Want to feel more confident with money? 3 free UK resources for parents
You don't need to be a money expert to talk to your child about it. But those conversations might highlight areas you'd like to understand better yourself.
If you'd like to build your own confidence with budgeting, saving, borrowing or personal finance more broadly, there are some excellent free resources already available. We've picked three that we think are particularly useful for parents.
None of them are required before starting Money Talks at Home. You can use them alongside the conversations, come back to them later, or simply explore the areas that are useful to you.
MoneyHelper
Best for: practical help with everyday money
MoneyHelper is a government-backed resource provided by the Money and Pensions Service. It offers free, impartial guidance across a wide range of financial topics, including budgeting, saving, borrowing, pensions and dealing with money problems.
A useful starting point is its free Budget Planner. You enter your income and spending and the tool brings everything together to show what is coming in, what is going out and what you have left.
If you have never properly mapped out your household finances, it can be a useful way to get a clearer picture of where your money is going.
The Money Charity
Best for: building your general understanding of money
The Money Charity is a UK charity focused on helping people improve their financial wellbeing. It has worked in financial education and financial capability for more than 30 years, supporting children, young people and adults.
Its website contains accessible guidance on areas including budgeting, saving, borrowing and managing everyday money.
It's a good place to explore if there is a particular part of personal finance you'd like to understand better, without committing to a longer or more structured course.
MoneySavingExpert's Academy of Money
Best for: going into more depth
MoneySavingExpert's Academy of Money is a free course created with The Open University for people who want a more structured introduction to personal finance.
The course is split into six sessions covering spending decisions, budgeting and tax, borrowing, mortgages, saving and investing, and retirement planning.
Each session is designed to take around two hours, but you can work through the course at your own pace and focus on the areas that are most useful to you.
For parents looking to develop a broader understanding of personal finance, this is the most comprehensive of the three resources.
Where does Money Talks at Home fit?
The resources above can help you understand personal finance. What they aren't designed to do is help you turn that knowledge into a conversation with your own child.
Knowing how budgeting works, for example, is different from finding a natural way to talk about why money is limited, how we choose between things we want, or why saving now can give us more options later.
That's the gap Money Talks at Home is designed to fill.
The guides give you a topic, a simple structure and questions to explore together. You bring your own experiences and your family's perspective.
You can use the resources above alongside the conversations if you'd like to develop your own knowledge at the same time, but you don't need to work through them first.
A few questions parents ask
Do I need to learn more about money before starting Conversation 1?
No. Conversation 1 is designed to work with the knowledge you already have. These resources are simply available if there are areas you'd also like to explore for yourself.
What if my child asks something I'm not sure about?
You don't need to have an immediate answer to every question.
If something comes up that you're unsure about, it helps to acknowledge it openly and suggest finding out together. This keeps the conversation moving forward while showing that it's normal to check information when you need to.
It can also be a useful way to show your child that being confident with money doesn't mean knowing everything. It means being willing to ask questions, look for reliable information and keep learning.
Which resource should I start with?
It depends on what you'd like help with.
If you want a clearer picture of your household finances, MoneyHelper's Budget Planner is a good place to begin.
If you'd like to explore different areas of everyday money as and when they become relevant, try The Money Charity.
If you want a more structured introduction to personal finance, MoneySavingExpert's Academy of Money offers the most comprehensive starting point.
Ready for the next conversation?
Conversation 1 introduces the Money Talks at Home approach. The full series continues through five more conversations covering spending, saving, planning, value and borrowing.
Each one gives you a straightforward way to explore a money idea your child will encounter in real life, with a parent guide, conversation structure and activity to help you work through it together.
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