The challenges to plan for, from taxes and inflation to health care and longevity, plus an income worksheet, account basics and a printable checklist.
Explore Retirement PlanningFree financial education for everyone
GRIP Financial Planning
Growth • Retention • Income • Protection
You can’t control the wind, but you can adjust the sails.
Free, plain-English money lessons from Michael, a former financial advisor. Learn at your own pace, at any age, with no jargon and no sales pitch.
Our mission
Make financial literacy free and approachable.
Most of us were never taught how money really works. GRIP Financial Planning is a free education program, with videos and posts, so anyone can understand the basics and make more informed, confident decisions.
Start here
Four ways to learn with GRIP Financial
Watch the episodes
Plain-English video lessons on YouTube, plus posts on Instagram.
Browse episodes →Learn by life stage
A resource map from your first job to retirement.
Find your stage →Free resources
Guides, calculators (including Future Value), private self-checks, a link library and a glossary.
Open resources →The education program
What GRIP teaches, and how it all fits together.
Learn about GRIP →Deep dives
Explore by topic
Multi-page guides on one subject, with lessons, tools and official sources in one place. More topics may be added.
Options explained as Income and Protection tools, with a made-up Stock XYZ, payoff charts and what can go wrong. Education only.
Explore Options BlueprintThe framework mindset
The GRIP Financial House™ mindset
Behind every GRIP lesson is one simple idea: a sound financial life is built like a house, from the bottom up. Select a floor to see what lives there.
Select a floor, or tab to it and press Enter. Arrow keys move between floors.
Legacy
The top of the house: making sure what you have built goes where you want it to go.
- Wills and beneficiaries
- Estate planning basics
- Passing on what you have built
We’ll cover these topics in the future.
Explore the Legacy floorTax efficiency
Taxes can quietly take a big bite. The roof is about keeping more of what you earn and grow, within the rules.
- Roth vs. traditional
- Capital gains basics
- HSAs
- Asset location
We’ll cover these topics in the future.
Explore the Tax efficiency floorDistribution
Turning what you have saved into income you can live on, and making it last. This is the Income in GRIP.
- How much you need to retire
- The 25x rule and the 4% rule
- Social Security timing: 62, 67 or 70
- Retirement income and withdrawals
Episode: How Much You Need to Retire
Explore the Distribution floorAccumulation
Putting money to work over time so it can grow. This is the Growth in GRIP.
- 401(k) basics and the employer match
- Roth and traditional accounts
- How to start investing
- Index funds and ETFs
- Compound interest and the Rule of 72
- Rent vs. buy
Episode: Don't Leave the Company Match on the Table - It's Free Money
Explore the Accumulation floorProtection
Protecting what you have now and in the future from loss of life or income, and from large market losses.
- Insurance basics (life, disability, renters)
- Protecting your income and your family
- Managing market risk and diversification
- Planning for the unexpected
We’ll cover these topics in the future.
Explore the Protection floorFoundation
Everything else rests on this floor. Know where your money comes from and where it goes, then build a buffer so surprises do not knock you over.
- Cash flow analysis
- Budgeting (50/30/20)
- Emergency fund & high-yield savings
- Credit scores
- Paying down debt
We’ll cover these topics in the future.
Explore the Foundation floorWhat GRIP stands for
Growth • Retention • Income • Protection
Four ideas that guide every lesson on the channel.
Growth
Growing what you have, by putting money to work over time.
In the House: Accumulation
Retention
Keeping what you have, by managing cash flow, debt and taxes.
In the House: Foundation and Tax efficiency
Income
Generating income from your investments in retirement.
In the House: Distribution
Protection
Protecting it now and in the future from loss of life or market losses.
In the House: Protection
Join the crew
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Free video lessons on YouTube, plus posts and Reels on Instagram.