Learn›Basics
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Basics

Start here. What a stock is, how markets work, compound interest, inflation — the foundations.

13 lessons in this subject Beginner → Advanced
01
What is Investing?
Stocks, markets, bull runs, bear markets — the fundamentals every investor starts with.
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02
Account Types
ISAs, SIPPs, margin accounts — which does what and why it matters for a UK investor.
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03
Inflation
Why your money loses value over time and how investing fights back against it.
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04
Banking & Central Banks
How banks make money, what the Bank of England does, and why quantitative easing matters.
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05
Debt & Credit
Good debt vs bad debt, credit scores, debt-to-income ratios, and compound interest on debt.
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06
Time Value of Money
Why £1 today is worth more than £1 tomorrow — present value, future value, and discount rates.
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07
Personal Finance
The 50/30/20 rule, emergency funds, paying yourself first, and building net worth from scratch.
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08
Tax Basics
Capital gains tax, dividend tax, tax-loss harvesting, the wash sale rule, and ISA wrappers.
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09
Compound Interest
The eighth wonder of the world — how it works, the Rule of 72, and why starting early is everything.
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10
ETFs & Index Funds
What they are, how they differ from stocks and mutual funds, and why Buffett recommends them.
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11
Macroeconomics
GDP, CPI, interest rates, recessions — what they mean and how they move your portfolio.
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12
How Markets Work
Market orders, limit orders, spreads, market makers, and how stock prices are actually set.
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13
Diversification
Why not putting all your eggs in one basket works mathematically — correlation and asset allocation.
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Related reading

Guides from the RIP. blog on putting this into practice.

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