6 financial literacy courses to help you manage your money
There’s never been a better time to educate yourself about money. Consider these courses to boost your financial literacy in Australia.
We’ve all noticed it at the supermarket checkout or bill time lately—cost of living is definitely on the rise.
When things are tight, it’s a great time to increase your financial literacy. Whether you’re a business owner or just someone who wants to get a handle on their money, these short finance courses can help get you back in black or better set up for the future.
Let’s take a look at what’s out there.
What is financial literacy?
Broadly speaking, financial literacy is simply an awareness and understanding of money and how to manage personal finances. Having this knowledge will help you spend, invest, save, and budget in a way that works for you.
While some people may seem naturally good with money, financial skills aren’t innate—they can be learned with the right training.
Why is financial literacy important?
Do you consider yourself financially savvy? Do you work to a budget, plan your savings, or shop around for a good deal when getting a loan? Having these kinds of fundamental financial literacy skills will help you manage your personal or business finances and live the life you want.
Unfortunately, we aren’t taught all that much about managing money as young people, so a lot of our attitudes and skills around money come from our families. If you didn’t have a great financial role model in your life, you may have never learnt how to best manage your money.
Boosting your knowledge in this area can significantly improve your quality of life.
Courses to improve your financial literacy
Here are 6 short financial courses that you may like to consider—which can all be done online, from a location that suits you.
Personal Finance
University of South Australia
Duration: 10 weeks
Cost: $2,100 (covered by FEE-HELP)
What you learn:
If you’d like to get better at managing your own finances, this is the course for you. You’ll learn about the important financial matters that affect your everyday life, including budgeting and income taxes. You'll also learn how to compare home loan interest rates and make borrowing decisions, plus how to invest in shares.
Why Money Matters
Griffith University
Duration: 13 weeks
Cost: $1,892 (covered by HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP)
What you learn:
In this course, you’ll gain core skills in accounting, finance, and economics, so you can manage your money more effectively and make informed investment decisions. Topics include financial statements, budgeting, scams to look out for, as well as financial literacy in a business context.
Business Finances
University of South Australia
Duration: 10 weeks (covered by FEE-HELP)
Cost: $2,100
What you learn:
This course will help you understand how to make smart investment choices—either for yourself or your business. You’ll cover topics such as bonds and shares, capital budgeting, cash flow and valuation, and interest rate principles. You’ll also learn how to assess investments opportunities and investigate their implications for a business.
Financial Accountability and Management
University of Tasmania
Duration: 14 weeks
Cost: $2,472 (covered by HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP)
What you learn:
This course will teach you how money is managed within a business, and who is accountable for it. You’ll learn about interest rates and how time affects the value of money, as well as bonds and equity, and how to identify and assess financial risks. By the end of the 14 weeks, you’ll be better at solving financial problems and giving advice to others on financial matters.
Financial Decision Making
University of Tasmania
Duration: 14 weeks
Cost: $2,837 (covered by HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP)
What you learn:
This course will help you understand how to plan budgets and make financial decisions within a business. You’ll also explore how to measure if an organisation is doing well financially. Expect to boost your financial skills through practical tasks and simulations fit for any operational setting.
Fundamentals of Financial Markets and Institutions
University of Tasmania
Duration: 14 weeks
Cost: $2,472 (covered by HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP)
What you learn:
This course builds an introductory understanding of business finance and financial institutions. You’ll study the analytical tools used by investment, lending and market professionals. Real-world examples from local and global markets will give you an introduction to different dimensions of Australian and international financial markets and how to make financial decisions.
Interested in studying a finance degree once you’ve finished your short course? The good news is, you can gain credit for some of the courses above to work towards a full-length course. Just chat to a student advisor.
