Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Introduction to personal finance. No previous financial, economic, or mathematics background required. Open to nonmajors. Covers wide array of topics at introductory level that are of interest to students on practical level and more broadly for students seeking to deepen their understanding of key features of financial system, financial institutions, and various aspects of personal finance encountered by typical household over their life cycle. Topics covered include interest rates, time value of money, types of loans most relevant to typical household, credit and debit cards, savings and investment, stocks and bonds, risk and diversification, personal income taxes, varieties of insurance, retirement and savings plans, macroeconomic concepts, social security, Medicare, and aspects of behavioral economics. Letter grading.
