Tools & money skills
Building a simple net-worth snapshot
Net worth is a dated picture of assets minus liabilities. It can help organise a financial review, but it is not the same as cash available for next month.
Tools & money skills
Work through calculations, organise records and assess what you read.
16 articles
Tools & money skills
Calculating a percentage change correctly
A percentage change needs a starting value. Choosing the wrong denominator can turn a correct subtraction into a misleading comparison.
Tools & money skills
Separating percentage points from percentages
A change between two percentages can be expressed in percentage points or as a relative percentage change. These are different measurements.
Tools & money skills
Reading a compound-growth calculator
A compound-growth calculator applies assumptions consistently. The output can explain their consequences, but it cannot turn an assumed return into a prediction.
Tools & money skills
Making a savings tracker in a spreadsheet
A savings tracker should distinguish money added, money taken out and interest. Start with a small structure that can be reconciled with the real account.
Tools & money skills
Keeping a financial document folder
A financial document folder should help you find the current record without exposing more information than necessary. Organise around the questions the documents answer.
Tools & money skills
Creating a financial account inventory
An account inventory records where financial relationships exist and what they are for. It should not become an unprotected list of passwords.
Tools & money skills
Checking a financial claim before sharing it
Before forwarding a financial claim, find out what is being asserted and what evidence actually supports it. A confident presentation is not the same as a checked statement.
Tools & money skills
Recognising pressure tactics in investment promotions
A deadline, a testimonial and a polished dashboard can create pressure without establishing that an investment is genuine or suitable. Separate the sales tactic from the evidence.
Tools & money skills
Understanding a hypothetical return chart
A hypothetical return chart is a picture of assumptions. Read the construction before interpreting the shape as evidence about the future.
Tools & money skills
Building a financial reading list
A financial reading list is more useful when it starts with a question. Choose material that explains the next gap in your understanding rather than collecting every popular title.
Tools & money skills
Reading a personal finance book critically
A personal finance book can offer useful explanations alongside assumptions that do not fit every reader. Read the argument and the conditions together.
Tools & money skills
Using a library to explore money topics
A library can make it easier to explore financial subjects before purchasing books. Check the collection and access arrangements available to you rather than assuming every service is universal.
Tools & money skills
Keeping notes from a financial course
Course notes should preserve reasoning you can use later. A long transcript can be less useful than a short record of the concept, assumptions and unanswered questions.
Tools & money skills
Preparing questions for a financial professional
A first conversation with a financial professional should establish the service, its boundaries and its cost. Preparing questions makes different offers easier to understand.
Tools & money skills
Setting a quarterly money review
A quarterly review can connect routine spending with longer-term goals. Give it a limited agenda so it produces decisions rather than an overwhelming financial overhaul.