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Layer 1 · Financial LiteracyFinancial Literacy

Banking, credit, and EMIs

How banks really make money, what your credit score does, and how to read an EMI table without being fooled by the marketing.

4 hours of content6 chaptersFree during Phase 1

Quick info

Layer
Financial Literacy
Track
Financial Literacy
Estimated hours
4 hrs
Chapters
6
Cost on Trustner
Free
Full course material live

Every chapter below has Foundation, Deep Dive, and Advanced material — read in any order, expand each chapter to see the full content.

About this course

Most working Indians interact with banks every day and understand almost nothing about how banks actually make money, what their credit score really represents, or why an EMI table is misleading. This course closes that gap with plain language and worked examples.

Who this is for

  • A first-time salaried earner trying to understand the bank statement.
  • Anyone considering a home loan, car loan, education loan, or credit card.
  • Parents wanting to teach the next generation what they wish they had known.

What you'll learn

  • How a bank earns from your savings deposit and lends it back to you
  • What your CIBIL / Experian score is, what affects it, and how to repair it
  • How EMI is calculated, why early years are mostly interest, and how prepayment shortens loans
  • The hidden costs in credit cards — interest, late fees, foreign-exchange markups, EMI conversions
  • When to use a personal loan vs a credit card vs a top-up home loan

Course material — 6 chapters

Each chapter offers three tiers — Foundation for the core concept, Deep Dive for worked examples and practitioner depth, and Advanced for edge cases and exam tips. Click any chapter to expand.

  1. 1
    Chapter 1

    How a bank actually works

    • The deposit-loan cycle and why it produces returns
    • Net interest margin (NIM) and how Indian banks earn
    • Why your savings rate is so low and FD rates higher
    FoundationDeep DiveAdvanced
  2. 2
    Chapter 2

    Account types and the right one for you

    • Savings, current, salary, and zero-balance accounts
    • Sweep-in FDs and the auto-conversion options
    • Interest payment, TDS on FD interest, and the 80TTA deduction
    FoundationDeep DiveAdvanced
  3. 3
    Chapter 3

    Credit scores — the gatekeeper of borrowing

    • How CIBIL, Experian, Equifax, and CRIF compute your score
    • The five components: history, utilisation, length, mix, enquiries
    • Reading a credit report; spotting and disputing errors
    • How long a default stays on your record, and what you can do
    FoundationDeep DiveAdvanced
  4. 4
    Chapter 4

    EMI math without the marketing

    • The EMI formula and the front-loaded interest structure
    • Why a 20-year home loan repays ~2× the principal as interest
    • When a single extra principal payment shortens the loan by years
    • Floating vs fixed rates; the MCLR / EBLR regime and your rate review
    FoundationDeep DiveAdvanced
  5. 5
    Chapter 5

    Loans you actually need vs ones you don't

    • Home loan as the most efficient loan in India
    • Education loan — the moratorium, deduction, and re-payment schedule
    • Personal loans, the cost of speed, and when they make sense
    • Top-ups vs gold loans vs LAS (loan against securities)
    FoundationDeep DiveAdvanced
  6. 6
    Chapter 6

    Credit cards — the most expensive bank product

    • How interest accrues, the grace period, and the minimum-due trap
    • Late fees, FX markup, EMI-conversion charges, and skipped fees
    • Reward economics — when they actually reward you
    • The two rules for using a credit card without going broke
    FoundationDeep DiveAdvanced

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