Investing and Growing Your Wealth Over Time
Learn investing fundamentals, explore US investment accounts like 401(k) and Roth IRA, plan for retirement, and understand federal income taxes.
This module is where everything comes together. You have built a foundation of banking knowledge, created a budget, established savings, and learned to manage debt. Now it is time to put your money to work so it grows faster than inflation and builds real wealth over decades.
You will start with investing fundamentals — stocks, bonds, ETFs, index funds, and the power of compound interest over time. Then you will explore the investment accounts available in the US, from employer-sponsored 401(k) plans and IRAs to HSAs, 529 plans, and taxable brokerage accounts. Each account type has unique tax advantages, and understanding them can save you tens of thousands of dollars over your lifetime.
The retirement planning lesson brings it all together with Social Security, target-date funds, the 4% withdrawal rule, and concrete calculations for how much you need to retire comfortably. Finally, you will learn how the US tax system works — W-2s, 1099s, tax brackets, deductions, and credits — because keeping more of what you earn is just as important as earning more.
By the end of Module 5, you will have a complete investment strategy, a retirement plan, and the tax knowledge to optimize every financial decision.
Lessons in this module
- 16 Investing Basics: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds Learn the fundamentals of investing — stocks, bonds, ETFs, index funds, risk, diversification, and compound growth with real US market context and examples.
- 17 Investment Options: 401(k), IRA, Roth, HSA Explore every US investment account — 401(k), Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, HSA, 529, and brokerage accounts — with contribution limits and tax strategies.
- 18 Retirement Planning: Social Security to Roth Plan your retirement with Social Security, 401(k), IRA, Roth, target-date funds, the 4% rule, and concrete calculations for how much you actually need.
- 19 Taxes and the IRS: Your Complete Tax Guide Learn how US federal income taxes work — W-2, 1099, tax brackets, standard deduction, filing status, credits, and how investment income is taxed by the IRS.