Financial+Literacy+Resources


 * __Financial Literacy Online Resources__ **

In my opinion, the best **dictionaries of accounting and financial vocabulary** in terms of simplicity and comprehensiveness include ** accountingcoach.com, investopedia.com **, ** ventureline.com ** and ** investorwords.com **. Please note that the preceding domain names will bring you to the various websites' home pages where you can then choose to either browse by subject topic or proceed to the dictionary links. There is also a rather limited (but interesting) ** layman's guide to financial terms ** prepared by a U of T (Rotman) professor a few years back.


 * Investopedia.com** also features hundreds of short, easy-to-follow videosthat explain specific concepts under topics as diverse as investing, personal finance, foreign exchange, active trading and basic economic and investing terminology.

The Khan Academywebsite offers hundreds of free online video tutorials on a variety of business subjects including investing, finance, accounting and micro and macroeconomics. You need not sign in when prompted. Simply scroll to the bottom of the home page and type a subject (e.g., inflation) into the website search engine, or locate the "Economics and Finance" dropdown option on the Learn tab in the top left corner.

Similarly, the **TED Talks w**ebsite provides hundreds of free online video lectures on a variety of business topics. Just click on Advertising, Business, Economics, Entrepreneur, Finance, Investment, Invention, Leadership, Marketing or Money on the main Talks Topic listing.

If you're looking to **improve your financial literacy skills** in general, you can always peruse one or more of the following websites: **Google Finance, MoneySense magazine, Business News Network (BNN), Financial Post** and **Globe and Mail Investor.**

Also highly recommended is the ** Personal Finance section of the online version of the Toronto Star newspaper ** where you will find easy-to-read articles on a variety of financial topics such as investing and budgeting.

On a similar note, the ** Investor Education Fund ** (sponsored by the ** Ontario Securities Commission ** ) features both a **Student Resource Guide**and a **Teacher Resource Guide**on its **Get Smarter about Money website**which are designed to enhance financial literacy amongst high school students. This same website also features an excellent summary of some of the most common topics in areas of ** financial planning ** (e.g., saving, budgeting, tax planning) and ** personal investing ** (e.g., RESPs, RRSPs, TFSAs, GICs, stocks, bonds, mutual funds).

The **Government of Canada** has also created a timely resource for young and old alike that provides valuable information on a whole host of financial topics including banking, credit cards (including a ** credit card selector tool ** ), insurance, investing strategies and mortgages, among many others. Simply visit the ** Financial Consumer Agency of Canada ** website and scroll down the "**For Consumers**" menu on the left-hand side of the home page. The same website also features (i) **The City** - an 11-module program focusing on basic financial skills (please note that students must first register and log in to access this program), (ii) **Financial Basics** - a financial workshop helping young adults learn about budgeting, saving, investing and credit and lastly (iii) **Your Financial Toolkit** - an 11-module program advising young adults how to better manage their personal finances.

The **Canadian Bankers Association** has developed a **website for students, teachers and parents alike**with helpful tips on saving, investing, budgeting, borrowing and credit history, among others. The **investing link** is particularly helpful as it provides easy-to-follow explanations of some of the more basic investment vehicles like stocks and mutual funds.

And when you are a little older and you find yourself shopping around for the best terms and rates on car and home insurance, mortgages or credit cards (including a ** credit card selector tool ** ), you may want to visit the ** Comparasave ** website before settling on an insurance provider or credit card issuer.

For an excellent discussion on the importance of regularly inspecting one's ** credit score ** and ** credit report **, ** click here. **


 * Click here for an easy-to-read article from the Bank of Canada on the use of central interest rate policy as a component of monetary policy. **

And finally, if your specific goal is to gradually improve your familiarity with **advanced investment options and strategies**, there are plenty of websites that will help you along the way, including **Investing for Beginners at About.com, Information for Individual Investors on the TSX website, the Value Line Research Centre, the Financial Post Advisor, the Investing blog in the online version of Canadian Business magazine**and **the Investment tab on the MoneySense website.**