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  • Home
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The Rebel Finance School

The Rebel Finance School (RFS) is a free 10 week personal finance course. Last time we ran it, it was called Take Control of your Finances.  We start with the basics: how to work out and measure your net-worth, tracking spending and paying off credit card debt. Then in the later weeks we'll progress to how to invest and how to get to Financial Independence (FI). 

When is it?

Launch date: Monday April 26th, 2021
10 week course running
​Every Monday, 8pm UK time on zoom

Why come?

40% of people in the UK can't survive 1 month without income. 53% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck.  The average person has thousands of £/$ of credit card debt and lives beyond their means.
 
What is your net-worth? If you can't answer this question then you need to come on this course......
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The pandemic has showed us how fragile people's finances are and Katie and I want to help you get your finances in order.  We want to help you take control, start saving and to set yourself up for a financially abundant life
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What  did people say about the first course?


​We honestly can’t thank you enough for all of your help for both of us with managing our finances. We actually feel so much more in control of our lives as a whole now! Thank you. ~ Anne
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This course has been amazing. In the past I have been particularly poor with money and I have let it slip through my fingers far too easily. TCF has really put me and my partner on the same page. We are now talking the same financial language, it has helped us to feel more connected and given us something else to talk about and be interested in. As much as you wanted to improve financial literacy, you need to know that it has had the benefit of pulling what was a strong relationship anyway, closer together. Finances has been one of the few areas where we have had conflict in the past with me being a spender and my partner being a saver but we are now singing from the same hymn sheet. That is very much appreciated. ~ James and Natalia

What exactly is the course?

The Rebel Finance School is a 10 week course designed to give you everything we wish we had known about financial independence and personal finance when we started getting our finances in order.  Each week we will run a 90 minute session over zoom where you can interact with us, learn and ask questions.  
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We run the course via zoom so you can join from wherever you are in the world.   The last course we had people from the UK, USA, Canada, Namibia and more.  Katie and I ran most of the course in Berlin!  So join a truly global group of people working to take control of their finances. 

We mind mapped out everything we have learnt across the last decade of pursuing financial independence and have condensed it into this course.  The modules are:
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  1. Net-worth: how much are you worth and where is your money? The first step to taking charge of your finances is to take a good look at your current position.  Do you know what your net-worth is?
  2. Cashflow: Where does all the money go? Do you have money left over at the end of the month? Could you write down where it all goes?  Let's start thinking of your personal finance in terms of monthly cashflow and how much you are saving to invest
  3. Money Beliefs: Society and culture teach us a huge amount about money such as "Money is the root of all evil" and "it takes money to make money".  If you don't take control of your beliefs about money you will never take control of your finances
  4. Debt & Compounding: Debt is the biggest drag on family finances.  We need to take care of this early and eradicate it. Is there such a thing as good debt and bad debt?  We then explore the power of compounding and how it works against you with debt and for you with investing
  5. Money Talks: Staying on track  Money is one of the biggest reasons for divorce and managing your finances as a team or a family is critical to your financial well being. You can strengthen family relationships through open communication and understanding each other at a deeper level.  Money ripped apart my family and I want to help you avoid the same fate
  6. Investing: You've taken control of you spending.  You've built up some savings but what do you do with them?  The banks give you almost zero interest so how do you invest your money?  What are the options and how do you start?  This module is so big it takes two weeks to go through the content!
  7. FIRE Principles: Financial Independence/Retire Early (FIRE).  What are the principles behind early retirement?  How do you know how much to save? Can you retire early or even at all?  We're here to help you work all this out.
  8. Planning for your future:  No matter what age you are right now you should be developing the habits and strategies that will set you up for the long term.  We will show you how to model your financial future and if you will have enough for retirement. 
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Following each module there is a set of homework designed to move your finances and thinking forward.  We follow up the zoom module with a follow up email, course materials and spreadsheet templates designed to help you get going quickly! 

Since the first course we have been building more resources to supplement the course and help you make progress. 

As we go through the course if you think we have missed anything we want to you to tell us!
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Sign up for RFS now.......

The next Rebel Finance Course starts on Monday 26th April 2021.  Sign up now to join the fun and take control of your finances. Make sure you tick the small box underneath the text that says "Join the Rebel Finance School course by ticking the box below" otherwise you won't get the course emails and materials. 

Sign me up for the Rebel Finance School course!

* indicates required
Join the Rebel Finance School course by ticking the box below
Note: If you are already on my mailing list when you fill out the form it will say you are already on the mailing list and ask you if you want to update your preferences. Click yes and it will send you an email with a link to update your preferences.  Click on the link and then you can just check the box for "Sign me up to the Rebel Finance School course" and click save.  If you have any problems contact us

Course Objectives

We have some big objectives for this course.  Maybe we are being bold?  We don't think so! These are the course objectives:

  • Get a grip of your spending - know how much you spend a month/year
  • Work out your savings rate - % of your income you are saving
  • Cut out spending that isn't adding value to your life (subscriptions etc.)
  • Have a clear plan to get out of debt
  • Understand how to invest in low cost Vanguard index funds
  • Get your first £100 into a Vanguard index fund
  • Project your own retirement date
  • Uncover any beliefs about money that are holding you back 
  • Get on the same financial page as your partner/family
  • Know your net-worth
  • Have a clear financial goal for your future 
  • Develop the financial habits that will set you up for the future
  • Learn about the FIRE world and other ongoing resources. Who are the FIRE characters and what can you learn from each of them?

If any of that sounds interesting then sign up and come along to the course starting April 26th, 2021.   Katie and I are excited to help you with all this.
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Who is the course for?

Everything you want is outside your comfort zone; otherwise you would already have it!  

Katie and I don't care who you are as long as you have a desire to take control of your finances and do the work to build a bright future.  This course is designed to help you even if you are a complete beginner and have no financial knowledge at all. 

Let's get uncomfortable together and start the conversation about money. 

Most people's financial plan is to hide from their reality and ignore their finances.  They think "it's ok there will be a government pension for me when I retire!"

This is not a strategy for long term financial stability let alone success!

This might be uncomfortable but we are going to help you take a good look at your finances and help you take control.  Can you answer these questions?
  • How much am I spending each year?  What is my annual spend?
  • How much am I saving? What is my percentage savings rate?
  • When can I retire and will I have enough money to live?
  • What is your investment strategy for retirement?
  • What is my net-worth?   Can you confidently say how much you are worth?
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If the answer to any of these questions is "I don't know" then this course is for you.  We want to help you get to grips with your finances and get on top of them. ​

Why learn from Katie and Alan?

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​Katie and I aren't trained finance professionals, we aren't financial advisors, we are just normal people form the UK.  Put off yet?  So why should you bother listening to us?

We achieved financial independence at the ages of 35 and 40 years old and have had a huge amount of fun over the last 3 years travelling the world and enjoying our time doing cool things with cool people. ​ 

We retired 25 years earlier than the average person in the UK and we did it through learning and finance, investing and managing our money. 

We learnt about financial independence 7 years ago but have been working on self development and making money for more than 2 decades.   Katie was an actuary before she retired and I ran Rebel Business School.  I have spent 12 years writing courses on presenting, presence, starting businesses and more and delivered them for companies like Microsoft, Westminster Council and Henley Business School.

Over the last 5 years we have been to courses on Financial Independence, read all the books, blogs and listened to all the podcasts.  Not only that we have applied the techniques to our lives and have figured out what works and what doesn't.  We have also learnt how to translate American to British English as most of the resources are from America. 

Using these techniques we were able to retire 25 years earlier than average in the UK.  We bought back 25 years of our lives so that we can travel, explore and do good.  

We actually don't want you to trust what we are saying.  We want you to learn from us, then do your own homework and take action.  The best way to learn is to take action.   

Sign up for the course

If you want to come and join us for the course then sign up now and come along.  It is completely free. Make sure you tick the small box underneath the text that says "Join the Rebel Finance School course by ticking the box below" otherwise you won't get the course emails and materials. ​

Sign me up for the Rebel Finance School course!

* indicates required
Join the Rebel Finance School course by ticking the box below
Note: If you are already on my mailing list when you fill out the form it will say you are already on the mailing list and ask you if you want to update your preferences. Click yes and it will send you an email with a link to update your preferences.  Click on the link and then you can just check the box for "Sign me up to the Rebel Finance School course" and click save.  If you have any problems contact us

The Rebel Alliance - guest speakers

We have some of the coolest guests coming onto the Rebel Finance School to help you take charge of your finances and start investing!
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JL Collins

The Godfather of FI.  Jim has been investing more years than Katie has been alive.  He wrote "The Simple Path to Wealth" and is an FI Legend.  Find out more JL Collin's Blog
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Millennial 

Kristy and Bryce are Millennial Revolution and the Authors of Quit Like a Millionaire.  They were Canada's youngest retirees and have been travelling the world for the last 5 years. Check out the Millennial Revolution Blog
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Surprise

We have a surprise guest planned for the last week of the course.  You are just going to have to wait to find out who it might be...........

What we expect from you

We are going to be organising everything and delivering the course but this is a long, long way from a one way street.   There is going to be work for you to do as well.  The course is completely free in terms of £££s or $$$s.  We just want to give away what we have spend a decade learning. 

But there is a cost in time and effort from you.  If you sign up we expect the following things from you:
  1. Open Mind - some of the things we are going to teach you are against conventional wisdom and we just ask that you are open and listen.  
  2. Engagement - the more engaged you are the more impact the course will have for you!  We want you to get engaged on the zoom calls, ask questions, give energy and do the exercises
  3. Homework - we are going to set you homework!  From working out your net-worth to tracking spending and predicting retirement dates there is going to be homework to do.  This course is a bit like a refrigerator; you only get out what you put in!  Are you willing to put in the work to sort out your finances and build the future you want?
  4. Feedback - we are genuinely interested in your feedback.  We will send you a survey at the end of the course and 1 year after the course to find out if the course worked for you and what happened.  All we ask is that you tell us what you think; good or bad.  Please commit to filling out our short survey at the end and after 1 year to tell us what you think

Frequently asked questions

I have to fill out a survey after the course?  What are you going to do with my data?
The survey will be anonymised and this is for our use to understand if the course helped or not.  Katie and I are very keen to learn how best to help you and other people.  We want to learn as much as you do.  We will never share your email or data with anyone.  We use Mailchimp to store the data so that we comply with GDPR regulations.   

What if I am on government benefits?
Katie and I are not experts on benefits and will not be able to help you in this area. We will help you get better with your money and have sound financial plans but the specifics of government benefits are outside our area of expertise. 

Are you going to sell me something at the end of the course?
We aren't going to sell you anything at all.  We are doing this to help and give back.  The only thing we ask for in return for the course is your participation and filling out the feedback forms. 

I have no idea what a index fund is or how to work out cashflow! Do I need to understand finances before the course?
This course is designed to help you from the start.  You need no prior knowledge at all and we will do our best to explain all the terms as we go.  Come along, get involved and ask questions!

​The only skill it might be worth learning before coming along is the basics of spreadsheets.  If you have never used a spreadsheet before find some YouTube videos to teach you how to use Google Sheets or Excel before we start. 
When I try and subscribe it tells me I am already subscribed!
If you are already on my mailing list when you fill out the form above it will say you are already on the mailing list and ask you if you want to update your preferences. Click yes and it will send you an email with a link to update your preferences.  Click on the link and then you can just check the box for "Sign me up to the Rebel Finance School course" and click save.  If you have any problems contact us

Do I have to attend every session?
No you do not.  Katie and I understand sometimes life gets in the way, but to get the most out of the course you should come to as many as you can.  If you are really serious about managing your finances then come to every single one

Those dates and times don't work for me. Will you be recording the course?
No. We have designed the course to be interactive and we believe it works best if you attend the course live.   

​Can I bring a friend?
Of course you can.  The more the merrier!  Katie and I go on all training courses together so that we both get the advantage of the information, we can discuss it and implement it together afterwards and it makes it more fun!  Bring a friend, partner, son, daughter, niece or nephew with you!    Please feel free to share this page with people that you think will need the course!

Why is the course free?
We achieved financial independence in 2018 and never need to earn money again if we don't want to.  I have found the biggest source of long term happiness for me is helping other people.  There is only so much sitting on a beach drinking cocktails that one couple can do.  We get such a buzz out of helping others and are enjoying giving away our time to make a difference.  So join in and get involved whilst we are excited about running these courses and helping people

​*By signing up to receive dates for the course you are joining the general AlanDonegan.com mailing list.  We couldn't find another way to do this with the free version of Mailchimp.   You can hit unsubscribe at any point.  I send out about 4-8 emails a year with updates on the blog and with free tools and information

Why did you change the name from Take Control of your Finances?
In January of 2021 my main business PopUp Business School changed it's name to Rebel Business School.  The main reason we did this was because we are planning on opening a permanent business school in Westminster, London and that means we are no longer a PopUp!  

We decided to bring everything in line so we have a consistent brand across everything we do.  From the Rebel Entrepreneur Podcast, the Rebel Business School courses and The Rebel Finance School

Alan donegan

Home | About | Start Here | Podcast | FIRE | Contact | Podcast Season 1 | Podcast Season 2 | Stats & Feedback | Take Control of your Finances
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