The Nordic ownership miracle
5 Sept – 28 Oct | Exhibition
Study business and economics: open learning materials
Skills in managing personal finances are essential civic skills. Improve your financial literacy with open study materials.
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.
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.
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
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
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)
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.
+ 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.
School of Business - Ownership
School of Business - Ownership
Contributions to the Ownership will advance teaching, academic research and societal impact within the field.
Choose Amount
Read more
Aalto Ownership Lab
Aalto Ownership Lab is a research center studying corporate ownership and its role in society.
Designs for a Cooler Planet 2025 exhibition
Aalto University’s biggest annual exhibition presents visionary cross-disciplinary work. Come explore prototypes, experiments and solutions.
Read more news
Aalto University and Bocconi University to launch a double degree programme in strategic and creative marketing
The first cohort, 10 students admitted through Aalto and 10 through Bocconi, will start their studies in autumn 2027
Student exchange in Europe? Unite! can take you there
Aalto is a member of Unite!, a European university alliance that gives students the opportunity to internationalise their degrees both online and in-person. Join the webinar to find out more.
Opinion: Finnish language learning should be integrated into degree programs
In this opinion piece, Rebekka Nylund, an expert at the University of Helsinki, and Elisa Räsänen, a university lecturer at Aalto University, reflect on what they have learned from the EU-co-funded Language-supported Knowledge Pathways project and offer suggestions on how and why learning Finnish could be integrated into the structures of higher education degree programs.