Why I’m signing up for a personal finance course

UPDATE (January 27, 2020): Finally published a review of this course.

Michael Hyatt, the author and publisher, likes to say that “not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers“.

By this, I’ve always interpreted it to mean that those who are leaders are those who are always thirsty for new information and ideas.

Perhaps it was this impulse inside me that led me to sign up for a personal finance course.

Let me explain

I’m not talking about just any personal finance course. I’ve been through quite a lot of that. In fact, I’ve been through Dave Ramsey’s Counselor Training, so I can not only know the basics deeply, but also feel more qualified to teach others.

(Though, let’s be honest: “qualification” is a sketchy business. While no one would go to a doctor who wasn’t licensed, I don’t feel like I need a CFP to be able to help steer people to different life choices.)

So while I will always feel like I have a lot to learn, after hundreds of blog posts about personal finance, there are somethings that I feel reasonably confident in.

But who can I ask?

But I’m not content to sit still either. And I know there are edges to my knowledge that often come into view.

Which is why I was intrigued by an email I got from Ramit Sethi’s mailing list back in June:

For those who don’t know, Ramit Sethi is the “I Will Teach You To Be Rich” guy. I like his work, and agree with him much more than I disagree, which is rare for me.

I was intrigued, and signed up to learn more.

Then, just last week, I got an email, noting that he had just opened up a course called “How to Win the Game of Advanced Personal Finance“.

Now, let’s put aside the tired euphemism of money-as-game (did you hear that, Tony?) and see what the course is about:

This one definitely fits my current situation. I feel like I’ve got all, or at least the vast majority, of the basics down and implemented. I have no debt except for a mortgage, but I’ll be done with that in a few years. Barring any unforeseen catastrophe, I’m going to be set for retirement. I have, if I’m not using the term incorrectly, runway.

And, I’ll be honest, I don’t know a lot of people who are in my situation. Which is to say: doing well, but not ridiculously well (yet).

And for access to those who can help with people in such a situation, a course seems totally perfect. And the source seems spot on too.

Back to school

The course wasn’t free or even cheap, but, just like financial coaching, the spending is part of the accountability process. It will keep me going. And beyond that, if the course is all that it says it will be, it should pay off in large multiples of the cost of entry.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Just like financial coaching, the spending is part of the accountability.[/perfectpullquote]

And not only will it help me in my own journey, but I guarantee that it will help me guide you in your journey as well.

I signed up.

I’m excited! It’s been a while since I’ve signed up for a course online. There are plenty of courses out there, but I tend to wait until I’m sure that I’m going to get good use out of it. This is definitely one of those cases.

I’ll be looking forward to sharing my experiences.