Category Archives: 10 Principles of Personal Finance

Class Assignment and Discussion: Finding out a bit about yourself – Life Values Quiz

Teaching Tip:  This “Life Values Quiz” can be taken in class if computer connections are available, or if not, it should be assigned as an outside the class exercise.  If not all students have computer connections, but you as the instructor … Continue reading

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Class Assignment and Discussion: The Napkin Assignment

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

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

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

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Personal Finance in the News, Class Discussion, or Assignment: Who do you believe in the current political debate over who pays what in taxes?

Teaching Tip:  This discussion can be developed based upon an out of class assignment (your students prepare to answer the discussion questions before class), or if you have access to the internet in class and can project it so that … Continue reading

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Class Discussion, Class Assignment, and Video: Making Your Financial Resolution Work

Teaching Tip:  This assignment works equally well as a written assignment and as a class discussion.  If used as a class discussion, it works well to show the video “Keeping Your Financial Resolutions” which is just over 3 minutes long, … Continue reading

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Class Assignment: The Rising Age Gap in Financial Well-Being, Part 2

In Chapter 11 we discuss investment basics and look at accumulating wealth through investing.  Obviously that involves an understanding of Principle 8: Risk and Return Go Hand in Hand, and how to budget and start the saving process as described … Continue reading

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Class Discussion or Written Assignment: The Rising Age Gap in Financial Well-Being, Part 1

Principle 10: Just Do It!, introduced in Chapter 1, talks about the importance of not procrastinating – of getting started saving when you’re young and building up your wealth.  Unfortunately, that’s much easier said than done, and as a recent … Continue reading

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Class Discussion, Class Assignment, and Video: Some Financial Mistakes to Avoid Right Now

Teaching Tip:  This assignment works equally well as a written assignment and as a class discussion.  If used as a class discussion, it works well to show the video from Today Money featuring Suze Orman titled “Financial Mistakes to Avoid … Continue reading

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