Financial Wisdom
Financial Wisdom
Practical tools for people who work hard for their money — and deserve to keep some of it.
Practical tools for people who work hard for their money — and deserve to keep some of it.
Do you worry about money? Having enough to pay your bills? Figuring out how to pay for rent, or food, or your next emergency?
Do you ever feel like the financial system is rigged? That it’s working against you?
You’re right. It is.
The modern American consumer economy helps rich people get richer and comfortable people stay comfortable. For the rest of us — people who work hard, sometimes at pretty terrible jobs, and earn every dollar we get — the system offers very little real help.
Most financial education programs teach you how to be a good consumer. They show you how to get the best deal on a car loan. They don’t ask whether you should be taking out a car loan in the first place.
We think that’s the wrong approach. We call it Financial Literacy — and it’s designed for people who already have money.
Financial Wisdom is different.
We looked at what people have been saying about money management throughout the centuries — ideas that have stood the test of time. We combined that with the principles that certified professional financial planners use today. From that, we built The Rules — ten clear, practical principles for managing your money.
To help explain why The Rules work, we developed a framework that breaks personal finance down into its basic elements — saving, spending, interest, planning, investing, and others — and examines the properties of each one. The elements and their properties give you the big picture — the theory behind how money really works. The Rules give you the practice — what to do with that knowledge in the heat of battle.
And it is a battle. The modern consumer economy is extraordinarily efficient at one thing: separating you from your money. Advertising, marketing, social media, fees, penalties, interest — everybody wants a piece of what you earn. Financial Wisdom gives you the tools to fight back.
Financial Wisdom isn’t a lecture. It’s built for discussion. In a Financial Wisdom Workshop, participants explore the principles for themselves. We don’t tell people what to do. We give them tools and let them figure out how to use them — because they know their own lives better than anyone else does.
Who Is This For?
Financial Wisdom was developed with a particular focus on people facing the toughest financial challenges — including people who are incarcerated or reentering society. But the principles apply to anyone, anywhere, who wants to take control of their money.
If you’re an educator, counselor, or group leader working with people who need practical financial skills — we have a complete set of materials ready for you to use, at no cost.
If you’re someone who wants to learn — start with the story of Jamaal, a young man who walks out of prison with forty-three dollars in his pocket and meets the people who teach him The Rules.
Free Downloads — Get the Books
We are building a nonprofit organization to bring Financial Wisdom to corrections education and reentry programs across the country. Our materials are available under a Creative Commons license. We have nothing to sell you — just practical tools to help people build a solid financial foundation.
If you believe in this work, there are ways to help.
Communicate With Us & Support the Project
“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
— Benjamin Franklin