Spring cohort starts April 7 25 learners only, then we close the doors Save your spot →
An 8-week live course · Starts April 7

Money stops feeling scary when you finally understand it.

Northbeam is a calm, plain-English personal finance and investing course for people who were never taught this. In eight weeks you'll build a budget that actually holds, clear high-interest debt, and open your first index fund — one small step at a time.

Save my spot See the 8-week plan

Next cohort begins April 7 · Capped at 25 learners

A beginner reviewing a simple monthly budget on a laptop at a sunlit kitchen table
Your image here · images/hero.jpg
3,100+

Beginners coached

4.9 / 5

Average learner rating

8

Weeks, start to finish

25

Seats per cohort

Who this is for

Built for the people who were never taught this.

If you've felt behind or talked over by money advice, you're exactly who Northbeam was made for. See yourself in any of these?

The avoider

You dread opening your bank app and let bills pile up unread. You want the fog to lift so checking your balance stops making your stomach drop.

The decent earner who still feels broke

The money comes in and somehow disappears. You want to know exactly where it leaks — and finally start investing instead of meaning to.

The late starter

You've convinced yourself it's too late, or that this is for other people. It isn't — and a calm, step-by-step plan is the proof.

The eight-week path

What you build, week by week.

Six modules, each one a small win that sets up the next. By the end you'll have a system, not just a stack of notes.

  1. 01
    Week 1

    Where Your Money Actually Goes

    No shame, no spreadsheets from scratch. We map every dollar coming in and going out, then turn that into a one-page picture of your money so the fog finally lifts.

    Cash-flow mapNo judgmentOne-page snapshot
  2. 02
    Week 2

    A Budget That Survives Real Life

    Most budgets break in the first month. We build a flexible plan around how you really spend, automate the boring parts, and leave room for fun — so it lasts past week three.

    Flexible budgetingAutomationSinking funds
  3. 03
    Week 3

    Breaking the Debt Cycle

    We line up every balance, pick the payoff method that fits your head and your numbers, and build a payoff date you can see on a calendar. High-interest debt is the first thing we beat.

    Payoff orderInterest, plainlyA real end date
  4. 04
    Week 4

    A Cushion That Lets You Sleep

    The week most learners say the stress lifts. You'll size and start an emergency fund, choose where it lives so it actually earns, and make saving happen without willpower.

    Emergency fundHigh-yield savingsAuto-transfers
  5. 05
    Weeks 5–6

    Investing, Demystified

    We replace the jargon with one calm idea: own a little of everything, keep costs low, and let time do the work. You'll open an account and place your first index-fund order together.

    Index fundsCompoundingYour first order
  6. 06
    Weeks 7–8

    Your Money on Autopilot

    We wire it all together into a system that runs on its own: scheduled transfers, a simple monthly check-in, and a one-page plan you'll still be following years from now.

    AutomationMonthly reviewYour written plan
From the cohorts

People who finally got their money calm.

A few words from learners who walked in nervous and walked out with a plan.

"I'd avoided my bank app for years out of pure dread. By week four I had an emergency fund and I actually check my balance now without my stomach dropping. That alone was worth it."
Maya VelasquezNurse · Sacramento
"I make decent money and still felt broke every month. Northbeam showed me exactly where it was leaking. We placed my first index-fund order on a live call — I'd been too scared to do it alone for a decade."
Dele OkonkwoSoftware tester · Manchester
"The small pod was the whole thing for me. Five people who got it, no one showing off. When I wanted to quit in week three, they're the reason I didn't. I cleared my card three months later."
Rachel KimCafé owner · Toronto
"Every other money thing I tried assumed I already knew the basics. This one didn't. Dana explains things like a patient friend, not a finance bro. I finally understand what an index fund even is."
Tomas BrandtGraphic designer · Berlin
"I'm a single mum and I'd convinced myself investing was for other people. Now I've got automatic transfers running and a real emergency fund. My kids will grow up watching a calmer version of me."
Amara NwosuSchool administrator · Atlanta
"I signed up at fifty-eight, sure it was too late for me. It absolutely was not. Eight weeks later I have a budget my husband and I both follow and a plan for the next ten years. I only wish I'd done it sooner."
Susan HalvorsenRetired teacher · Minneapolis
Dana Marsh, personal finance educator, smiling at a desk
Guide portrait · images/guide.jpg
Your guide

Learn it from Dana Marsh.

Dana spent twelve years as a fee-only financial educator and credit counselor, sitting across the table from people who felt as behind as you might right now. The same questions came up again and again — and almost none of them were about picking stocks.

She built Northbeam to teach what she wishes everyone had been taught at twenty: spend less than you earn, keep costs low, and let time and a simple plan do the heavy lifting. She runs every cohort herself, so you're never handed off to a chatbot or a junior coach.

12 yrs

Teaching money basics

3,100+

Beginners coached

100%

Education, never sales

Tuition

One course. Everything you need to feel in control.

Pick the option that fits how you like to learn. Both include all eight weeks, every template, and your accountability pod.

Comparison of the two Northbeam tuition options and what each includes.
What's included Most chosen The Course Everything to get your money working. $390 once Billed once. Save $60 versus the plan. Course + 1:1 Coaching For the learner who wants a hand to hold. $790 once Billed once. Save $65 versus the plan.
All eight weeks of live sessions ✓ ✓
Plug-and-play budget & tracker sheets ✓ ✓
Small accountability pod of five ✓ ✓
Step-by-step first-investment walkthrough ✓ ✓
Lifetime access to every recording ✓ ✓
Private alumni community ✓ ✓
Three private 1:1 sessions with Dana — ✓
A money plan built around your numbers — ✓
Personal debt-payoff and savings map — ✓
Priority answers between sessions — ✓
A 90-day check-in after the course — ✓
Save my spot Talk to Dana first

Every spot is backed by our 14-day promise — more on that just below.

Why Northbeam

What makes this finally click.

No hype, no get-rich-quick, no jargon to hide behind. Just a calm path built for people starting from zero.

Plain English, always

Every term gets defined the moment it shows up. If you've ever felt talked over, this was built for you.

Do it, don't just learn it

Each week ends with one thing you actually set up — a transfer, an account, a payoff date. Real progress, not notes.

A pod that keeps you going

Five people at the same stage, cheering each other on. The reason learners finish instead of fading out by week three.

Education, never sales

We don't sell products and we earn nothing on what you buy. The only thing we want is for your plan to be yours.

A few hours a week

Built for real, busy lives. One short live session plus a focused exercise — most learners spend three to four hours.

Taught by a real educator

Twelve years across the table from beginners. Dana runs every cohort herself — patient, judgment-free, and on your side.

Questions, answered

The things beginners ask first.

Still unsure about something? Email the team and a real person will write back.

No. Most learners spend the first weeks on budgeting, a cushion, and clearing high-interest debt. You can open your first index fund with as little as a few dollars, and we walk you through it when you're ready — never before.
The principles are universal — spend less than you earn, low-cost index funds, steady automation. We cover the most common account types in plain language and give you a checklist for finding the equivalent where you live.
Plan for one short live session plus about two hours of guided exercises. Most learners spend three to four hours a week, and every lesson is built around something you actually set up that week.
No, and that's on purpose. Northbeam is education, not financial advice. We teach a simple, evidence-based approach to low-cost, diversified investing so you can make your own confident decisions.
If the course isn't a fit, tell us within the first 14 days and we'll refund your tuition in full — no forms, no awkward call. We'd rather you feel good about the decision.
Yes. There's no maths beyond what a calculator handles, and every spreadsheet is built for you. Northbeam was made for people who were never taught this and feel behind — you're exactly who it's for.
Often, yes. Financial wellbeing is a common learning-and-development line. We provide an itemized receipt and a short summary you can hand to whoever approves professional development budgets.
The spring cohort

Eight weeks from now, money could feel calm.

Twenty-five spots, one small cohort, eight focused weeks. When this group fills, the next opening is summer.

Save my spot Read the questions

14-day full refund

No products, no sales

Lifetime recordings

A private alumni circle