This course is going to give you a practical blueprint to go from zero to competently managing your finances in Japan.

Let's start by getting clear on what you're going to gain and how your life will change by putting what you learn into practice. Watch the video, then scroll down for the task or turn to your Workbook.

REFLECT

You'll want a pen and paper or something to write on (you can make notes on your phone if you want!) throughout the course as sometimes you'll see REFLECT questions or TASK questions. Like this one...

What do you want to achieve by doing this course? It might be security, freedom, financial independence, early retirement, a short-term goal or something else.

Write down whatever comes to mind for you.

TRANSCRIPT

Hi, welcome to the basics of personal finance in Japan.

But before we start, I'd just like to get really clear on what you stand to gain from going through this course and implementing the principles that we're going to talk about. For me, by far the best thing about getting to grips with personal finance has been getting security and freedom for myself and my family. With security comes peace of mind.

By improving your financial habits and your financial mindset, you're actually saving time. Because once you have your financial foundation in place, you're not going to be wasting time dealing with crises or money problems that crop up day to day. Because once you are set up, you don't have to deal with that kind of thing anymore.

Some people, if they really commit to the process, can end up financially independent. That's when you no longer need to work for money, but you can choose to work or not depending on how fulfilling and how rewarding you find that work. Others may be looking to retire early, which is what the FIRE movement is all about. Financial independence, retire early.

Basically, we're looking to eliminate any kind of money problems or stress, get your money working for you and make it so that you can set and forget your finances and just get on with whatever you find important in life.