Here is a short list of my favourite resources to learn about money and personal finance.

• Matt the money guy on Instagram
  • Matt creates awesome and easy money content regularly
• Ramit Sethi on Instagram
  • Ramit posts all sorts of awesome money advice, and talks a lot about the psychology side of money which I think most people miss
• I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi
  • Ramit's book teaches the fundamentals of personal finance in an easy to understand way
• Bogleheads' getting started guide
  • This is a good free online guide if you want to get comfortable with personal finance and investing
• Canadian Couch Potato
  • This is a very simple Canadian investing guide that I follow

When you're ready to go deeper

Once your payday routine is running and you've built the habit, there are two things worth looking into:

Use tax-advantaged accounts. If you're saving for retirement or long-term goals, put that money in accounts that give you tax benefits. In the US, that's IRAs and 401(k)s. In Canada, TFSAs and RRSPs. This is the single biggest lever most people overlook.

Invest money you won't need right away. Don't let your retirement and savings goal money sit in cash. Invest it so it grows over time.

Not sure what to buy? Let the timeframe pick. Here's what I use in Canada, and the closest US versions:

Timeframe	Canada	US
Long term (retirement)	XGRO	AOA
Medium term (savings goals)	XINC	AOK
Short term (emergencies)	Savings account	Savings account

• Long term: mostly stocks. The ups and downs even out over time.
• Medium term: a balance of the two.
• Short term: avoid losses, so the money's there when you need it.

Each of these ETFs holds both stocks and bonds, which makes it steadier, and the fund keeps the mix right for you. There's nothing else to do. I buy the Canadian ones every payday.

To compare similar funds, see Canadian Couch Potato's model portfolios in Canada or the one-fund portfolios on Bogleheads in the US. If you want to dig deeper into how investing works, the Bogleheads' getting started guide covers it all. It's a lot more detail than you need to get started.