On this page
This guide is focused on resources related to personal finance and financial literacy that can help you understand how to make financial decisions and best manage your money.
Videos
Our Films on Demand collection includes such videos as...
- Personal Finance: When Am I Ever Going to Use This? (25 min.)
- Credit, Borrowing, and Debt (35 min.)
- Saving and Investing (32 min.)
- Budgeting and Financial Decision-Making (36 min.)
Also see the Khan Academy site for additional video courses such as Personal Finance.
Books & ebooks
The SFU Library has many books on topics related to personal finance. Try using the terms below to search in the library catalogue.
- Budgets, personal
- College students -- Canada -- Finance, Personal
- Consumer Credit
- Finance, Personal
- For the broader category of investing, try Investments or related subject headings
- Finance, Personal -- Canada
- Portfolio Management
- Retirement planning
- Tax planning -- Canada -- Popular works
These search terms will find titles such as this recent open e-textbook aimed at undergraduate students: Financial empowerment : personal finance for Indigenous and Non-Indigenous people and this 2019 ebook: Essential personal finance : a practical guide for students.
Journal and magazine articles
- Business Source Complete
- Along with scholarly journals and specialized business information, this database also contains magazines on topics such as banking and insurance; for example, Kiplinger's Personal Finance, a popular American personal finance magazine. Try adding additional keywords to these broad searches on Personal finance and Personal budgets.
- Along with scholarly journals and specialized business information, this database also contains magazines on topics such as banking and insurance; for example, Kiplinger's Personal Finance, a popular American personal finance magazine. Try adding additional keywords to these broad searches on Personal finance and Personal budgets.
- CBCA Complete
- Includes newspapers, magazines, and trade journals, many of which provide personal finance advice.
- Tip: Start with a broad search for Personal finance, then add terms to focus your results. For instance, you could search for: "personal finance" AND student* : Sample of the articles you can find in CBCA: 9 budgeting tips for university students. (Macleans, Nov. 2, 2021)
- Factiva
- Contains articles and newswires from numerous financial sources such as MarketWatch, the Wall Street Journal, and Dow Jones Newswires, making it an excellent resource for news about investments and current market conditions.
Websites
General personal finance
- Canadian Foundation for Economic Education
- The Canadian Foundation for Economic Education (CFEE) "works to improve economic, financial, and enterprising capability." Start with their Programs and Resources pages where you will find such things as FinLit 101 (online self-instruction course to develop personal financial capability) and a virtual workshop series: Help! Managing Your Money on Campus.
- The Canadian Foundation for Economic Education (CFEE) "works to improve economic, financial, and enterprising capability." Start with their Programs and Resources pages where you will find such things as FinLit 101 (online self-instruction course to develop personal financial capability) and a virtual workshop series: Help! Managing Your Money on Campus.
- Canada Revenue Agency:
- Canadian Bankers Association
- As an industry association, the CBA aims to promote understanding of the banking industry in Canada. Their website features a section devoted to Financial Literacy, with short articles about banking basics, insurance, mortgages, and fraud prevention.
- As an industry association, the CBA aims to promote understanding of the banking industry in Canada. Their website features a section devoted to Financial Literacy, with short articles about banking basics, insurance, mortgages, and fraud prevention.
- Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
- The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada is an independent agency of the Government of Canada that promotes financial literacy among Canadians and provides programs, information, and resources to help consumers understand their rights and responsibilities when dealing with financial institutions.
- Includes the following interactive tools:
- Planning and saving for retirement
- Retirement income calculator
- Video: Don't Let Your Finances Surprise You!
- Lists of personal finance books (a small sample of the many lists published on this topic!)
- 12 top personal finance books to read this summer (MoneySense}
- The 7 Best Finance Books for Teens in 2021 (Investopedia)
- Bank of Canada: Financial Education Resources
- The Bank of Canada maintains this extensive list of resources available via Canadian and international sources. Many of the key sources are already listed in this SFU guide, but do explore the others as well!
- The Bank of Canada maintains this extensive list of resources available via Canadian and international sources. Many of the key sources are already listed in this SFU guide, but do explore the others as well!
- FINRA: [USA] Financial Industry Regulatory Authority: Test Yourself
- FINRA offers both a general financial literacy quiz and an investor knowledge quiz. Benchmark your knowledge against that of US residents.
Debt, loans, and credit
- Consumer Protection BC
- Consumer Protection BC is a not-for-profit organization that seeks to strengthen consumer protection in BC. Browse their Consumer Help section and their Blog for advice on topics such as credit reporting and debt repayment.
- Consumer Protection BC is a not-for-profit organization that seeks to strengthen consumer protection in BC. Browse their Consumer Help section and their Blog for advice on topics such as credit reporting and debt repayment.
- Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
- See their Money, debt and giving page for such resources as: Six Steps to Get Out of Debt and Credit reports and scores.
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- See their Money, debt and giving page for such resources as: Six Steps to Get Out of Debt and Credit reports and scores.
- Office of Consumer Affairs
- The OCA is an office of the Canadian government that promotes the interests and protection of Canadian consumers. Their site includes articles, tips, and resources about all aspects of Canadian consumer life.
Investing
- BC Securities Commission: InvestRight
- InvestRight is an educational website from the BC Securities Commission that aims to provide investors with the tools to research and assess potential investments and protect themselves from unsuitable or fraudulent investments.
- InvestRight is an educational website from the BC Securities Commission that aims to provide investors with the tools to research and assess potential investments and protect themselves from unsuitable or fraudulent investments.
- Globe Investor
- Includes news and analysis from the popular national newspaper The Globe & Mail. Also includes a section on Personal Finance. If you are asked to pay for access to an article at the G&M site, remember that you also have online access through several SFU Library databases.
Taxation
- Canada Revenue Agency
- Learn About Your Taxes: A short online course that teaches about the Canadian tax system.
- Students and Income Tax
- Free Tax Clinics
Resources for students
- SFU Financial Aid and Awards
- To speak with someone at SFU about your financial challenges and how to fund your education, the Financial Aid office has in-person, telephone, and email contact hours (in-person are drop-ins, no appointment necessary) at Burnaby, Surrey, and Vancouver campuses.
- Start with their amazing myFinances101 Canvas tutorial -- available to both current SFU students and the general public
- Financial Consumer Agency of Canada:
- Government of Canada: Managing Your Money
- Includes links to Government of Canada services and information concerning budgeting, banking, money transfers, insurance and planning your finances at different life stages.
- Includes links to Government of Canada services and information concerning budgeting, banking, money transfers, insurance and planning your finances at different life stages.
- Scholarships Canada
- Provides a database of scholarships, bursaries, grants and student awards. Requires you to register for a free account.
Student budgeting tools
- Typical costs for Canadians and Permanent Residents
- Budget estimator (for SFU undergraduates)
- Budget calculator (designed for SFU graduate students)