Find where you belong

Your path to
financial clarity

Finnpath meets you exactly where you are — whether you're a teen learning the basics with play money, a young adult opening your first Roth IRA, or a first jobber trying to decode a 401k enrollment packet.

Stock Simulator·Roth IRA· 401k Decoder·Compound Interest· Employer Match·Index Funds· Vesting Schedule·Emergency Fund· Dollar Cost Averaging·Expense Ratio· Stock Simulator·Roth IRA· 401k Decoder·Compound Interest· Employer Match·Index Funds· Vesting Schedule·Emergency Fund· Dollar Cost Averaging·Expense Ratio·
Path 01 · Teens

Learn to invest
before the stakes are real

The best time to learn about money is before you have any. Our stock simulator gives you $10,000 of play money to buy, sell, and watch markets move — with real-world events affecting prices. Build instincts. Make mistakes. Learn why they happened. Zero real money, zero real risk.

13–17
Years old
📈
Stock Portfolio Simulator
Start with $10,000 of virtual cash. Buy stocks, watch prices fluctuate in real time, and see how world events affect the market.
Live market — prices updating
🍔
Burger Bonanza
$26.14
+2.4%
🚀
RocketShip Inc
$138.90
−1.8%
☀️
SolarMax Energy
$61.30
+4.1%
🤖
BrainBank AI
$224.55
+0.7%
$10,000 starting balance · 10 stocks to trade
📰
Market Events That Teach
Real-world scenarios trigger price moves so you learn why markets move — not just that they do.
📰 Market Flash
Oil prices spike on Middle East tensions
⛽ Energy stocks +8%  ✈️ Airlines −5%
📰 Market Flash
Fed raises interest rates unexpectedly
📉 Tech stocks −6%  🏦 Banks +4%
📰 Market Flash
Major AI breakthrough announced
🤖 AI stocks +12%  📦 Shipping −3%
Learn cause and effect in real time
🎓
What You'll Learn
Why stock prices move — supply, demand, news, and earnings
Diversification — why spreading across sectors protects you
Risk vs reward — volatile stocks vs stable ones
Buy low, sell high — easier said than done, and why
Compound interest — through our interactive visualizer
How sectors connect — energy, tech, finance, consumer goods
🛡️
Zero Real Money. Zero Real Risk.
Everything in the simulator uses fictional companies and play money. There's no account to open, no credit card required, no parental permission needed. Just learning.
Why this matters
The best investors in the world made mistakes early. The simulator lets you make yours now — and actually understand what went wrong — before any real money is on the line.
Reset anytime · No account needed
Launch the Simulator → Learn compounding first Free to use · No signup required
Path 02 · Young Adults

Build your first
real financial foundation

You've got income — maybe your first job, a side hustle, or graduation money. This is the most powerful financial moment of your life. The habits you build right now, compounded over 40+ years, will define your retirement. Here's exactly where to start.

18–25
Years old
1
Open a High-Yield Savings Account
Before you invest a dollar, park your emergency fund somewhere earning 4–5% APY instead of the near-zero your bank offers.
Where: Marcus by Goldman Sachs, SoFi, Ally Bank, or American Express Savings. All free, FDIC insured, no minimums.
Goal: 3 months of expenses minimum.
2
Open a Roth IRA
The best tax-advantaged account available to young people. Contribute after-tax dollars now, withdraw everything — including all gains — tax-free in retirement.
Where: Fidelity, Vanguard, or Charles Schwab. All free.
Limit: $7,000/year ($583/month) in 2025.
3
Invest in Index Funds
Inside your Roth IRA, don't leave cash sitting — invest it. One or two index funds covers you for decades without ever needing to pick stocks.
Start with: VTI (total US market) or a Target Date Fund like Vanguard 2060.
Expense ratio: Under 0.20%.
4
Automate Everything
Set up automatic monthly transfers to your Roth IRA on payday. Dollar cost averaging works best when it's completely automatic — no decisions, no emotion.
Even $50/month started at 22 beats $500/month started at 35.
Automate: savings, IRA contributions, bill payments.
5
Track Your Net Worth
Net worth = assets minus liabilities. Tracking it monthly keeps you motivated and shows progress even in months when the market is down.
Assets: savings, investments, car value.
Liabilities: student loans, credit card debt, car loans. The gap is your net worth.
6
Avoid Lifestyle Inflation
When your income increases, resist the urge to immediately increase your spending proportionally. Redirect raises and bonuses to investments first.
The rule: Every raise, save at least 50% of the increase. Live on the rest.
The compound effect of this single habit is enormous over time.
What a Roth IRA looks like at retirement — $500/month from age 22 at 7% returns
Total balance at 65
$1,906,000
43 years of compounding
What you contributed
$258,000
$500/mo for 43 years
Market growth earned
$1,648,000
the market worked for you
Tax owed on withdrawal
$0
Roth withdrawals are tax-free
Calculate your Roth → Learn more about IRAs
Path 03 · First Jobbers

Decode your 401k —
in plain English

You just started your first real job. HR handed you a 401k enrollment packet full of fund names, expense ratios, and vesting schedules. Nobody explained what any of it means. We will. Upload your plan documents and Finnpath will break down every fund, explain your employer match, and help you decide how much to contribute — without ever telling you what to do.

22–30
Years old

📄 401k Document Decoder

Upload your 401k plan summary, benefits packet, or fund lineup. We extract the key information and explain it in plain English — fund options, expense ratios, your employer match, and vesting schedule.

Coming Soon
📋
Upload your 401k documents
Drag and drop your plan summary PDF, benefits packet, or a photo of your enrollment paperwork. We'll do the rest.
Accepts PDF, JPG, PNG · Your documents are never stored
Example output — what we'd show you
Vanguard 500 Index (VINIX)
0.04%
✓ Pick this
T. Rowe Price Growth Stock
0.65%
American Funds Growth A
1.02%
Target Date 2060 Fund
0.12%
✓ Great for beginners
📊
Fund Options Explained
We translate every fund name into plain English — what it invests in, its expense ratio, and whether it's worth choosing over alternatives in your plan.
💰
Employer Match Breakdown
We calculate exactly how much you need to contribute to get every dollar of your employer's match — the closest thing to free money in the financial world.
📅
Vesting Schedule Decoded
When is your employer's match actually yours? We explain your vesting schedule and what it means if you're thinking about changing jobs.
🎯
Contribution Recommendation
Based on your plan's match formula, we show you the minimum to contribute to capture the full match — and what maxing out looks like over 30 years.
📅
Understanding Vesting Schedules
Your employer's matching contributions may not be immediately yours. A vesting schedule determines when that money becomes fully yours — and it matters a lot if you're considering changing jobs.
Typical 4-year graded vesting
Year 1
0%
Year 2
33%
Year 3
66%
Year 4+
100%
If you leave before year 4 in this example, you forfeit unvested employer contributions. Always check your vesting schedule before accepting a new job offer — it's real money.
Check your summary plan description (SPD)
💰
How Employer Match Actually Works
Most people underestimate how valuable the employer match is. Here's a real example using a common formula: 50% match on up to 6% of salary.
Example: $65,000 salary · 50% match on up to 6%
Your salary
$65,000
6% of salary (you contribute)
$3,900/year
50% employer match
$1,950/year
Total invested annually
$5,850/year
Instant return on your $3,900
50% before market does anything
At 7% returns over 30 years, that extra $1,950/year in employer match alone becomes an additional $185,000 at retirement. Never leave it on the table.
🗺️
Your First-Job Financial Order of Operations
Follow these steps in order. Each one builds the foundation for the next.
1
$1k Emergency Fund
Before anything. Prevents debt spirals from small surprises.
2
401k to Full Match
Capture every dollar of free employer money first.
3
Pay Off High-Interest Debt
Anything above 7% interest rate — guaranteed return.
4
Full Emergency Fund
3–6 months in a HYSA. Your investment protection layer.
5
Max Roth IRA
$7,000/year of tax-free growth. Open at Fidelity or Vanguard.
6
Max 401k + Invest More
$23,500 limit. Then taxable brokerage for anything beyond.
Model your 401k growth → Deep dive on 401ks
What's available for you

Everything Finnpath offers,
by audience

Feature 🎮 Teens 🌱 Young Adults 💼 First Jobbers
Stock simulator with play money✓✓✓
Market event explainers✓✓✓
Compound interest visualizer✓✓✓
Interactive calculator✓✓✓
Learn: all 7 concepts✓✓✓
Roth IRA setup guide—✓✓
Investment order of operations—✓✓
401k document decoder——Coming Soon
Employer match optimizer——✓
Vesting schedule explainer——✓
Weekly newsletter✓✓✓
Common questions

Things people ask us

Is Finnpath financial advice? +
No. Finnpath is purely educational. We explain how financial concepts work, provide calculators and tools to help you understand your options, and describe what various products do — but we never tell you what to buy, sell, or invest in. Always consult a qualified financial advisor for personalized advice.
How old do you need to be to open a Roth IRA? +
You must have earned income to contribute to a Roth IRA, but there's no minimum age. A 15-year-old with a summer job can open and contribute to a Roth IRA — up to the amount they earned that year (or the $7,000 limit, whichever is lower). Parents can open a custodial Roth IRA for a minor. This is one of the most powerful financial moves a teenager can make.
What if I can only invest $25 or $50 a month? +
Start anyway. At 7% returns, $50/month started at 22 grows to over $190,000 by age 65 — that's $190k from just $26,400 in contributions. The amount matters far less than starting early and staying consistent. Most brokerages have no account minimums and allow fractional shares, so $25 is enough to own a piece of any index fund.
I have student loans. Should I invest or pay them off first? +
It depends on the interest rate. The general rule: if your loan rate is above 7%, pay it off aggressively first — it's a guaranteed return equal to that rate. If it's below 7%, make minimum payments and invest the rest, because historically the market has outperformed that rate over long periods. Always capture your full employer 401k match regardless — that instant 50-100% return beats everything.
Is the stock simulator using real stocks? +
No. The simulator uses fictional companies with fun names like Burger Bonanza and RocketShip Inc. Prices move based on simulated market logic and fictional news events. This keeps things educational without attaching emotional or financial weight to real companies — which is exactly the right environment for learning.
When is the 401k document decoder available? +
We're actively building it. The 401k decoder will let you upload your plan documents and get a plain-English breakdown of your fund options, expense ratios, employer match formula, and vesting schedule. Sign up for our newsletter to be notified when it launches — newsletter subscribers get early access.
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