Financial literacy for immigrants

 Did you know that you can negotiate about your mortgage interest rate with your bank in Sweden? You can! And it can save you a ton of money over time. When you just arrive in Sweden, however, it is very difficult to know about this aspect of the Swedish financial system. Did you also know that there is special tax system for investments that is much easier and often cheaper? So many financial decisions depend on the institutional setup, and can be very difficult to navigate without being a native. 

Together with colleagues in Lund and Aarhus, I developed a course in financial literacy targeted towards immigrants to help out with some of these issues. The main idea of the course is to provide practical advice on how to invest, save for retirement and buy a house in Sweden. The course focuses on the practical aspects, like what kind of fund is best to buy, how fees affect your returns, how to save for your pension in the Swedish system and how to get a mortgage in Sweden. We provide video lectures, questions to bring to your bank and a glossary of terms. 

The course is available for free in Swedish and in English . You can read an interview with Olga Balakina about the course in Göteborgsposten.