1/23/2007
Personal Finance
Professor Kate Antonovics
Office: Economics 327
Email: kantonov@ucsd.edu
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Who should take this class?
The material covered in this class is basic.
This class is intended for people who are just getting started with
bank accounts, credit cards, car insurance and investing.
This class is designed to help you make responsible financial
decisions.
This class is not designed to help you get rich.
Disclaimer: I’m not a financial planner and I’m not qualified to
give you advice about complicated specific personal financial
issues.
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Topics to be Covered
Will be determined partly by your interests and knowledge.
Possible topics
Credit Cards
Budgeting
Tips for saving more and spending less
Investment strategies
Obtaining adequate insurance
Financial aid
Taxes
Retirement
Home ownership
I’ll give you a more detailed outline next week.
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Basics of the Class
Class web page:
www.econ.ucsd.edu/~kantonov/ec087w07/home.html
Grades
Class participation: 50%
Homework assignments: 50%
Weekly homework
Your big project for the quarter will be to develop a budget,
track your spending for a month, and figure out what fraction
of your total spending falls in different categories.
There will also be smaller assignments such as finding out
basic information about credit cards, auto insurance and
checking accounts.
1/23/2007
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Basic Lessons
Being financially responsible usually involves dealing
with tedious details.
Reliable information is important.
Books
Parents
Friends
Internet
No right or wrong answer to many questions.
Bottom line: patience, information and self-awareness.
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Financial Challenges Facing College Students
Budgeting
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Budgeting
Think about the kind of budget you want to make. If your
parents pay all your bills, maybe you just want to track your
expenditures. If you pay all your own bills, then maybe a
traditional budget (in which you try to spend less than you earn)
makes the most sense.
Think about your appr