This course provides an overview of the elements necessary for effective personal financial planning and the opportunity to apply the techniques and strategies essential to this understanding. Primary areas of study include creating and managing a personal budget, understanding and paying taxes, working with financial institutions, wise use of credit cards and consumer loans, financing automobiles and homes, and the use of insurance for protecting one’s family and property.
Facilitator Bio
To introduce myself more fully, I am posting my biography in a separate note to our Chat Room forum. After you have read my bio, please post a bio about yourself—I look forward to getting to know you!
Words of Welcome
Welcome to FP/101, Foundations of Personal Finance to. I congratulate you on your decision to complete your Associate’s degree. I will do everything I can to ensure the next nine weeks will be a stimulating learning experience for all of us. If you ever have questions or need additional guidance, please feel free to contact me. Together, I trust we will have a challenging and rewarding class experience.
Where to Go to Class: Your Course Forums
Main: This is the main forum for the class and is where discussion is conducted. It has read-and-write access for everyone.
Chat-Room: This is a read-and-write access forum. It is designed as a place to discuss issues not related to the course content. This is the forum to which we will send our bios.
Course-Materials: This is a read-only forum, which means you can read messages here but cannot send any. This is where I will post the course syllabus and materials.
Individual Forum: You will see one forum with your name on it. This is a private forum, shared only by you and me, the facilitator. Your classmates will not have access to this forum. This is where you can post private questions to me. However, if you have general questions about instructions of assignments, please post those in the Main forum, since other students may benefit by that exchange as well.
Assignment Link: This is where you go to post all of your assignments. I will post your grades and weekly feedback here.
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Participation Policy Clarification
Participation online is very important. As stated in the Policies link on the Materials page, you are expected to participate 4 days a week in several different discussions and to contribute at least two substantive comments in the Main forum 4 of 7 days each week. This participation is a required part of your grade. Participation consists of notes you send above and beyond graded assignments, which generally means the messages you send as replies to messages from your classmates and me.
Please note that both quantity and quality are important considerations when it comes to participation. A message which says simply, "I agree," for example, would not constitute participation because it does not add anything of substance to the discussion.
In order to earn full participation points, you must add something of substance to the discussion 4 out of 7 days per week—adding something of substance would consist of new ideas, your perspectives, pointed follow-up questions, responses to discussion questions, etc. You will find it is much easier to keep up with an online class if you are logging in and participating regularly. In addition, you must also respond to at least 3 Discussion Questions in order to earn full participation points.
Expectations for Discussion Question Responses
Discussion question responses should be at least 150- to 300-words. For discussion question responses in the Main forum, please post responses to the threads provided. To respond, highlight the appropriate
