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Financial literacy is something that everybody needs as long as money is a useful commodity in their lives. If it is true that most people could use more money in their lives, then it’s also true that most people will benefit from greater financial literacy.

Since Financial literacy isn’t taught in school, it’s easy to assume that people who are good with money are just naturally smart or grew up around wealth. But the truth is that anyone — including you — can learn these skills through practice and good information.

And the sooner you start, the better. Financial well‑being grows over time, and small habits practiced consistently can make a big difference in your future.

1. ABC Money Matters: A free introductory financial literacy program tailored for the general public, newcomers to Canada, Indigenous Peoples and people with diverse abilities.

How it works:

• Free workshops focusing on beginner financial topics are delivered in person or online by a local organization (i.e. community centres, libraries, schools, etc) with support from ABC Life Literacy and TD Bank.
• Approachable, group discussion-based activities are used to conduct the workshops.
• Discussion topics are based on the needs of learners, which usually includes:
  • Spending Plans,
  • Banking Basics,
  • Borrowing Money,
  • Ways to Save, and
  • Smart Shopping
• Workshops are approximately 2 hours long.
• Printed material are provided free of charge.
• You can also take the free online course version using free downloadable workbooks, the links for which are all found on this page.

Who can host workshops?

How to join a workshop

1. Check out this map to find Money Matters workshop locations across Canada.
2. Look for the Money Matters workshop at your preferred local institutions listed above. If they don’t offer it, ask them if they can host a workshop by providing them this link.
3. Alternatively, you can take the online courses found at this link.

Money Matters For general adult learners including newcomers to Canada

Aimed at the general adult learner, the standard Money Matters program includes 10 hours of workshop content with free downloadable workbooks available in English, French, Arabic and Chinese.

There are five workbooks to choose from:

1. Spending Plans (also available as an online course)
2. Banking Basics (also available as an online course)
3. Borrowing Money (also available as an online course)
4. Ways to Save (also available as an online course)
5. Smart Shopping

Money Matters For Indigenous Peoples

The Money Matters program for Indigenous Peoples adapts the standard program and its examples to reflect the realities of Indigenous communities in Canada.

There are four workbooks to choose from:

1. Budgeting and Spending Plans (also available as an online course)
2. Banking Basics (also available as an online course)
3. Credit and Borrowing
4. Ways to Save

These freely downloadable workbooks are available in English.

Money Matters for People With Diverse Abilities

This program is adapted to meet the needs of learners with various intellectual, verbal, physical and nonphysical capabilities. It includes 7 hours of workshop content for seminar presentation in 7 modules:

1. What is a Bank?
2. Ways to Pay
3. Needs, Wants, and Spending Plans
4. How to Use an ATM
5. Understanding Your Paycheque
6. Money Safety
7. Facing Challenges

These freely downloadable workbooks are available in English and French.

2. The Government of Canada’s Financial Literacy Tips: free financial education in Burnaby or elsewhere in Canada

The basics

The following links are some of the most important basics of financial literacy that is explained clear and simple terms with practical step-by-step instructions.

• Credit report and score basics
• Budget Planner
• Order your credit report
• Making a budget
• Buying a home
• Improving your credit score
• Cashing a cheque

You can find the full set of money tips, including calculators and tax information, on the following page: Canada’s Money Management Tips

Finances During the Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic is here to stay. Many of us have benefited from government assistance due to the loss of income during the lockdowns and restrictions. The government is aware of these issues and have provided a page containing all the information you need to access the full set of pandemic assistance you may qualify for: Canada’s COVID-19 Financial Resources

3. Moneysense.ca: free financial education in Burnaby or elsewhere in Canada

While some of the information on the site is published for advertising purposes, it is very reliable and accurate in its foundational educational material. Instead of long and detailed articles, you’ll only find short and sweet tutorials written in plain language with easy to follow examples.

To get started, you can begin by scrolling through the articles on this page. You can click the search button at the top of each page to search for information specific to your need. At the upper navigation links, you can also find important categories such as save & invest, your home, family planning, smart spending, and more.

The U.S. stock markets have historically been the greatest generator of wealth in recent history. If you want to get into investing and don’t know where to start, this website will show you how. You can leverage the research done by professionals who are committed to helping everyone get wealthier.

4. Collection Agencies Canada

The platform is designed to help Canadians quickly and safely figure out who is contacting them about a debt. Key features include:

• Search by phone number or agency name to identify who called you
• Verify licence status for agencies across all provinces and territories
• Check official contact details to avoid scams
• See which creditors an agency collects for
• Read plain‑language guides explaining your rights, including:
  • What collectors can and cannot do
  • How often they can contact you
  • How to stop collection calls
  • How to dispute a debt
  • Provincial debt collection laws (Ontario, Alberta, etc.)

5. Google

Building that knowledge doesn’t take much time, either. Spending just a couple of hours a week learning about money can pay off in a big way. Simple budgeting tricks can help you save more, which you can then invest to grow your money. Understanding your credit score can lead to better, cheaper loans in the future. These skills are powerful no matter how much you earn — and they add up over time. So before taking on extra part‑time work, it might be worth investing a little time in building your financial knowledge.