Tag Archives: Personal Finance

Mortgage Lengths – the Surprising Popularity of the 15-Year Mortgage

Posted on August 2, 2012 by ajkeown

For most people, their home mortgage amounts to the most money they will ever borrow.  In Chapter 8 of Personal Finance, Turning Money into Wealth we look at “the mortgage decision” and lay out the steps you need to take … Continue reading →

Posted in Ch. 8, Home and Auto | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Personal Finance In the News: Affordable Care Act Upheld

Posted on June 29, 2012 by ajkeown

Chapter 9 of the 6th edition of Personal Finance, Turning Money into Wealth, discussed the fact that more than two dozen states had joined in a lawsuit stating that the healthcare law was unconstitutional.  On June 28, 2012 the Supreme … Continue reading →

Posted in Ch. 9, Life and Health Insurance, Personal Finance In The News | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Class Discussion and Assignment: What We Spend Our Money On

Posted on May 1, 2012 by ajkeown

Teaching Tip:  The Planet Money article, “What America Buys” is fascinating, and the side-by-side graph showing the spending differences between 1949 and 2012 are extremely interesting.  If you can project these onto the board in class, it’s a great place … Continue reading →

Posted in Ch. 2, Measuring Financial Health and Making a Plan, Ch. 8, Home and Auto, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Class Discussion: The Downside of Student Loans

Posted on April 20, 2012 by ajkeown

Teaching tip: There is a very good, short, three and a half minute video with the author of the article that can be played in class to begin a healthy class discussion.  It works well in particular is you have … Continue reading →

Posted in Ch. 6, Credit Cards, Ch. 7, Consumer Loans | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Class Discussion and Assignment: 100 Years of Spending

Posted on April 12, 2012 by ajkeown

100 years can bring about a lot of change.  Let’s look a a couple of these changes: In 1901, the average family size was 4.9 people, by 2002-03 it was down to 2.5. In 1901 women made up one quarter … Continue reading →

Posted in Ch. 8, Home and Auto | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Class Assignment and Discussion: The Money-Death Problem

Posted on April 9, 2012 by ajkeown

The New Yorker has always been famous for it cartoons, and one of the best is a 2003 cartoon by Barbara Smaller that shows a husband talking to his wife, saying, “If we take a late retirement and an early … Continue reading →

Posted in Ch.11, Investment Basics, Ch.16, Retirement Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Class Discussion: Birth Order and Your Financial Personality

Posted on March 28, 2012 by ajkeown

Bankrate.com recently looked at the impact of birth order on personal finance in the article “How birth order can affect your finances.”  It takes an interesting look at how being the oldest, youngest, or somewhere in between can impact your … Continue reading →

Posted in 10 Principles of Personal Finance, Ch. 1, Financial Planning Process | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Class Assignment and Discussion: Retirement Confidence – A Thing of the Past

Posted on March 17, 2012 by ajkeown

According to a 2011 Retirement Confidence Survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, worker’s confidence that they will have enough money to “live comfortably throughout their retirement years” continues to decline – in fact, only 13% of those polled were … Continue reading →

Posted in Ch.16, Retirement Planning | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Class Discussion and Assignment: Warren Buffett’s Insights and Words of Wisdom

Posted on March 12, 2012 by ajkeown

Much of personal finance deals with understanding basic investment principles.  That’s why Part 4 of Personal Finance, Turning Money into Wealth is titled “Managing Your Investments” – and in Chapter 11 we take a look at investment basics, then in … Continue reading →

Posted in Ch.13, Investing In Stocks, Ch.14, Investing in Bonds | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Class Assignment and Discussion: Retirement Confidence – A Thing of the Past

Posted on March 9, 2012 by ajkeown

According to a 2011 Retirement Confidence Survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, worker’s confidence that they will have enough money to “live comfortably throughout their retirement years” continues to decline – in fact, only 13% of those polled were … Continue reading →

Posted in Ch.16, Retirement Planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment