covers personal finance basics such as budgeting, credit, insurance, debt, estate planning and taxes. It does not present any investment offering.

What should I take after this course?

If you want to keep going, the free Remote Rental eCourse covers buying a first rental property, and the Masterclass covers how accredited investors build a portfolio.

What happens when you join

  1. Fill out the short form at the club page. It is free.
  2. Book an onboarding call about your goals and how the community works.
  3. Keep learning with our events, the podcast and member education.

Talk it through with us

Already an accredited investor, or the parent of someone taking this course? Join The Wealth Elevator investor community and book your onboarding call with us.

Join the club and book your onboarding call

Joining is free.

Your First Rental Property podcast cover art

A podcast for getting started

Your First Rental Property

Lane’s show for newer investors on buying a first rental and building passive income without becoming a landlord.

Listen on Apple PodcastsWatch on YouTube

This is educational content, not investment, tax or legal advice. We are not attorneys, CPAs or financial planners. Tax law changes and results depend on your situation; consult your own CPA and attorney. Please let us know if you need a referral to a 💼 CPA, ⚖️ lawyer or other vendor here.