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Let's All Get Right

Course checklist

A one-page recap of the whole course — the things to walk away understanding. Print it, check them off, and use it to spot what’s worth a reread.

Let's All Get Right

Simple Steps for a Retirement Portfolio

Start from zero and build a first retirement portfolio you actually understand — what to own, why, and how to leave it alone.

Foundations

  • Why Investing Beats SavingWhat a savings account quietly costs you, why time does most of the work, and how to start with the money you actually have.
  • How Markets WorkWhat a share of stock actually is, why it's worth anything, and how an index differs from an index fund.
  • The Five Simple Rules of InvestingFive rules that carry most of the weight in long-term investing — and the honest reasoning behind each one.

Step 1: Set a Goal

  • Goals, Risk Tolerance, and Your Investing StyleHow to turn a vague wish into a goal you can measure, find out what risk you can actually live with, and decide who builds the portfolio.

Step 2: Choose Your Accounts

  • Account Types: Where Your Money LivesWhat a tax-advantaged account actually does for you, how 401(k)s and IRAs differ, and how to pick the container before you pick investments.
  • Roth vs. Traditional: Tax Break Now or LaterEvery retirement account makes you pick when to pay the tax — now or in retirement. Here's how each side works and how to think about the choice.

Step 3: Allocate Your Portfolio

  • Asset Allocation and DiversificationHow you split your money across stocks, bonds, and cash — and why that one decision matters more than any pick you'll ever make.
  • Funds, and Allocating for Your Life StageHow one purchase can buy you hundreds of investments — and how the right mix shifts as the day you need the money gets closer.

Step 4: Choose Investments

  • Choosing Your Index FundsThe payoff of the whole course — how to pick three low-fee index funds that cover the U.S., the world, and bonds.

Step 5: Manage Your Portfolio

  • Contributing, Rebalancing, and Investing RationallyHow to keep a finished portfolio healthy — automatic contributions, reinvested dividends, a once-a-year rebalance — and how to stay out of your own way.

Educational recap only — not individual financial advice. Figures in the course may change over time; verify anything time-sensitive against a current official source.