Stepping Stones Financial Cleveland, Ohio

Growth Engine

Module 3 of 38 lessons

How to grow money over years and decades: investing, retirement accounts and employer benefits, ending with a plan you can keep up every month.

Lessons in this module

  1. Introduction to Investing

    What investing is, how risk and return relate, how compound growth works, and why starting early matters more than starting with a lot.

  2. Asset Classes and Diversification

    Stocks, bonds, real estate and cash equivalents, and why spreading money across them lowers risk.

  3. Index Funds vs Individual Stocks

    What index funds, ETFs and mutual funds are, how expense ratios cut into returns, and what the data shows about picking individual stocks.

  4. Long-Term Investing Strategies

    Dollar-cost averaging, buy and hold, rebalancing, and what to do when the market drops.

  5. Retirement Accounts Explained

    401(k) and 403(b) plans, traditional and Roth IRAs, contribution limits, early withdrawal penalties, and which account to put money into first.

  6. Employer Benefits and Free Money

    What a benefits package usually includes: 401(k) matching, HSAs and FSAs, life and disability insurance, and stock options, plus the choices you make at open enrollment.

  7. Wealth-Building Habits and Financial Mindset

    Lifestyle inflation, automating savings, thinking in terms of net worth, and habits that make good money decisions automatic.

  8. Building Your Personal Financial System

    Putting the course together: a monthly review, short and long-term goals, protecting what you have, and a plan for your first 12 months.