The Resources page collects the tools you can use any time, not only for an assignment: calculators for trying real numbers, a glossary for looking up words, and a feed of real financial news. This article explains what each one does and how to get the most out of it.
Open Resources
In the menu on the left, click Resources.
You'll see a card for each tool: Calculators, Glossary and News. Click a card to open that tool.
At some schools you'll also see a Your Sponsor card, about the organization that helps bring Intertwined to your school.
Resources stays highlighted in the menu while you're using any of these tools. To come back to the cards, click Resources again.
Calculators
The calculators let you plug in your own numbers and see what a money decision really costs. Click Open calculators to see all five:
Paycheck: see how taxes, Social Security and a 401(k) turn your pay into take-home pay.
Budget Builder: split your take-home pay into needs, wants and savings.
Auto Loan & Car Costs: find a monthly car payment, plus insurance, gas and repairs.
Credit Card & BNPL: compare paying the minimum with a fixed payment, and see what a late Buy Now, Pay Later fee costs.
Mortgage: break a house payment into principal, interest, taxes and PMI, and compare 15 and 30 years.
Each card also shows the course unit it goes with. To use one:
Click Open on the calculator you want.
Change any number. The results update as you type.
Click Reset to put every number back where it started.
Click Calculators at the top to go back to the list.
Nothing you type is saved, so feel free to experiment. The Paycheck calculator has tax rules for a set of states. If yours isn't listed, choose Another state (enter its rate) and type in your state's tax rate.
Glossary
The Glossary, called The Intertwined Index, has student-friendly definitions for more than 800 money words, covering budgeting, credit, investing, insurance and more. Click Open glossary.
Type a word in the search box, "Search for a term or definition...". It searches the definitions too, so you can search for an idea even if you don't know the exact word.
To browse one topic, use the All Modules menu and pick a module.
Keep the Glossary open in another tab while you read a lesson. Don't use it during a quiz, though: switching tabs hides the question and is recorded. See Quiz rules: why copying and pasting is turned off.
News
News brings you real headlines from places like the Federal Reserve, the SEC, CNBC, MarketWatch and NerdWallet, so you can see how what you're learning shows up in the world. Click Read the news.
Use the topic menu to focus on things like Inflation, Stock Market, Personal Finance, Entrepreneurship, Economy or Careers.
Use the source and date menus to narrow it further, and Refresh to check for new stories.
Each story shows a headline and a short snippet. Click through to read the full article on the original site.
Some news sites limit how many free articles you can read, and some may be blocked on a school network. If one won't open, try a different story.
When a resource is assigned
Your teacher can assign a calculator, the Glossary or the News as an assignment. Open it from your Assignments page, do the work, then come back to Assignments and click Mark done. These assignments don't check themselves off.
Tips
Use the calculators to check your work. If a lesson works through a car loan, try the same numbers in Auto Loan & Car Costs, then change one thing and see what happens.
Try the Paycheck calculator with the pay from a job you want. Take-home pay is usually a lot less than people expect.
Pick one news story a week that connects to your current unit. It makes the lessons stick.
Want a word explained another way? Ask Finn AI.
Common questions
The Glossary or News page is blank.
These two pages load from a separate Intertwined site inside the Student Portal. Some school networks block that. Refresh the page first. If it's still blank, tell your teacher so the school's tech team can allow it.
Are the calculator results exact?
They're close estimates, built for learning. Real paychecks and loans have more details, like your own tax situation and the exact terms of a loan.
Do my calculator numbers save?
No. Every time you open a calculator, it starts fresh. Write down any results you need for an assignment.
Can I use Resources on my phone?
Yes. All three tools work on a phone. The calculators are easier to read on a bigger screen. See Using Intertwined on a phone, tablet, or Chromebook.