Four free courses so you can get better at managing your finances

WITH the kids back at school, mums and dads finally have time to take some lessons on managing their money.

Learning to balance your books is essential and luckily there’s lots of free advice out there.

Managing money can be challenging and these tips can be invaluable to familiesCredit: Getty

Get a gold star by giving these classes a go.

BANK THE KNOWLEDGE: The big banks provide a range of online money advice.

The Lloyds Bank Academy, for example, offers tips on banking, borrowing and budgeting, plus avoiding scams and using tools such as comparison sites.

Visit the webpage and choose the subject you’re interested in, then follow the individual lessons in your own time.

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Other banks, including Barclays, offer similar support. On the HSBC website, under the Financial Fitness tab, you can find a schedule of free webinars on everything from budgeting to planning for retirement.

HORSES FOR COURSES: The Open University has something for everyone and if you visit www.open.edu/openlearn/free-courses you can see all the options.

There is help on managing money, including guidance for young adults, which involves 24 hours of learning.

The OU also runs the 12-hour Academy of Money course from Martin Lewis’s Money Saving Expert.

LOG ON TO LEARN: Making the most of the internet could save you almost £300 a month. But many people need support to develop the necessary digital skills.

Learn My Way from Good Things Foundation is a free online platform equipping people with basic know-how. The bite-sized topics are suitable for beginners. Find out more at learnmyway.com.

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PENNIES FROM HEAVEN: For in-person money advice, charity Christians Against Poverty offers free coaching.

It also delivers life skills workshops to help you budget, debt advice and a job club to get practical help finding work. For more info, go to capuk.org/get-help.

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