This isn't looking too good.

Two-thirds of Gen Z can't pass a basic financial literacy quiz. The TIAA Institute-GFLEC Personal Finance Index found that 33% of college students would give their personal finances a grade of "C" or worse.

At least that's passing. For some people.

Since the next generation is all going to be AI babies, let alone iPad babies, our generation is basically the only hope for the future (no pressure), and it seems we are still dropping the ball.

When you pair that with the lack of personal finance education in school and (often) at home, you typically have to self-educate when it comes to how to properly manage your money.

And when we go looking for answers, the advice can be conflicting and come from sources that may not be credible or have your best interest in mind (I'm looking at you, prediction market sure-fire strategies that turn $300 into $300 million).

Not understanding your finances can lead to overwhelm and inaction.

Words like APR, vesting, diversify, variable rate, and compounding can get a lil spicy, even though the ideas underneath them are pretty simple.

So how should you actually go about learning about your finances? That's a great question! I'm so glad you asked...

Learning personal finance is a marathon, not a sprint. And a lazy marathon at that.

You don't need to know everything about pension plans, or options trading from the get-go, but you should probably know how to budget, or invest for retirement.

So how should you approach learning? And what exactly?

Here's the process:

Focus on what is immediately relevant to you.

If you are interested in learning about investing, look up best practices for students online and only check reputable sources like Investopedia (or the prestigious Cense Newsletter).

If you are wondering how you should budget, research best budgeting practices for students.

You don't need to know everything about credit cards, investing, budgeting, retirement, renting... all at once. It's neither necessary nor practical.

The math of personal finance is addition, subtraction, and the occasional percentage.

You got that. You've split a Canes bill four ways at 1 a.m.

What can actually stop people is the vocabulary.

One unfamiliar word like unsubsidized or expense ratio, and determining the latest Love Island drama becomes a much higher priority.

This one is simple, don't let words be a mystery.

Paste the word, or preferably the whole sentence/paragraph into your preferred search platform to decode what stuff is saying in plain language. Often it will be far simpler than you realize.

A definition tells you what a word means. An analogy tells you what it means, but better!

Or more realistically it puts it in a concept you understand, so something unfamiliar is easier to digest.

Take ETFs. The textbook definition is "a fund that holds a basket of securities," which is super helpful for super few people.

The version that lands is that an ETF works like a fruit basket, where you buy one thing and get a little of everything, so one bad apple barely dents it.

When you learn something new, push past the dictionary line and find the version you could explain to your roommate.

Remember that a third of us learn money from social media. That's fine for getting curious.

But it can get risky for actual decisions, because the person dancing about passive income is usually selling the course.

This applies to the internet as well, where affiliate revenue can often play more of a role in people's "top pick" of something than you'd like.

Be aware of how the source makes money. A bank wants you to open the card, an influencer wants the affiliate link, and a finance bro wants you to buy the course.

Cross-check anything important against a source that has nothing riding on your wallet.

Whether you want to respond to this email, talk to a friend, or yap to ChatGPT, you should ask questions.

Personal finance is riddled with confusion and (too often) shame. So, in a safe environment, talk about what is puzzling you.

The more we normalize talking about it, the easier it will be to learn!

For those of you who may be a lil confused about a finance topic, this one is for you.

Cense Decode takes any question, big or small, and provides a simple answer in plain terms. With an analogy!

You type in or screenshot any money thing that's stressing you out, and it hands back, in plain English:

It's free, it doesn't store your data, and it's meant to help you.

Note: if you want to dive deeper on any specific topic, I have probably already written about it in this newsletter, so feel free to check out other editions. That said, if you want me to write about a specific topic, just let me know!

This week, decode one thing you've been avoiding.

It doesn't matter whether it's why DoorDash always says it's giving you a discount and then somehow ends up being $20-$30 more than you'd expect, or what the heck your credit card benefits mean.

Research the answer, either with Decode or by using the guide I provided above, and deconfuse yourself.

Every confusing money thing gets smaller the second you ask what it means. So go ask one. ;)

Thank you so much for being a part of this newsletter. I am grateful to write to you weekly and I hope this helps you feel more confident with your finances.

If you found this newsletter helpful, please share it with a friend and invite them to subscribe.

I have a goal of helping people learn personal finance. It works better when more people get my emails.

Thank you for helping me (and your friend) out!