Keeping up to speed with the changing nature of personal finance is especially important for Californians. Our high cost of living puts a premium on being financially savvy. Understanding personal finance helps reduce stress and place control in your hands.
DFPI and financial empowerment
We believe Californians should be empowered with financial literacy. We all deserve to be financially secure, and fundamental knowledge of personal finance is where it all begins. We’ve got all kinds of resources and initiatives to help Californians improve their skills and become more financially fluent.
Our consumer financial education and resources page is a great place to start building a foundation of financial understanding. We’ve got guides, toolkits, workshops and online resources covering topics such as budgeting, saving, credit management, debt repayment, and avoiding financial scams.
Featured Resources

Finance & Lending Education
Guides, toolkits, workshops and other resources covering topics such as budgeting, saving, credit management, debt repayment, and avoiding financial scams.

Consumer Financial Education for Military and Veterans
Military Lending Act, Housing Assistance For Veterans, Military and Veteran Educational benefits, and more.

Personal Finance for Couples: Managing Joint Finances
Money is a common cause of stress in relationships, and if left unaddressed, it can impact more than just your wallet. Follow these tips to help you manage joint finances in a marriage or partnership.

Useful Terms
Income
Income is your cornerstone. It’s all the money you bring in and can then allocate to expenses, savings, investments, and protection. This includes salaries, wages, dividends, and other sources of cash inflow.
Budget
Your budget is a plan that outlines your income and expenses. Budgets are essential to controlling your financial life and to being able to build a base of savings, investment and security for the future.
Spending
Spending is your cash outflow for bills and purchases, including rent, mortgage, groceries, hobbies, eating out, home furnishings, and home repairs.
Savings
Savings are the income you don’t spend. Savings are important for covering larger expenses down the road, and for storing funds for the future. For most people, savings confer a sense of security and achievement.
Debt
Debt is the money you owe to creditors through loans, credit cards, or mortgages.
Credit Score
A credit score is a number that represents an individual’s creditworthiness based on their credit history and borrowing behavior.
Investing
Investing is when you purchase assets, like stocks and bonds, with the goal of earning a return on your money. Investing is a way to increase your wealth. Keep in mind investments come with various levels of risk, depending on the investment.
Other Useful links
- CFPB Empowerment Toolkit: A well-rounded resource that will help deepen and broaden your financial knowledge and fluency.
- LinkedIn’s Managing Your Personal Finances: Financial expert Jane Barratt shows how opportunities arise when you learn more about your money.
- Investopedia’s What Is Personal Finance and Why Is It Important page covers all the bases and basics.
Other Recent Consumer Alerts and Insights
Press Release

California and Eleven States Call for Answers from the CFPB Over Restitution Delays
DFPI joined leaders from eleven states in pressing the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to issue long-delayed restitution to victims of a predatory tech sales program.

Consumer Insights
Pig butchering - how to spot and report the scam
Apr 15, 2025
Pig butchering is an investment scam where fraudsters gain the trust of victims over time and then deceive them into investing in fake crypto or another fraudulent investment opportunity. The term refers to the agricultural practice of fattening pigs before slaughter, symbolizing how scammers "fatten" their victims with false attention before exploiting them financially.

Alerts
Scam Alert: Imposter Posing as DFPI in Crypto Investment Scheme
Apr 25, 2025
The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) has received reports of scammers claiming to be from “CDFI,” using deceptive email addresses such as [email protected] and [email protected].

Alerts
Advisory to Small Businesses: Speak Up About Merchant Cash Advances
Apr 14, 2025
The DFPI wants to hear from small businesses that may have fallen prey to unfair, deceptive, or abusive practices in connection with a financial product known as a merchant cash advance (MCA).