Retirement Accounts
Traditional vs. Roth IRA, 401(k), 403(b), and HSA containers. Learn contribution limits, tax treatment, and optimal sequencing.
Start U.S. 01: Accounts →U.S. Financial Education Hub
Master the U.S. financial rules before risking your capital.
From foundational Bogleheads index investing and 401(k) matching to advanced tax location, Social Security optimization, and high-earner Backdoor Roth playbooks. Unbiased financial capability without commercial product placement.
FREE ACCESS
Core Financial Literacy
U.S. Foundations: Eight essential building blocks.
Open access for all individual learners. Master the fundamentals of index fund investing, 401(k) employer contributions, fee audits, and investor protection.
Index Investing & Allocation
The Bogleheads 3-fund portfolio (VTI, VXUS, BND). Discover why 90%+ of active funds underperform broad market indices.
Start U.S. 02: Investing →Workplace 401(k) Plans
Employer match formulas, auto-enrollment, vesting schedules, and auditing underlying 401(k) investment menu expense ratios.
Start U.S. 03: Workplace →Investment Fees & Costs
Expense ratios, 12b-1 marketing fees, front-end loads, cash sweep spreads, and the hidden mechanics of Payment for Order Flow (PFOF).
Start U.S. 04: Fees →Investment Risk & Volatility
Market risk, tech concentration, inflation erosion, duration risk, and a 100-year historical review of U.S. market crashes (1929–2026).
Start U.S. 05: Risk →Choosing a Financial Advisor
SEC Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) fiduciary duty vs. FINRA Broker-Dealer Reg BI suitability. How to audit Form ADV and Form CRS.
Start U.S. 06: Advisors →Cash Flow & Reserves
High-Yield Savings Accounts (HYSA), Treasury Bills (T-Bills), money market funds, 50/30/20 framework, and emergency fund sizing.
Start U.S. 07: Cash Flow →Fraud Prevention & Protection
Pig butchering, microcap pump-and-dump, crypto Ponzi schemes, FINRA BrokerCheck verification, and FBI IC3 emergency reporting.
Start U.S. 08: Fraud →
PRO MODULES
Advanced Wealth Optimization ($9.99 USD/mo)
U.S. Pro Curriculum: Tax minimization & decumulation.
Unlock deep-dive strategies for tax bracket management, asset location, Social Security claiming, wash-sale rules, and retirement income guardrails.
Federal & State Taxes
Ordinary income vs. Long-Term capital gains, Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT 3.8%), wash-sale rules, and state income tax variations.
Explore U.S. 09: Taxes →Retirement Decumulation
The Bengen 4% Rule, Trinity Study, sequence of returns risk defense, dynamic spending guardrails, bond tents, and cash buffer buckets.
Explore U.S. 10: Retirement →HSA Stealth Retirement
Harness the triple-tax advantage, receipt shoebox archiving strategy, and converting your HSA into a secondary tax-free IRA.
Explore U.S. 11: HSA →Tax-Loss Harvesting
IRS Section 1091 30-day wash-sale rules, pre-mapped ETF substitute pairs (VOO vs IVV), and deducting up to $3,000 against ordinary income.
Explore U.S. 12: Tax-Loss →Asset Location Strategy
Optimal placement of broad index funds, dividend stocks, high-yield bonds, and REITs across Taxable, Traditional, and Roth containers.
Explore U.S. 13: Asset Location →Social Security & Medicare
Claiming age math (62 vs 67 FRA vs 70 DRCs: +24% gain), spousal benefits, taxation of benefits, and Medicare Part B/D IRMAA surcharges.
Explore U.S. 14: Social Security →529 College Savings
State tax deduction optimizations, qualified educational expenses, and SECURE 2.0 529-to-Roth IRA rollover rules ($35,000 cap).
Explore U.S. 15: 529 Plans →Real Estate vs. Indexing
Section 121 capital gains exclusion ($250k single / $500k married), 30-year fixed mortgage leverage, property tax SALT caps, and rent-vs-buy.
Explore U.S. 16: Real Estate →Debt & FICO Scoring
FICO credit scoring model breakdown, debt avalanche vs snowball, federal student loan repayment (SAVE/IDR, PSLF), and interest traps.
Explore U.S. 17: Debt & FICO →Investment Policy Statement
Documented personal financial constitution: CFA asset allocation targets, 5/25 rebalancing tolerance bands, and crisis protocols.
Explore U.S. 18: IPS Plan →Regulatory foundation
Built on authoritative U.S. standards.
Basic Investor U.S. Edition is constructed entirely on primary statutory guidance from federal and industry regulatory authorities. We sell zero securities, accept zero product placement fees, and earn zero affiliate commissions from financial institutions.
Primary U.S. references: SEC Investor.gov, FINRA Investor Resources, IRS Retirement Plans Hub, Social Security Administration, and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).