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Study business and economics: open learning materials

Skills in managing personal finances are essential civic skills. Improve your financial literacy with open study materials.
Three people sit in white chairs around a table with a laptop in a modern office space with wooden walls.
Photo: Roope Kiviranta

We make financial decisions every day: what we study, where we work, where we live, and how we spend, save, borrow, invest, or insure our assets.

This article has compiled 5 + 1 tips to help you get acquainted with the basics of economics, business, and finance. 

Please note that many of the study materials are available in Finnish only.

Miten talous toimii? -verkkokurssi (MOOC)

1. 'How does the Economy Work' online course

The Finnish-language Miten talous toimii? (How does the Economy Work) basic online course is useful for anyone who wants to better understand how society operates.

The free-of-charge course was created by the Helsinki GSE, a leading economics unit jointly formed by Aalto University, Hanken School of Economics, and the University of Helsinki.

People working on laptops in a modern office space with glass walls.

2. Business studies for High School Students

Business studies are present in everyone's life—in daily purchasing decisions and in working life, whether as an entrepreneur or an employee.

Researchers from Aalto University's School of Business collaborated with teachers from Lauttasaari High School for International Business to create a textbook in Finnish to teach business and economics for high school students.

The book Kauppatieteitä lukiolaisille will be published in Finnish in September 2025.

/fi/kauppatieteita-lukiolaisille


 

The picture shows Professor of ownership Samuli Samuli Knüpfer in a lecture hall.
Professor Samuli Knüpfer's Personal Finance course concentrates on financial foresight and planning. Photo: Susanna Rosin

3.  'Personal Finance' course on open university  

'Finance should not be considered with a one-month perspective, but rather with a 10–20-year outlook', says Samuli Knüpfer, the Professor of Ownership, who is running the Personal Finance course.

In the course, you will practice to calculate the financial implications of various decisions, such as loans and savings. This understanding will help you to take ownership of your personal finances and achieve your life goals.

Personal Finance (FIN-A0106) 13.5.2026-4.6.2026

Empowering students with personal financial literacy

Person reading a book titled 'Moderni Rahoitus' at a table with a smartphone and a coffee cup.
Photo: Roope Kiviranta

4. 'Modern Finance' book

Finance helps to understand investing, saving for retirement, and different types of mortgages.

Professors Samuli Knüpfer and Vesa Puttonen published the revised 13th edition of their Finnish classic book Moderni rahoitus ("Modern Finance") in 2024.
 

Available in bookstores (in Finnish only)

CORE-työryhmä: Talous-verkkokirja

5. 'The Economy' - free economics e-book  

International CORE Econ initiative envisions that providing open-access economics education can empower citizens to understand and develop solutions to societal challenges from financial perspectives.

An open-access textbook for any first course in economics, whether principles, micro, or macro. Helsinki GSE has published a Finnish edition of the e-book.

CORE reforms the basics of economics education

Person in black shirt holding a large pink piggy bank against a purple background.
Photo: Sini Kivioja

+ Finance skills for elementary school students

Aalto University Junior's Invest in your Future workshops provide skills for managing one’s own finances. The workshops, aimed at primary and secondary school students, will explore saving and responsible investing, as well as the importance of personal financial management. Aalto Junior experts will go schools to hold these teaching and learning sessions.

Sijoita tulevaisuuteesi-työpajat

OP Uusimaa supports Aalto University Junior with a significant donation

Invest in your Future is supported by OP Uusimaa.

BIZ building inside

School of Business - Ownership

Contributions to the Ownership will advance teaching, academic research and societal impact within the field. 

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The Nordic ownership miracle

5 Sept – 28 Oct | Exhibition

Picture of the School of Business

Aalto Ownership Lab

Aalto Ownership Lab is a research center studying corporate ownership and its role in society.

Visitors at an exhibition exploring sustainable materials. Displays include furniture, small plants, and design elements.

Designs for a Cooler Planet 2025 exhibition

Aalto University’s biggest annual exhibition presents visionary cross-disciplinary work. Come explore prototypes, experiments and solutions.

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