Mission Control for Rebel Finance School
Your home base for everything in Rebel Finance School.
Looking for the links to join live sessions? Want the course notes, the roadmap, the tools, or a quick answer from Virtual Alan and Katie? This is the page to come back to whenever you need anything.
YouTube Playlist
Watch live, catch up on replays, or go back to a session you want to revisit.
Ask AI Alan & Katie
Ask Virtual Alan and Katie and get pointed to the right place fast when you are not sure what you need.
Course Roadmap
See the full journey from Week 0 to the bonus sessions and understand what each week is for.
Find A Tool
Need the retirement calculator, spending tracker, debt tools or investment help? Start here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Get answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Zoom Link
Join the live sessions, Monday & Thursday 8pm UK time. If the Zoom room is full, watch on YouTube Live.
Add the sessions to your calendar
Save the full Rebel Finance School schedule so you always know when to show up live.
Using Outlook? Download the file above, then in Outlook go to Add calendar and Upload from file.
Welcome to Rebel Finance School
Mission Control is here to make your life easier.
If you are wondering where the Zoom link is, which week covers your question, where the retirement calculator lives, or where to pick things up again, this is the page to come back to.
Everything you need lives here: the links, the roadmap, the notes, the tools, and Virtual Katie and Alan.
If you are new, start with the roadmap. If you are catching up, use the playlist and notes. If you are stuck, ask Virtual Katie and Alan and we’ll point you in the right direction.
The Ultimate Guide to Rebel Finance School
We’ve written an article and created a video to explain exactly how Rebel Finance School works, what has changed for 2026, what happens each week, who the course is for, and how to get the most out of it.
You can read the guide here, and/or watch the video.
Your why is the fuel. The map is the route.
Rebel Finance School is not just ten random weeks of money lessons. It is a route. Start where you are, find your yellow dot, take the next tiny step, and keep going.
Don’t compare your pineapples.
The map is not perfectly linear. Your job is not to be at the same point as anyone else. Your job is to know where you are and take the next tiny step.
Course Roadmap
Here’s the journey through Rebel Finance School, from the foundations all the way through to investing, retirement, and the bonus support sessions.
If you are new, start at the beginning and work through in order. If you are picking things up again, use this roadmap to find your place and keep moving. Each week builds on the last. One step at a time.
There are 2 sessions a week for 2026. Monday will be the core theory and lesson, and Thursday will be the practical implementation: how to actually build the spreadsheet, invest in the fund, or move your pension. The roadmap below gives a simple overview of what each week is about so you can work out where to start, what to cover, and how to make progress.
Your journey through Rebel Finance School
Open any week below to see what it covers, who it is for, and jump straight to the notes or the right YouTube session. If you are new, work through in order. If you are catching up, use this to find your place and keep moving.
Get Ready for Rebel Finance School: Your Why, Your Tools, Your Plan
Remove friction before launch and get ready to succeed.
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Get Ready for Rebel Finance School: Your Why, Your Tools, Your Plan
Remove friction before launch and get ready to succeed.
A short prep pack that helps people understand the course, reconnect with their why, smash their biggest barriers, set their calendar, join the community, and get their tools ready before Week 1.
Get Ready for Rebel Finance School
Your why, your tools, your plan.
Do I need this week?
If you can’t confidently answer no to all of these, watch this week.
- Have you ever caught yourself saying “it’s alright for them because…”?
- Do you doubt your ability to be able to sort out your finances?
- Do you think personal finances are stacked against people like you?
- Do you feel like you will never be able to get on top of your finances?
- Do you feel like you are too old for this to make a difference?
Watch this week if… you have doubt as to whether this will work for you or make a difference.
Take Control of Your Money: Track Your Spending and Find Your Gap
Teach the gap principle and get people tracking spending.
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Take Control of Your Money: Track Your Spending and Find Your Gap
Teach the gap principle and get people tracking spending.
The first live week is about one key idea: you cannot build freedom until you know where your money goes. This week introduces the gap, shows why spending clarity matters, and gets people ready to track.
Take Control of Your Money: Track Your Spending and Find Your Gap
Teach the gap principle and get people tracking spending.
How to track Your Spending Without the Overwhelm: Spreadsheet, App or Simple System
Help people actually start tracking and leave with a real working method in place.
Do I need this week?
If you can’t confidently answer yes to all of these, watch this week.
- Do you know exactly how much you spent last month, not roughly but exactly?
- Do you know how much you spent last year?
- Do you know your gap between what you earn and what you spend? Exactly.
- Do you understand the long-term cost of your regular small purchases and habits?
Watch this week if… you cannot clearly show where your money is going.
Net Worth Made Simple: Find What You Have, What You Owe and Where You Stand
Find your financial blue dot and understand what counts.
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Net Worth Made Simple: Find What You Have, What You Owe and Where You Stand
Find your financial blue dot and understand what counts.
This week answers: what do you actually have? It teaches net worth, the four buckets, what counts and what does not, and why tracking net worth monthly changes behaviour.
Net Worth Made Simple: Find What You Have, What You Owe and Where You Stand
Help people find their financial blue dot and understand net worth, the four elements and what counts.
How to Calculate Your Net Worth: Step by Step Guide to Completing Your First Net Worth Statement
Help people complete their first real net worth and fill in the tracker properly.
Do I need this week?
If you can’t confidently answer yes to all of these, watch this week.
- Do you know your exact net worth, not roughly but exactly?
- Do you know where all your accounts, pensions, debts, and assets are?
- Could you update your net worth statement this week without hunting for hours?
- Do you understand the terms asset, liability, valuable liability?
- Do you know what percentage of your net worth is working for you?
Watch this week if… you cannot quickly answer the question, “What am I worth right now?”
Money Mindset Makeover: The One Thing Secretly Blocking Your Financial Progress
Expose limiting beliefs and create internal alignment.
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Money Mindset Makeover: The One Thing Secretly Blocking Your Financial Progress
Expose limiting beliefs and create internal alignment.
This week moves from numbers to the inner game: beliefs, identity, values and how your money story shapes behaviour.
Money Mindset Makeover: The One Thing Secretly Blocking Your Financial Progress
Expose limiting beliefs and learn how to transform them so you can make progress with your finances easily.
Rewrite Your Money Story and Align Your Life
Help people turn Week 3 insight into practical mindset work and personal alignment.
Do I need this week?
If you can’t confidently answer yes to all of these, watch this week.
- Do you believe “investing isn’t for people like me” or “the rich get rich the poor get poorer” or “it takes money to make money”?
- Can you spot the stories you tell yourself about money, success, wealth, or what is “possible” for someone like you?
- Do your actions around money match your goals and values?
- When you know what to do but still do not do it, do you understand why?
- Do you have arguments with others over money?
- Do you feel at peace with your finances and money?
Watch this week if… you keep getting stuck even when you know what to do.
Compound Interest Explained: How It Builds Wealth and Deepens Debt
Make compounding emotionally and mathematically real.
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Compound Interest Explained: How It Builds Wealth and Deepens Debt
Make compounding emotionally and mathematically real.
Teach growth-on-growth, why starting matters, and why compounding is either your best friend or your worst enemy depending on whether you’re investing or in expensive debt.
Compound Interest Explained: How It Builds Wealth and Deepens Debt
Make compounding real, emotionally and mathematically, so people understand why debt hurts and investing helps.
Debt Attack Strategy Workshop: Build Your Personalised Get-Out-of-Debt Plan
Turn the compounding lesson into an actual debt payoff strategy.
Do I need this week?
If you can’t confidently answer yes to all of these, watch this week.
- Can you explain compound interest simply, in your own words?
- Do you understand how compounding works for both investing and debt?
- If Alan said “what is the cost of that money?” would you be able to explain what he meant?
- Do you understand why starting earlier matters so much?
- Can you explain why interest rate is one of the most important numbers in personal finance?
- Do you have any high-interest debt?
- Do you know the interest rate on each of your debts?
- Do you have a clear debt payoff plan in the right order?
Watch this week if… you have expensive debt, or you know compounding in theory but not in real life.
How to Talk About Money Without Stress, Shame or Arguments
Help people communicate about money without conflict.
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How to Talk About Money Without Stress, Shame or Arguments
Help people communicate about money without conflict.
Money is social. This week is about talking to partners, family and others in a way that creates understanding instead of defensiveness.
How to Talk About Money Without Stress, Shame or Arguments
Help people talk about money without triggering conflict, shame or avoidance.
Design Your Monthly Finance Meeting: The Habit That Keeps You On Track
Help people set up a monthly finance meeting and build a rhythm that keeps progress happening.
Do I need this week?
If you can’t confidently answer yes to all of these, watch this week.
- Can you talk about money calmly with your partner, family, or the people around you?
- Do money conversations usually lead to clarity rather than avoidance or tension?
- Have you actually told the people around you what you are trying to build financially?
- Do you have a regular rhythm for money check-ins?
- Are you working together as a household on your financial goals?
Watch this week if… money is still something you mostly think about alone.
How do I start Investing? Assets, Freedom Fund and putting your money to work
Teach the foundations of investing and what an asset really is.
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How do I start Investing? Assets, Freedom Fund and putting your money to work
Teach the foundations of investing and what an asset really is.
This is the conceptual shift: what is an asset, what belongs in a freedom fund, and why most people think they are investing when they are not.
How do I start Investing? Assets, Freedom Fund and putting your money to work
Teach the conceptual foundations of investing, what an asset really is, and what belongs in a freedom fund.
Freedom Fund Audit: Is Your Money Working for You?
Help people assess whether their cash, pensions, property and existing money setup are doing the right job.
Do I need this week?
If you can’t confidently answer yes to all of these, watch this week.
- Do you know the difference between an asset and a liability?
- Do you know what your freedom fund actually includes?
- Is your money currently working hard enough for the job it is meant to do?
- Can you tell whether your cash, pension, property, or investments are helping or slowing you down?
- Could you explain the stock market, dividends and investing to others in simple terms?
Watch this week if… you say you are investing, but you are not fully sure what your money is actually doing.
Why Index Funds Win: Lower Fees, Less Stress and Smarter Investing
Teach low-cost index investing, why fees matter, and why fear matters too.
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Why Index Funds Win: Lower Fees, Less Stress and Smarter Investing
Teach low-cost index investing, why fees matter, and why fear matters too.
This week explains why simple beats clever, why fees matter so much, why active funds underperform, and why your own fear is often the biggest threat to your wealth.
Why Index Funds Win: Lower Fees, Less Stress and Smarter Investing
Teach low-cost index investing, why fees matter, and why fear is often the biggest risk to wealth.
Fund Fact Sheet Clinic: Bring Your Funds, Spot the Fees, Find the Red Flags
Help people analyse real funds and see what they actually own, using real examples and submitted fund sheets.
Do I need this week?
If you can’t confidently answer yes to all of these, watch this week.
- Do you understand what an index fund is?
- Do you know why fees matter so much over time?
- Do you know the difference between active and passive investing?
- Do you know how fear and behaviour can damage returns more than markets do?
Watch this week if… you have investments but could not confidently explain what they are or why you chose them.
How to Start Investing: Choose Your Platform, Account and Fund
The implementation week. Learn the framework, then jump to the version that fits you.
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How to Start Investing: Choose Your Platform, Account and Fund
The implementation week. Learn the framework, then jump to the version that fits you.
This is the practical framework week. Reduce the noise and show people how to choose the fund, the account and the platform without getting lost.
How to Start Investing: Choose Your Platform, Account and Fund
Teach the three key implementation decisions people need to actually invest.
Region guides and action session
Use the buttons below for the version that fits where you live and what you need to do next.
Do I need this week?
If you can’t confidently answer yes to all of these, watch this week.
- Do you know the difference between a platform, an account, and a fund?
- Do you know which account type is right for you and most tax efficient?
- Do you know which platform you would use if you had to choose today?
- Could you make your first investment this week if you decided to?
Watch this week if… you understand the theory of investing but still have not pressed the button.
How Much Do I Need to Retire?
Help people understand their number and the maths behind retirement.
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How Much Do I Need to Retire?
Help people understand their number and the maths behind retirement.
Teach freedom rate versus savings rate, challenge inflated assumptions, and show people how the freedom calculator translates their life into a retirement number.
How Much Do I Need to Retire?
Help people understand their number and the maths behind retirement.
Freedom Calculator Workshop: Build Your Number and Test Your Scenarios
Use the calculator to replace fear with maths and help people run real scenarios.
Do I need this week?
If you can’t confidently answer yes to all of these, watch this week.
- Do you know roughly how much you need to live on each year?
- Do you know your number for retirement, not a vague dream but an actual number?
- Do you understand the relationship between spending, savings, and time to freedom?
- Have you ever used a retirement calculator and know when you can retire?
Watch this week if… retirement still feels mysterious, distant, or impossible.
How to Retire Without Running Out of Money
Teach the maths and emotional reality of making your money last.
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How to Retire Without Running Out of Money
Teach the maths and emotional reality of making your money last.
This is the capstone live teaching week. It explains drawdown, inflation, sequence of returns risk, flexibility, and why most people do not run out when they understand the maths and manage the risks.
How to Retire Without Running Out of Money
Teach the maths of drawdown, inflation, flexibility and sequence of returns risk.
FI, Frugality & Freedom: Mr Money Mustache Unplugged
End the course with perspective, celebration and possibility rather than one more spreadsheet.
Do I need this week?
If you can’t confidently answer yes to all of these, watch this week.
- Do you understand the basic idea of drawdown?
- Do you know why inflation matters so much in retirement?
- Have you heard of sequence of returns risk, and do you understand why it matters?
- Do you know what flexibility can do to make retirement safer?
Watch this week if… you know how to build wealth but not yet how to live from it.
Write Your Investor Policy Statement: Your Crash Plan for the Bad Days
Help people codify their rules in writing so they can trust themselves later.
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Write Your Investor Policy Statement: Your Crash Plan for the Bad Days
Help people codify their rules in writing so they can trust themselves later.
This is where the crash plan becomes a written Investor Policy Statement. It turns “I think I’ll be fine” into “here are my rules when markets go mad.”
Write Your Investor Policy Statement: Your Crash Plan for the Bad Days
Help people codify their rules in writing so they know exactly what they will do when markets get messy.
How to Live Off Your Investments
Turn your Freedom Fund into regular income with a practical withdrawal and rebalancing routine.
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How to Live Off Your Investments
Turn your Freedom Fund into regular income with a practical withdrawal and rebalancing routine.
Learn how investment money reaches your bank account, how to choose where withdrawals come from, and how to build a repeatable first-year income plan.
How to Live Off Your Investments
A global session covering withdrawals, tax awareness, spending cash and rebalancing, with short examples for the UK, US and New Zealand.
Ask Us Anything: Money, Life, Travel & Our Journey
A final open Q&A with Alan and Katie on money, freedom, life design and the journey so far.
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Ask Us Anything: Money, Life, Travel & Our Journey
A final open Q&A with Alan and Katie on money, freedom, life design and the journey so far.
A bonus session for the bigger questions. Use this one to ask about financial independence, investing, lifestyle design, travel, choices the Donegans have made, and anything else that helps you keep momentum after the core course.
Ask Us Anything: Money, Life, Travel & Our Journey
Bring your questions and use this as a final live chance to go deeper on money, freedom, values and how this all works in real life.
Not sure where to go? Start here.
If you are not sure which week covers your question, what to do next, or how to work through the course in a way that actually helps, start here. This can help you find the right week, the right tool, the right next step, or a sensible plan through Rebel Finance School.
Tools, calculators and next-step help
Not every problem needs a whole week of the course. Sometimes you just need the right tool. Use this section to jump straight to the calculator, tracker, worksheet, prompt, transcript, or guide that will help most right now.
Spend & Track Money
Use these to track spending, work out your gap, and build a simple monthly money rhythm.
Know Your Numbers
Get clear on where you are now, what you own, and what your financial picture actually looks like.
Get Out of Debt
Use these to understand compounding, build a debt payoff plan, and start moving in the right direction.
Investing
Understand costs, compare options, and get clear on property, platforms, funds, and investing basics.
Plan Your Future
Work out when you can retire, what bridge you need, and how to forecast the bigger decisions ahead.
AI Support
Use AI as a kind, practical helper when you get stuck. These resources can help you ask better questions, review spending, spot possible leaks, prepare for a monthly finance meeting, and revisit the course teaching in plain English.
🤔 Found this page by accident?
No worries! Pop your email in the form here and we’ll send you the full Rebel Finance School experience – weekly emails with the exact resources, videos, and tools you need to work through the course. 💌
What better way to help you keep on track, do the work needed to sort out your finances (and more) by having it delivered directly to your email inbox weekly?
Read on for how to use this page, the full roadmap and everything you need to take control of your personal finances!
*By signing up to the course you are also joining the general RebelDonegans.com mailing list. We never spam and you can hit unsubscribe at any point.
Go deeper on the bits that matter most
These are the extra workshops, specialist sessions and deeper dives that sit around Rebel Finance School. Use them when you want more help on pensions, drawdown, investing rules, forecasting, income, side hustles and bigger life decisions.
Retirement & Drawdown
Workshops for living off your money, understanding withdrawal strategy, and making your portfolio last.
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Retirement & Drawdown
Workshops for living off your money, understanding withdrawal strategy, and making your portfolio last.
Drawdown Demystified: How to Make Your Money Last
A UK-specific bonus session covering how to safely and efficiently withdraw money from your portfolio to fund retirement, including tax-free lump sums, withdrawal order, and the 4% rule.
How to Live Off Your Investments
A global Rebel Finance School bonus session on turning your Freedom Fund into regular income, with practical guidance on withdrawals, tax awareness, spending cash and rebalancing.
Pensions
Workshops for understanding pension paperwork, workplace pensions and future-you planning.
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Pensions
Workshops for understanding pension paperwork, workplace pensions and future-you planning.
How to Read Your Pension Statements
A Rebel Finance School bonus session focused on understanding pension statements and taking charge of your financial future.
Take Control of your Workplace Pension: How to Rock It and Retire Rich
A live workshop on how workplace pensions work, how to uncover where your money is invested, how to get free money from your employer and the tax man, and how to choose better options for your pension.
Investing & Rules
Workshops for staying simple, setting your investing rules, and learning from standout guests.
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Investing & Rules
Workshops for staying simple, setting your investing rules, and learning from standout guests.
Write Your Investment Rules: What to Do When
A Rebel Finance School bonus session with Bob Haines on choosing and committing to an investment strategy, setting your asset split, rebalancing, and crafting your own Investor Policy Statement.
JL Collins – The Simple Path to Wealth
A Rebel Finance School session where Alan, Katie and JL Collins discuss the simple path to wealth and how to get going investing as simply and quickly as possible.
Planning & Big Decisions
Workshops for modelling your future, testing decisions, and thinking beyond the spreadsheet.
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Planning & Big Decisions
Workshops for modelling your future, testing decisions, and thinking beyond the spreadsheet.
Financial Forecasting: Model Your Future
A Rebel Finance School bonus session where Katie and Alan guide you through their financial forecasting model and show how to model your financial future.
Ask Us Anything: Money, Life, Travel & Our Journey
A wide-open Rebel Finance School session about money, mindset, travel, relationships, life, and everything in between.
Earning More & Side Hustles
Workshops for growing your income, breaking salary ceilings, and building extra income the Rebel way.
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Earning More & Side Hustles
Workshops for growing your income, breaking salary ceilings, and building extra income the Rebel way.
Salary Trap: How to Break Free and Boost Your Income
A live workshop on the myths and mis-truths that keep people from earning more, the strategies that can help boost income, and the practical steps you can take right now.
From Zero to Side Hustle: Ask Us Anything About Making Money & Growing Your Freedom Fund
A live session with Alan, Katie and Simon Paine on how to start a side hustle the Rebel way, without debt, and how to make more money and grow your Freedom Fund.
🔥 You’re on Fire! Keep Going & Spread the Rebel Love 🔥
You’ve started something incredible. Every click, every checkbox, every step brings you closer to financial freedom. 💪 Now, let’s do two things:
1️⃣ Keep your momentum going – jump into the next week.
2️⃣ Share this page with someone who NEEDS this. Because rebels don’t keep good stuff to themselves. 🚀
- 💌 Know someone who’s stressed about money?
- 💡 Someone who thinks financial freedom is impossible?
- 👉 Send them this page and change their life.
Share RFS, Choose Your Platform!
Why we created Rebel Finance School ❤️
We built RFS because money felt confusing and exclusive. We spent a decade learning the maths, simplifying it, and teaching it around the world. We don’t take sponsors, kickbacks, or referrals – it skews advice. RFS is free and it costs us money to run. This is our version of volunteering in a charity shop now we’re retired: giving away the course we wish we’d had.
If you get value, the best “thank you” is to take action and apply what you’ve learned and to share RFS with someone you love. 💌
Frequently Asked Questions
YES. This course is designed for you. We have so many people who come to us and say I don’t have money should I do the course?
We had exactly the same thing when I ran time management course, people would say I don’t have time for the time management course! I would love as those were the people who always needed it the very most.
If you are in debt then let’s learn about personal finances, money and compounding and then apply it to your life to help you get out of debt, build wealth and make progress.
Week 4 is all about smashing debt, but don’t skip ahead. Follow the sequence—it matters. Start with Week 0 and Week 1 to build the foundation.
👉 Go to Week 1 Notes
Yes, absolutely. Rebel Finance School can be a brilliant thing to watch with your teenage kids. In fact, learning about money together might be one of the best gifts you can give them. We explain personal finance in plain English, so teenagers can start understanding spending, saving, debt, investing, and how money really works before they make expensive mistakes.
You do not need to force them through every session like it is double maths. You can watch parts together, pause when something sparks a conversation, and focus on the bits that are most useful for their stage of life. Tracking spending, understanding compounding, and learning how to think clearly about money are all brilliant life skills for teenagers.
We had one mother in New Zealand that played the course (audio only) whilst driving long distances with her kids. They took it in by osmosis!
If your teenage kids are under 18, a parent or guardian will usually need to handle any real accounts or financial products, depending on your country. But as a way to build financial confidence, awareness, and smarter habits early, Rebel Finance School is a fantastic place to start.
Absolutely FREE! 🎉 No sponsors. No kickbacks. No sneaky upsells. We reached financial independence and now we volunteer our time to help YOU take control of your money. This is our version of working in a charity shop… but with spreadsheets and livestreams. 😉
Everything you need to go from “WTH is an ISA?” 🤯 to “I’ve got an Investor Policy Statement and a retirement plan!” 💪 We cover:
✅ Tracking your money
✅ Killing debt
✅ Investing simply (index funds FTW!)
✅ Retirement planning
✅ Staying calm when markets wobble
…and loads more. 🎯
Nope! Zero. Nada. Zilch. 🙌 We start from the very beginning and guide you step-by-step. If you can click a mouse and make a cuppa, you’re qualified. ☕💻 We do talk about spreadsheets and tracking finances but if you ever get lost we point you to resources to be able to figure it all out including Katie’s Excel Beginners Course
YES! 💥 If you’re broke, in debt, or just starting out, you’re in the PERFECT place. We’ll show you how to create a gap, build an emergency fund, and then invest when you’re ready. Start where you are, with what you have. If you are struggling to believe it will help them watch the foundations week here first
Just a device with internet and a sprinkle of curiosity. 💻✨ We give you all the spreadsheets, calculators, and templates you need—free. No fancy software, no hidden costs.
It’s a 10-week course, but you can binge it Netflix-style or take it slow. 🐢➡️🚀 Each week builds on the last, so follow the roadmap and tick off your progress. Bonus sessions? Oh yes, we’ve got those too. 🎁
If you can’t take long workshops then we have you covered, they are on YouTube so you can hit pause anytime you need a break and watch Rebel Finance School in chunks! Just start with the first session and make as much or as little progress as you can each day!
Nope! 🎥 Everything is recorded and available on YouTube + notes. Join live for the energy and Q&A if you can, but binge the replays anytime. Your pace, your rules.
We run a live version of Rebel Finance School once a year, and then keep the recordings available for months afterwards. The sessions you’re watching now are from 2025! Our next live course will be in Summer 2026 (dates TBC). Joining live is the best experience – it’s more fun for us and incredibly valuable for you, as thousands of people go through it together. Want to be notified when registration opens? Make sure you’re on our mailing list!
🌍 No problem! The principles work globally. We’ll show you the framework so you can apply it wherever you are. We even cover UK, US, and NZ accounts—and the community helps with local tweaks. 💪
Perfect / lucky timing! 🎢 We’ll teach you how to stay calm, stick to your plan, and even see crashes as opportunities. No panic, no drama—just simple smart investing. Crashes are to be expected, just enjoy the course and we will guide you through everything you need to know about crashes, bear markets and corrections!
Meet Your Instructors 👋 Alan & Katie Donegan
We’re not your typical finance gurus. No grey suits. No boring jargon. No hidden agendas. Just two rebels who reached financial independence, got medals from the King (yes, really 👑), and now teach thousands how to do the same — for FREE. Why? Because money should give you freedom, not stress.
Alan Donegan
🎤 Alan is a global speaker, entrepreneur, and co-founder of Rebel Finance School and Rebel Business School. After watching his dad go bankrupt, and gamble away the family home Alan spent decades learning everything about money — and turned that knowledge into a £1M+ portfolio and financial independence by 40.
🏅 Awarded the British Empire Medal by King Charles for Services to Financial Education.
Alan LOVES Lego 🧱, pizza 🍕, and Marvel movies 🎬 (ask him about his superhero analogies for investing!). He’s obsessed with making finance fun, smashing money myths, and helping YOU take control. When he’s not teaching, you’ll find him podcasting, writing, or building something epic out of Lego bricks.
Alan’s Superpower: Explaining finance with Marvel metaphors 🦸♂️
Katie Donegan
💡 Katie is the spreadsheet wizard and calm voice of reason behind Rebel Finance School. She’s a former actuary turned financial freedom advocate who loves making complex stuff simple. Retired by 35 she now dedicates her time to helping others get on top of their finances!
🏅 Awarded the British Empire Medal by King Charles for Services to Financial Education.
🌍 Holds a Guinness World Record for playing the highest-altitude football match EVER (yes, on Mount Kilimanjaro!).
Katie co-created Rebel Finance School to empower people to feel confident with money. She’s passionate about living intentionally, traveling the world, and proving that finance can be fun (and maybe a little nerdy 🤓).
Katie’s Superpower: Turning chaos into clarity with a spreadsheet 📊
✅ Why Trust Us?
- We’ve helped 50,000+ people transform their finances
- Featured on top podcasts and financial independence communities
- No sponsors. No commissions. 100% unbiased education
- Financial independence since 2019 — we live what we teach
- Honoured by the King with British Empire Medals 👑
- World record holder + Lego lover = serious AND fun
Hi, I have registered for your June course but haven’t received a link or confirmation, can you please help? Thank you. Rehana
Rehana, checked the database and you are all signed up. I assume our emails aren’t coming through? Can you add hello@rebeldonegans.com to your safe senders list? can you check junk and things? spam? We have got you in the list! Alan
How do I sign up for the course starting?
Hey Ruth, this is the page to sign up: https://rebeldonegans.com/finance/rfs/
Hi, I can’t find the spending tracker spreadsheet you mentioned. Could you ease share a link.
Thanks,
https://rebeldonegans.com/finance/take-control/spending-tracker-template/ Here you go!
Hi, I am watching on catch up but can’t find where the spending tracker is please?
It is on this page: https://rebeldonegans.com/finance/take-control/spending-tracker-template/ Alan
Hi guys, I’m on your web site page https://rebeldonegans.com/finance/rfs/course-notes/ and towards the end you have a “other resources” list. One of the buttons is “Beginners Guide to Vanguard”. I’ve clicked on it but it seems to take me to one of your home page https://rebeldonegans.com/ and there is no immediate Vanguard info. Should I be looking for another link?
Hey Alisa, love your comments. I think this might be the page https://rebeldonegans.com/finance/investing/decoding/ . I will check to see why that link is broken. THANK YOU for telling us. Alan
Hi Alan and Katie,
I have been trying to refind the QR code, which was featured on week 4’s episode, which was about eating for free. I have gone through the whole episode trying to locate it, and can’t find it anywhere! Can you help?
Btw, loving the course, thank you!
Hey Fi, here is the link! https://rebeldonegans.com/how-i-stopped-paying-for-food-11-proven-ways-to-eat-for-free-in-the-uk/ Sorry for the slow reply! Alan
I’m watching on catchup and just wanted to say that I am really enjoying the course and look forward to the videos – they’re a highlight of the week! I am learning loads and really appreciate your time, sincerity and humour : ) Thank you!
Coral, THANK YOU for replying and saying so! comments like yours keep us going and give us ENERGY! thank you. So glad you are enjoying the monday nights. We LOVE them too!
I was wondering if there are audio only replay options that I can download and listen to at work (or when driving to work)?
Eileen we don’t really have those as the investing weeks reply heavily on the visual elements as well. You could just put YouTube on and only listen to the audio as you drive? Sorry I don’t have a better answer for you right now. Alan
Hi Alan & Katie. I can’t find the link for the replay for the Q&A on Thursday 10th July. Can you help please?
Here you go Louise: https://www.youtube.com/live/WnuQaET_Efw?si=HrrTzcH5-Rq62Kjb Thanks for commenting. Alan
The 2025 playlist is here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPwQcRQbEIo&list=PLRjwfVU_qq2ZyjD8p0gh15L-zPZI2WzL1 worth bookmarking :)
Hi Alan and Kate. Hope you are well.:)
Could you please send me the details of Rebel finance school in Medellin-Colombia? If possible?
I am not sure if you remember me Kate but I approached you in your last London meeting in the pub downstairs and told you I was from Medellin ( but live in London) . You told me about the Rebels in Colombia.
I am on holiday at the moment and would like to meet them. Thank you
Hey Sandra, here is a link to the Rebel Business School Colombia! https://www.therebelschool.co/ They are AMAZING and we love them. We will be there in November to help them celebrate 5 years of running Rebel Business School courses across Colombia and more………
hello, where do I find the link for tonight’s Volatility Training please? thanks :)
Ohhh sorry, maybe it’s the same as the others. It was just that I didn’t get an email about it. Sorry to have bothered you! And thank you for everything!
No worries Lotty, You are amazing. We tend to keep the same Zoom link to make life easier. Thanks for asking
Watching the Volatility Training on catchup and can’t find the link to the simulation?
Hey AnoUK, here is the link for you to use: https://rebeldonegans.com/volatility-training
Let us know how you get on! Alan
And the link to the asset classes is https://rebeldonegans.com/volatility-training-asset-classes/
Scottish tax is different to England. Higher rate tax 42% starts at £43,663.
https://www.gov.uk/scottish-income-tax
Personal Allowance Up to £12,570 0%
Starter rate £12,571 to £15,397 19%
Basic rate £15,398 to £27,491 20%
Intermediate rate £27,492 to £43,662 21%
Higher rate £43,663 to £75,000 42%
Advanced rate £75,001 to £125,140 45%
Top rate over £125,140 48%
https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-income-tax-2024-25-factsheet/
Thanks Sarah, we do realise but can’t cover all the different taxes in the workshop. We appreciate you sharing the current figures here for people. Alan
Hi Alan and Katie,
I am learning a lot from the course and just wanted to say thank you. I am recommending the course to family and friends. I ‘held my horses’ and patiently waited until after week 8 to make any changes. I have started the process to transfer my cash ISA savings to the Vanguard FTSE Glabal all cap index fund. I am looking forward to the final episodes. Monday night is finance night. Thanks again!
Gaya that is AMAZING. Congrats for taking charge and thank you so much for haring your progress. You made our day! Alan
Hi Alan and Katie,
Loving the course. Just wanted to let you know your creating a gap session finally inspired me to finish my novel… Edge!! It should go on sale nx few weeks on Amazon. I have been playing around with it for some time (years in fact) but hopefully this side hustle will widen my gap. I have given you a shout out in the acknowledgments.. if that’s ok?
Simon HOLY MOLY that is epic. Congratulations and this is so inspiring. Send us a link when it comes out. Would love to see. And a mention? Of course. We are HONOURED! WOW. This is so exciting. You made my day! Alan
To the fabulous Donegans—thank you.
I’m 56 and have been quietly building my portfolio to future-proof life by 60. In just a few weeks of following you, everything finally clicked.
I realised I’m not crazy for wanting more control—I just didn’t have the language or framework. Now I do.
I might not reach full FIRE, and that’s okay. I’m here to BURN:
Build Up Radical Net worth 🔥
It’s no longer about retiring early—it’s about reclaiming power, seeing money differently, and doing it on my terms.
You’ve helped light that fire.
— Mike Smith
#BURN #DoneganEffect #NotTooLate
Mike Smith. I LOVE the BURN analogy This is epic and you are so right. it is not about the FIRE, it is about taking control and looking after yourself. This post is AWESOME. Thank you for writing. I LOVED reading this this morning to katie! Sending you happiness
Alan
Thank you both for everything you do.
Mike. What a lovely message. THANK YOU for commenting. Alan
Hi there. I can’t remember where I find the template letter on how to cancel/write a letter to my current IFA to cancel my investments? I would really appreciate the link please. Thank you for a fabulous course – truly lifechanging.
Hey Heather, here you go: https://rebeldonegans.com/how-to-break-up-with-your-financial-advisor/ Plus you can just organise it from the new platform end and get it transferred! Sending you happiness and thanks for telling us the course helped! YAY! A&K
Hello lovely Donegans, THANK YOU doesn’t seem enough really for all you’ve taught us!!!!!
I was hoping you could help I can’t seem to edit Johns spreadsheet from The Bonus session on demystifying draw down. Any tips.
Thank you Jen
Hey Jen, which spreadsheet is that? We haven’t really got into John’s spreadsheets yet. Did the bridging calculator work for you? What is the question you are trying to answer? Maybe we can help. Sending you happiness. Alan
So sorry that you were were unwell and now so pleased that you’re up and about. Katie. Thanks for both of your sunny spirits, wisdom, info and humor . Xx
Eunice & David you are so kind. THANK YOU. We are back and making things happen slowly again now and living life again. Thank you for your lovely message. Alan
Is there a link to the Rebel BUSINESS course here? (did I miss it?). if not is it poss to add a link?
Great work Alan! Tks as always!
Rebel Business School is a bit separate from Rebel Finance School. If you’re refering the online “Side Hustle Experiment”, it’s here – https://therebelschool.com/sidehustle/
Hey Elizabeth here is the link to sign up to the course: https://therebelschool.com/sidehustle/ Sending you happiness. Alan
Hi, I have just watched the third workshop (I have watched 3 in one week where I love them) and I wanted to say thank you for providing such useful information in a fun and non complicated manner. I have always thought that I was good with money (with my decades old tracker spreadsheet, and have always been a good saver) however I have now realised I have so much more work to do! I have spent years looking at my data but not actually acting on it. I am 49 and wanted to retire by 50 which is quite frankly not going to happen as I haven’t acted. These workshops are also motivating me to educate my 8 year old son so he understands what I never did. I am really looking forward to watching the rest of the 7 workshops! Thanks again :)
This is absolutely brilliant – yes, measure and act – so important… the value I have got from that over the last 5 years in immense… event when I have not acted in my best financial interest, it has been done with full appreciation of the full financial cost involved..
Dominic, YES! That’s the magic—knowing the cost of your decisions, even when they’re not optimal, is a huge win. Awareness is the first step to freedom. Keep measuring, keep acting, and keep rocking your financial journey. LOVE YOU!
Peace and Pineapples 🍍✌️
—The Donegans
Hi guys, is there anything in the course about nhs pensions-especially as a locum GP, it’s a minefield and really confusing. 95 pension, Mcloud, final salary etc etc-all a minefield and really confusing.
Hana, we don’t have things specifically on the NHS pension. Sorry. This is an area we want to do more understanding and explaining to people but at the moment it is not specifically covered!
Hi – Firstly I want to say a BIG thank you to Alan and Katie, I cannot believe you have created this course and resources for free and I absolutely love your guy’s vibe and humour in the videos! I have just finished week 3 and completed the ‘freedom work!’ The letter to money was actually a lot easier than I thought! I have now created a standing ‘finance meeting’ with myself in my diary, and using AI from the homework this week created a little ‘freedom alignment tracker’ on excel where I can ask myself questions relating to my goals and alignment and score myself, then make plans for the following month – very cool! I will also check out the ‘how to run a finance meeting’ resource I have seen in this library 🌻
Joanne! You’re smashing it! Week 3 and already building your own Freedom Alignment Tracker? That’s next-level ninja work! We love your energy, creativity, and commitment to your financial journey. Keep rocking those finance meetings and exploring the library—there’s so much goodness waiting for you.
Peace and pineapples, the Donegans 🌺🍍 and sending happiness!
Great information!
Thank you
Just finished week 2, loving it,! Do any of the future sessions include info on insurance? I’m currently paying for income protection and critical illness cover and I’m not sure if it’s worth it!
Hey Katie, I know we talk briefly about it somewhere but I can’t remember. For now. the key question is what risks are you insuring against? Do you have dependents? Can you self insure in another way? What are you buying? Can you list out some answers to those questions?
We never did those insurances as I knew if I died that Katie would be fine as she earnt well and vice versa so we never needed to pay for that cover. But if we had kids that might have been a different thing! Alan
The link ‘jump to course notes’ doesn’t seem to work.
Thanks Oliver, I will check that out today. The paging is developing day by day ready for the new course! Thanks for helping me make it better. ALan
I’m signed up for the course that starts tonight at 8pm UK time but can’t find a link or log in? Can you help please.
Hey Rachel, Rebel Finance School starts 1st of June. Monday 1st of June 8PM uk time. Was it a business school you were searching for? Alan
I’ve signed up for the course that started yesterday but don’t know how to access the YouTube video. It says this is private. Can you help please. I’m excited to start the course.
Wow Katie and Alan! I’ve followed your RFS for the last 2 years and have just jumped on the Mission Control page for a quick refresh before RFS 2026 starts – and it is so clear and slick! Thank you SO much for all you do, I defo need to follow again this year as I still have lots to learn. You deserve all good things to come to you for all that you do!
YAY! Josie that makes me so so so happy. That took me about two days of work and vibe coding to produce! YAY. I am so glad it is better. We will be working through it all and improving the notes too as we go this year! Sending happiness. THANK YOU for replying. Alan
New set up looking awesome!
Thanks Karen, it is really coming together now!
I have downloaded the Google sheets spending tracker. When entering the information on to the Transaction tab, it doesn’t appear to be pulling through the information on to the categories tab. I have downloaded it a couple of times, not touched any formulas, but there’s no change. The information pre populated on the sheet to demonstrate how it is working, is also not pulling through the information from the transaction sheet to the categories sheet. Can you help please?
Hey Heather, we are updating it right now and will have a brand new version for you by thursday! Hold your horses a couple more days and you will have a brand new version that work perfectly… Thanks for telling us… Alan
Thank you, thought it was me!
hi Alan and Katie, as a new joiner to RFS I am getting my head around this quite slowly .. I have redone the tracker a couple of times already and spent half a life (like literally two full days!?) getting the data from CSV via Converter into the Tracker. I had to manually enter all the Categories which for 18 months of data is hours and hours of work, only to then find that not all the data has pulled through like the magic we want to see in the graphs. There are many months where the income has not pulled through or the spending breakdown by month.. what can I do to fix the Tracker? I simply can’t do this it all over again :(
Michelle, wow doing 18 months in one go is a HUGE project. WOW. It is better to start with one month and expand from there. Good work getting going though.
So it is not pulling thorough completely. Things to check. Are the dates in the right format? Have you added it all to the transactions tab?
I know you don’t want to do it again and you won’t have to . We just need to decode what is happening. Have you ever used AI before?
Let’s work this out together and I am glad you reached out! Alan
Hi Alan, thanks SO much for coming back to me. I am determined to crack this.. 😜. I’ve not used your AI tool yet no. But happy to try if you think that could fix it? Where /how do I start? The 18tms of data is not only me wanting to get historic look at our spending habits but was mostly to test if I can use the tracker for past as well as future analysis. It worked fine when I uploaded only the one csv file worth of 6 months bank transactions. But it then all went awry when i downloaded a second CSV file from my bank of 12 months data, and tried to add to same tracker (to the same transactions section with orange borders) again as cut and paste . I wasn’t sure if the S/S would sort the dates into the right date order? But pasted myself in correct order above the previous tranche (so keeping date order). Help?
Hi Alan and Katie, thank you so much for last weeks absolutely brilliant sessions! This weekend I have been transferring my existing data from the previous fab spending tracker into the even fabbier new one :) I think I am there, not used to google sheets but it’s so similar to Excel so all good. I have a query though, I am sure it is user error…. I have an extra 2 categories to your standard list which are Christmas and Hair/Beauty. On the spending dashboard tab it is pulling through these categories on the text list on the left hand side but not to the tree map and bar charts alongside. These last 2 categories are missing on those. I’ve tried clicking on the charts to amend but can’t work it out – sorry! Is there a way to easily get them included? The charts are a brilliant visual tool. I love them!
This is something we are fixing now. The array formula in the dashboard was static so wasn’t picking up the new categories you fixed. it is not you Fiona it is us. . We have an update coming out in the next few days that fixes this or you could use gemini AI which is built in to update the array for you? THANK YOU for pointing out. We are fixing it today! Alan
May I ask how to paste the output data from the Data Converter to the Transactions tab on the Spending Tracker? On the video I see you do it as Copy-Paste Special, choosing Values Only, but I get these #REF! error messages when I try to do this on Google Sheets on my Macbook which says:
Error
Unresolved sheet name ‘Single amount input’.
Invalid:
This value does not match the column type date
Thank you!
Hey Ishoo,
You are not doing anything silly here — I think what’s happened is one of two things.
1. The #REF! Unresolved sheet name ‘Single amount input’ message usually means part of the spreadsheet structure or formulas has been accidentally pasted over or broken.
2. The “does not match the column type date” message means Google Sheets isn’t liking one or more of the dates being pasted in.
Here’s what I’d try:
Make a completely fresh copy of the tracker
Go to the Transactions tab
Paste the converter output only into the input rows under the headers, not over the whole sheet
Use Paste special → values only
If it still complains, check whether the first column dates are being recognised as actual dates by Google Sheets
If you want, reply with exactly which cells/range you are pasting into and we can help you pinpoint it.
Also you will get more instant answers in the facebook group rather than the blog comments! if that helps!
Sending positivity and happiness
Alan
I can’t join the Facebook group! I hit join, it says pending, then kicks me out for not answering the questions. But no questions are visible anywhere 🤔. I’ve tried several times… What am I doing wrong? I’m keen get in! Thanks, Kate
Kate that is so annoying that happens when the questions don’t appear. booo. when you click join nothing shows? Can you still see the group? tell us a bit more and I could always get online at the same time as you and watch it coming in and thn accept even if you can’t answer… Alan
Hi guys. Signed up to the course and am loving it thank you. However I also tried to join the Rebel Finance School Facebook group but have seemingly been blocked. I can’t even search for it now. My wife got accepted and I have been using hers on her iPad but would really like to have it on my own phone as it is massively useful for questions etc after each of the weekly sessions. Please can you look into getting me unblocked. My user name is Flip Jones. Thank you 🙏 🍍
Flip, Facebook is Annoying.
We’ll ask the Ninjas to look out for “Flip Jones” and see if we can work out what has happened. Sometimes Facebook blocks people, hides groups, or does weird things for reasons known only to the dark lords of Meta. I have just spent ten minutes scrolling banned people to try and find you and not found you yet…..
Glad your wife got in and very glad you’re loving the course.
Question for you: have you tried joining from a browser rather than the app? Sometimes that works when the app has gone wonky. I am so sorry this happened.
Thanks for commenting.
Peace and pineapples.
Katie and Alan
FLIP! I kept scrolling. Facebook wants me to load one screen at a time. I found you. You should be able to join again. Please fill out the questions or tell me when you are about to join please! YAY! Alan
Amazing thank you so much Alan. I have now requested to join again. It’s pending but have not been asked any questions yet.
Thanks again Alan. All approved now, joined, and really enjoying the feeds, updates and posts 😊
AWESOME!
Hi guys,
thank you so much for your generosity in sharing this invaluable information. It is humbling to realise how very little we knew about finance!! But we are now very definitely understanding more. My husband and I are now retired (67&71) and are in the lucky position of having sold our home to a developer and receiving a large amount of money that will finance our retirement. We are able to put aside 5 years of spending, an emergency fund and be able to invest a considerable chunk. However, we’re a little confused as to whether the foundation index fund is the right place for us to park our money seeing that we are not starting out and now closer to expiring!!!! Your thoughts would be extremely welcomed.
Kind regards, Jane (NZ)
Hi , after returning from holiday I’m picking up missed sessions of RFS again where I left off with getting the tracker working for me. Any update/response to my message from June 20, 4.26pm would be appreciated as I am also not yet accepted in your FB group… I have sent a second request and answered your questions. All Fingers crossed!
Hello, firstly.. wishing Alan a speedy recovery… please rest up Alan and cancel the course sessions til you’re well.. there’s no urgency after all… health is way more important
I’m now accepted into the FB group.. thanks Ninjas! .. so I will also be asking for a help with the Tracker there too… BUT if I could possibly ask the Ninjas to lend me a little of their time via this route… then I can get over this Tracker data uploads stumbling block… I can’t otherwise get beyond Week 1!? Thanks SO much …
Loving the course so much – thank you Donegans for keeping it fun and accessible! Really wish I had come to it much earlier in life – am recommending it to anyone who will listen!
Im so enjoying the sessions love the charts too. I found the transcripts btw. Just to say I am retired at 63 (just) and investing my money (from watching RBS) for 74+ years for private adhoc health care should i need it. Wont say its a freedom fund more a staying alive fund!!
In week 10 of the course, Alan said that if you invested $1,000,000 and had 4% drawdown (inflation adjusted), the median fund balance after 30 years would be $10M. Where did this information come from?
I have run this scenario through ficalc and a trinity study calc, and both have the median figure around $2-3M, the $10M figure was more like the best outcome. What am I missing?
hey Colin, It came from the Trinity study which a lot of the early maths around retirement came from. Sending you happiness. Alan
Thanks so much for all you do. I’ve always been a geek and a saver but you’ve really helped channel it into looking towards financial freedom and consider investing. It’s giving me the tools I need to plan properly for my future. That being said, I’ve noticed in your course videos you often do a recap of where we are in the course with almost a roadmap on a slide listing the steps along a path. Is this anywhere to download as I love it as an overview of things to tick off?