Personal Finance from Zero: Colombia Edition
Free personal finance course for Colombia. Learn banking, budgeting, saving, credit, investing, and taxes with BanRep, DIAN, CDTs, and the peso.
Whether you have never opened a savings account or simply want to understand where your pesos go each month, this course is for you. We start from absolute zero and build your financial knowledge step by step, with real examples from the Colombian financial system — a system shaped by moderate but persistent inflation, a fast-growing ecosystem of neobanks and digital wallets, and an increasingly accessible capital market.
By the end of this course, you will understand how the banking system and the Banco de la República (BanRep) work, how to build a budget that beats rising prices, how to protect and grow your savings through CDTs and Fondos de Inversión Colectiva, how to manage credit and debt responsibly under Colombia’s usury cap, how to invest through instruments like TES, FICs, and BVC-listed stocks or ETFs, and how taxes work under the DIAN — all within the reality of living in Colombia.
Money and Banking Fundamentals for Beginners
Understand how money works, how banks operate and earn profit, and how the Colombian banking system is structured and regulated by BanRep and the SFC.
What Is Money? Inflation and the Colombian Peso
Learn what money is, how moderate inflation erodes the Colombian peso, how BanRep manages monetary policy, and how the UVR protects purchasing power.
How Banks Work in Colombia: Spread and Fees
Learn how Colombian banks earn profit from your deposits, how the spread and BanRep rate shape lending, CDTs and loans, and the Fogafín guarantee.
Colombian Banking: BanRep, Banks, and Payments
Learn how Colombia's banking system works: BanRep, the SFC, the main banks, Fogafín, PSE, Bre-B instant payments, and digital wallets.
Bank Accounts in Colombia: Savings, Fees, and More
Understand cuenta de ahorro, cuenta corriente, and nómina accounts in Colombia, plus the 4x1000 GMF exemption, Fogafín protection, and CDTs.
Neobanks in Colombia: Digital Wallets Guide
Compare Colombia's top digital wallets and neobanks: Nequi, Daviplata, Nu Colombia, and Lulo Bank, plus QR payments, Bre-B keys, and PSE transfers.
Budgeting and Expense Control Made Simple
Master practical budgeting methods, learn to track every peso, and take control of your spending with tools adapted for Colombian finances.
Why Budgeting Matters in Colombia
Discover why budgeting matters in Colombia: protect purchasing power as prices rise, plan around moderate inflation, and manage the prima de servicios.
Budgeting Methods That Work for Colombia
Compare 50/30/20, zero-based, and envelope budgeting adapted to Colombian income patterns and moderate inflation, with practical examples in pesos.
Expense Tracking Tools That Actually Work
Set up a sustainable expense tracking system in Colombia using wallet statements, bank apps, spreadsheets, and Finthy's automatic categorization.
Building Savings That Protect Your Future
Develop a savings habit, build your emergency fund, and explore Colombian savings vehicles like CDTs, FICs, and digital wallet yields.
The Habit of Saving: Beat Inflation Consistently
Build a saving habit in Colombia where idle pesos lose value to moderate inflation. Use pay-yourself-first, automation, and the right instruments.
Emergency Fund: Your Financial Safety Net
Build an emergency fund in Colombia that earns a real return: how big it should be and where to hold it, from FIC money market to CDTs and digital savings.
Savings Options in Colombia: Beat Inflation
Protect and grow your money in Colombia: CDTs, FIC money market, digital savings accounts, international investments, and how Fogafín protects deposits.
Credit and Debt Management in Colombia Today
Understand your credit history, use cards wisely, manage debt, and learn about consumer, UVR, and mortgage loans in Colombia.
Understanding Credit, DataCrédito, and Scoring
Learn how credit works in Colombia: DataCrédito and TransUnion, the tasa de usura, how lenders score you, and how to build and protect your credit history.
Credit Cards in Colombia: Cuotas and Costs
Master Colombian credit cards: installment plans, the minimum payment trap, TEA vs. nominal rate, the tasa de usura, and how to choose the right card.
Debt Management: Escape the Debt Trap
Manage and eliminate debt in Colombia: avalanche vs. snowball method, libranza loans, negotiating with creditors, and protecting your DataCrédito score.
Loans in Colombia: Personal, Libranza, and Mortgages
Understand every major loan type in Colombia: libranza, free-investment loans, UVR mortgages, Mi Casa Ya, and how to compare the true cost using the TEA.
Investing and Growing Wealth in Colombia Today
Learn investing fundamentals, explore Colombian options like FICs, TES, BVC stocks, and ETFs, open a brokerage account, and understand DIAN taxes.
Investing Basics: Put Your Money to Work
Build an investing foundation in Colombia: risk and return, time horizons, asset classes, inflation impact, and how saving differs from investing.
Investment Options in Colombia: TES, FICs, BVC, and More
Explore Colombia's major investment vehicles: TES bonds, equity FICs, BVC stocks and ETFs, international platforms, and building a diversified portfolio.
Retirement Planning in Colombia: Colpensiones vs AFP
Navigate Colombia's dual pension system: Colpensiones RPM vs AFP RAIS, cesantías, and voluntary pension savings to build a retirement strategy that works.
Taxes in Colombia: DIAN, RUT, and Declaración de Renta
Understand your Colombian tax obligations: DIAN, RUT, UVT thresholds, declaración de renta, retención en la fuente, IVA, GMF 4x1000, and Régimen Simple.
Intermediate Financial Planning
Take your finances further with insurance, renting vs buying, tax optimization, Régimen Simple income, and long-term goal setting in Colombia.
Insurance Essentials: EPS, SOAT, Life, and Property
Protect your finances with the right insurance in Colombia: mandatory EPS health, SOAT vehicle cover, and voluntary life, home, and complementary policies.
Renting vs. Buying a Home in Colombia
Decide whether to rent or buy in Colombia: Ley 820 tenant rights, IPC rent adjustments, cuota inicial, UVR mortgages, Mi Casa Ya, and real cost comparison.
Tax Optimization in Colombia: Legal Strategies
Lower your Colombian tax bill legally: voluntary pension deductions, mortgage interest, education, dependents, GMF exemption, and Régimen Simple planning.
Side Income and Freelancing in Colombia
Build sustainable side income in Colombia: RUT registration, Régimen Simple, e-factura invoicing, variable cashflow, and protecting independent workers.
Financial Goal Setting: Build Your Life Plan
Set and achieve financial goals in Colombia using the SMART framework, goal ladders, inflation-adjusted targets, and the prima de servicios discipline.
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