Doing It Yourself

Many years ago I had a friend whose name escapes me, but whose situation stayed with me through the years. He had wanted desperately to get into a course but for some reason had been shut out. I don't remember if it was financial or what the reason was. As I commiserated with him, he ended up saying, "There's always the library."   In my mind, that translated into the idea that, if you want something badly enough, there's always a way to get it; and that especially holds true when it comes to learning.

This, of course, has never been truer than today with the internet. Want to learn cooking, how to get from point A to point B, or even how to play the guitar? There is loads of information available at your fingertips online. The information is free and, in my opinion, much better than just a short while ago. For example, there are sites available now that catalogue the best online college course from top universities. Many  are taught by dynamic teachers featuring interactive modules that allow the student to get involved.

I believe that this is subtly revolutionizing the education industry. It won't be long before you can get a degree online by picking a package of online courses from the best instructors at MIT, University of Maryland, University of Chicago, and the Wharton School. If you're like me, you're thinking, "right, nothing will replace face-to-face in the classroom." Before you pooh-pooh this, you may want to check out some of the top online courses and see how they use the technology, and compare them to some of the lectures you sat through when you were in college.

Source: New York Times

Anyways, this is surely the case with investing and personal finance, in general. The challenge actually is to catalogue the sources of information for those who want to learn so that they can easily find the best sources. Along these lines, I would like to present the "Managing Your Money Through the Ages" feature at the New York Times. CLICK TO ENLARGE

One of the challenges of financial planning is that everybody is at a different stage in life and on a different path. The New York Times feature handles this well. Hone in on your particular stage in life and drill down.  Most likely, you will find financial planning articles highly pertinent to you. There are even checklists that show you some issues you  should be aware of at different stages.

Just as  you are not going to be the next Food Network star by learning to cook online, there is still a need for face-to-face individualized financial planning in complicated cases. Still, for most people, the information they need is available online, for free.

As a special bonus for those who have read this far, check out this online book.