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Personal Finance
FIN101 | 3 Credits
Personal Finance helps you understand, plan, and take control of your finances. You’ll learn practical ways to organize your money, figure out your financial situation, track cash flow, and more.
Professor:
About Personal Finance
What You’ll Learn
This Personal Finance online course equips you to understand, plan, and manage your financial affairs.
- Define key financial terms, such as budgeting, credit score, diversification, compound interest, time value of money, stocks, inflation, liquid assets, liability, APR, tax deduction, Roth IRA, emergency fund.
- Summarize the major principles of personal finance and budgeting and explain how they contribute to overall financial well-being.
- Assess the impact of taxation on personal finances, identify strategies to minimize tax liabilities, and make ethical and responsible financial decisions.
- Develop a personalized budget, incorporating income, expenses, and savings goals, applying concepts from the course.
- Develop a plan to protect your credit and manage debt.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the factors involved in selecting a house, considering financial implications, location, market trends, home insurance options, coverage, costs, and relevance in protecting personal assets related to homeownership.
- Evaluate different types of health, automobile, and life insurance coverage and articulate their importance in mitigating financial risks.
- Design a diversified investment portfolio, compare different types of investment options, and demonstrate an understanding of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.
- Explore and understand the technological tools, platforms, and software available for managing personal finances, like budgeting apps, investment software, and banking technologies.
- Develop personalized retirement and estate plans that align with individual financial goals, considering factors such as longevity, inflation, and the preservation and distribution of wealth.
StraighterLine Courses Include:
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Self-paced workload
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Digital Textbooks
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Transcript Delivery
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Grade Improvement Opportunities
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Interactive Modules
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Video Lessons
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24/7 Tutoring & Support
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Access on Desktop and Mobile
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WANT US TO CHECK?Course Details
This course focuses on the development of practical methods of organizing financial information, how to interpret personal financial position and cash flow, develop achievable and worthwhile goals, and implement actionable plans and risk management techniques to meet those goals. Additional topics covered during Personal Finance include money management, insurance, and investing.
ACE-Recommended
ACE Code:
OOSL-0036
Flexible Schedule
27-day Average Course Completion
Business Courses Have Transferred Over 24,900 Times
$2,000,000 Saved on Tuition
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for Personal Finance.
Course Text
The required eTextbook for this course is included with your course purchase at no additional cost.
- Kapoor, Jack, Les Dlabay, Robert J. Hughes, and Melissa Hart. Focus on Personal Finance, 7th Edition. McGraw-Hill, 2022. ISBN: 9781260772371
Course Checkpoints
Checkpoint 1: Personal Financial Planning in Action
- Textbook: Checkpoint 1 Reading Assignment: Chapter 1
- Chapter 1 Presentation
- Practice Quiz 1
Checkpoint 2: Money Management Skills
- Textbook: Checkpoint 2 Reading Assignment: Chapter 2
- Chapter 2 Presentation
- Practice Quiz 2
Checkpoint 3: Taxes in Your Financial Plan
- Textbook: Checkpoint 3 Reading Assignment: Chapter 3
- Chapter 3 Presentation
- Practice Quiz 3
Checkpoint 4: Financial Services: Savings Plans and Payment Accounts
- Textbook: Checkpoint 4 Reading Assignment: Chapter 4
- Chapter 4 Presentation
- Practice Quiz 4
Checkpoint 5: Consumer Credit: Advantages, Disadvantages, Sources and Costs
- Textbook: Checkpoint 5 Reading Assignment: Chapter 5
- Chapter 5 Presentation
- Practice Quiz 5
Checkpoint 6: Consumer Purchasing Strategies and Wise Buying of Motor Vehicles
- Textbook: Checkpoint 6 Reading Assignment: Chapter 6
- Chapter 6 Presentation
- Practice Quiz 6
Checkpoint 7: Selecting and Financing Housing
- Textbook: Checkpoint 7 Reading Assignment: Chapter 7
- Chapter 7 Presentation
- Practice Quiz 7
Checkpoint 8: Home and Automobile Insurance
- Textbook: Checkpoint 8 Reading Assignment: Chapter 8
- Chapter 8 Presentation
- Practice Quiz 8
Checkpoint 9: Health and Disability Income Insurance
- Textbook: Checkpoint 9 Reading Assignment: Chapter 9
- Chapter 9 Presentation
- Practice Quiz 9
Checkpoint 10: Financial Planning with Life Insurance
- Textbook: Checkpoint 10 Reading Assignment: Chapter 10
- Chapter 10 Presentation
- Practice Quiz 10
Checkpoint 11: Investing Basics and Evaluating Bonds
- Textbook: Checkpoint 11 Reading Assignment: Chapter 11
- Chapter 11 Presentation
- Practice Quiz 11
Checkpoint 12: Investing in Stocks
- Textbook: Checkpoint 12 Reading Assignment: Chapter 12
- Chapter 12 Presentation
- Practice Quiz 12
Checkpoint 13: Investing in Mutual Funds
- Textbook: Checkpoint 13 Reading Assignment: Chapter 13
- Chapter 13 Presentation
- Practice Quiz 13
Checkpoint 14: Starting Early: Retirement and Estate Planning
- Textbook: Checkpoint 14 Reading Assignment: Chapter 14
- Chapter 14 Presentation
- Practice Quiz 14
Assignments & Grading
Your score provides a percentage score and letter grade for each course. A passing percentage is 70% or higher.
Assignments for this course include:
- 14 Checkpoints
- 5 Benchmarks
- 1 Capstone
This course has an open-book Final Exam. Scientific and/or graphing calculators are allowed throughout the course.
What You’ll Need
- A reliable computer or laptop
- Stable internet connection
- Web browser
- Basic computer skills
- Scientific or graphing calculator
- Any required course materials
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Real, human feedback to help you ace your assignments
Exam and certification prep tools
Real, human feedback to help you ace your assignments
Professional development assistance
Resume-building resources
Professional development assistance
Faculty Connect portal
Resume-building resources
Students who enrolled also took:
Introduction to Communication
1st attempt pass rate: 96%
Avg Days to Complete: 29
3 credits
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Personal Finance for a More Stable Future
Personal Finance gives you the tools to make smart money decisions, both now and throughout your life. In this course, you’ll learn how to budget, manage debt, build credit, save for the future, and understand key concepts like investing, insurance, and taxes. Taking control over your finances matters, no matter what degree path you’re on.
Why it matters:
- Nearly 1 in 4 employed professionals with a university degree studied business.
- Building strong financial habits now can reduce stress and open doors to long-term stability and wealth.
How this course sets you up for success:
Financial Analyst, Management Consultant, Marketing Manager, Human Resources Specialist, Account Manager, Business Intelligence Analyst, Operations Manager, Investment Analyst, Risk Manager, Supply Chain Coordinator
How this course sets you up for success:
Personal Finance helps you avoid common financial pitfalls and make informed decisions about your money. Whether you're budgeting for college or saving for retirement, you'll gain practical knowledge you can apply immediately.
Course included in Semester & Annual Plans
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