Monthly Archives: January 2012

Class Assignment and Discussion: The Napkin Assignment

Posted on January 27, 2012 by ajkeown

Teaching Tip and Assignment:  One of the best personal finance columnists around is Carl Richards, a certified financial planner and founder of Prasada Capital Management.  On his blog “Bucks, Making the Most of Your Money”in the New York Times, Carl … Continue reading →

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Personal Finance Update: Chapter 4, Tax Changes for 2012

Posted on January 23, 2012 by ajkeown

As with every year, 2012 begins with a new set of tax rules, and it’s pretty certain that the tax rules will continue to change throughout 2012.  What makes this a certainty is that Congress did not address some of … Continue reading →

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Class Discussion or Assignment: Santana Moss reportedly owes over $250,000 in back taxes

Posted on January 22, 2012 by ajkeown

Just because you make a lot of money, doesn’t mean you don’t spend even more.  In Chapter 2 of Turning Money Into Wealth we look at the importance of budgeting and how to actually set up an effective budget – … Continue reading →

Posted in Ch. 1, Financial Planning Process, Ch. 2, Measuring Financial Health and Making a Plan, Ch. 4, Tax Planning, Ch.16, Retirement Planning, Ch.18, Financial Life Events | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Class Discussion and In-Class Introductory Quiz: Your Credit Score

Posted on January 18, 2012 by ajkeown

Teaching Tip:  This “quiz” is a great way to begin your lecture on credit scores.  While this exercise can be done online, it can just as easily be done in class, where the correct answer and reasoning behind that answer … Continue reading →

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Class Discussion & Podcast: A Financial Advisor Takes a Hit in the Housing Market

Posted on January 16, 2012 by ajkeown

Teaching Tip:  This is a fascinating podcast that describes how a financial advisor got sucked into the housing boom and suffered a sad ending.  The podcast isn’t that long, only a bit over 17 minutes, so it isn’t too much … Continue reading →

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Finance in the News: A Look at the Principal Financial Well-Being Index

Posted on January 12, 2012 by ajkeown

Every quarter the Principal Financial Group has Harris Interactive conduct a survey of the financial well-being of adults working at small and mid-sized U.S. businesses.  So, how do Americans feel about their financial well-being?  The answer can be found in … Continue reading →

Posted in Ch. 1, Financial Planning Process, Ch. 2, Measuring Financial Health and Making a Plan, Personal Finance In The News | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Personal Finance Video: Understanding the European Debt Crisis

Posted on January 10, 2012 by ajkeown

Teaching Tip:  The beginning of the semester is a good time to try to understand what is going on in the economy.  In an earlier blog entry I discussed using a video by The Wall Street Journal to explain the … Continue reading →

Posted in Ch.11, Investment Basics, Ch.12, Securities Markets, Ch.13, Investing In Stocks | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Class Discussion: Is it time to start saving for retirement?

Posted on January 5, 2012 by ajkeown

There isn’t much in the book, Personal Finance, Turning Money into Wealth that doesn’t touch on retirement.  Not only is Chapter 16, Retirement Planning devoted to retirement, much of what we do when we discuss investments in Chapters 11 through … Continue reading →

Posted in Ch. 3, Time Value of Money, Ch.16, Retirement Planning | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Class Discussion & Video: Why do we buy so much?

Posted on January 4, 2012 by ajkeown

American Public Media’s Market Place recently aired a program titled “The Truth About What We Buy” that dealt with happiness and buying “stuff.”  Much of this story focused on a new book by James Roberts, a professor of marketing at … Continue reading →

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Class Discussion and Assignment: Financial Hurdle #1, Paying for Your College Education

Posted on January 2, 2012 by ajkeown

Teaching Tip:  Talking about paying for college generally makes for a spirited class discussion.  This can be done without any reading assignments, or you can assign a reading before class.  There are a number of suggested readings mentioned below. In … Continue reading →

Posted in 10 Principles of Personal Finance, Ch. 7, Consumer Loans, Teaching Tips | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment