Learn & grow
Pennies into Dreams is a learning-first business — these are free (or nearly free) classes from trusted teachers: nonprofits, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives), and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). We take them too. No affiliate links on this page unless marked; we just think they're worth your time.
New classes added as we find them — check back, or join The Sunday Money Note and we'll send the good ones.
Money skills
A friendly starting point from Clemson Extension (part of Clemson University): the everyday money basics — making a budget, saving, and understanding credit — explained in plain language.
Money gets complicated when you're caring for parents, kids, or both at once. BALANCE's counselors walk through organizing shared costs, planning ahead, and finding help. Two live sessions of the same class — pick the time that fits.
A live webinar from GreenPath's certified counselors on staying current on a car loan — talking with your lender, prioritizing payments, and avoiding repossession. Watching pros explain a debt topic this plainly is a lesson in itself.
How identity theft and scams actually work, the warning signs to watch for, and the concrete steps to protect your family's information and credit.
Self-paced courses on budgeting, credit, and debt from the same certified-counselor nonprofit. Perfect structured learning whenever you have 30 spare minutes.
The federal government's financial-empowerment toolkit — worksheets, conversation guides, and training videos on bills, debt, credit reports, and choosing financial products. It's the framework professionals use to teach money, free for anyone.
How income, assets, and cash flow actually work inside a running business — and how to read the numbers without an accounting degree. Sharpens your bookkeeping and your budgeting alike.
Grow your business
Get matched with an experienced business owner from the Upstate SC chapter for free, confidential one-on-one mentoring. Quite possibly the highest-value free resource on this whole page.
Thinking of starting something and not sure it counts as a business yet? This session from our local chapter walks through the first questions to ask: what you're selling, who it's for, and what it takes to make it official.
A next-step session on using AI tools in a small business — everyday work like writing, organizing, and planning — for owners who have the basics down and want practical ways to save time.
Practical guidance for running a small business through uncertain times — planning, adapting, and keeping your footing when the economy wobbles.
What lenders actually look for before you apply for financing — so you can get your business loan-ready long before you ever need a loan.
A structured basics check: how to test your business idea and the key factors that decide whether a start-up succeeds. Great for catching anything you skipped in a fast launch.
The one paid pick on this page — a live session on networking, social media, content marketing, email marketing, and SEO. In other words: how to actually get customers. We think it's worth the ten bucks.
Which website numbers actually matter: where your visitors come from, what they do on your site, and how people find you on Google.
Build financial projections you can actually plan around — pricing, sales goals, and a realistic roadmap for the months ahead.
The federal small-business course library: short, practical courses on financial management, marketing and sales, SEO, and writing a business plan — do them from the couch, at your own pace.
Marketing & selling online
How to set up and polish your free Google Business Profile so neighbors can find you in Google Search and Maps — your hours, your photos, and your reviews, in the first place people look.
The essentials of marketing your business on social media: what to post, where to show up, and how to turn followers into customers.
Pinterest teaches Pinterest: making pins that get found, using keywords so your products surface when people are ready to buy, and reading your analytics. Short lessons, plus a free certification exam.
A complete social strategy course (about 5 hours 20 minutes, do it in sittings): content strategy, growing your reach, an intro to social ads, and measuring what works — across Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
A live webinar from a Pinterest-marketing firm on what's actually working on Pinterest in 2026 — strategy-level, not just "post more pins." The next live date isn't posted yet; the waitlist is free with zero commitment.
On our roadmap
The nationally recognized certification for financial counseling and coaching. This one is not a free class — it's a serious paid professional program (registration, exam, and study materials run roughly $1,400 and up, with up to three years to finish). It's on our roadmap for when Pennies into Dreams grows into coaching and classes of our own — and in the meantime, its list of competencies is a free roadmap for what to learn next.
Pennies into Dreams doesn't run these classes — they're offered by the organizations listed. Dates can change; check the signup page for the latest. Everything here is educational — none of it is personalized financial advice.
Beyond money
Some habits cost money every single day. If one of them is yours, real free help exists — no sales pitch, no judgment.
🚭 Quitting tobacco — call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669) for a free quit coach and free patches or gum. En español: 1-855-DÉJELO-YA.
🍺 Alcohol or drugs — call SAMHSA at 1-800-662-HELP (4357), free and confidential, day or night, in English and Spanish.