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Reflection Blog - Frederika

This J-Term was very impactful but it could be a little overwhelming sometimes. I came into this course wanting to just learn the basics since I had very little awareness about finances and no knowledge about investing so everything was new to me. Even though I might not remember all the information that was coming towards me all at once, I still have access to all the resources that were introduced so now there's a starting point for me to continue exploring where to invest, the different types of taxes, loans, mortgages and everything else. I really got much more than I expected with a thorough and informative course.  One resource that I appreciate having is the books. Even though I might not be able to apply everything that I learned from them into my life now, I will have them on hand when I become more financially independent. Dr. Ott is also a great resource since she has experience with both teaching and using her financial knowledge in life. All the stories about her perso
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Daily Blog: Jan 8, 2021- Frederika

We started out our day by logging onto Investopedia to look at our stocks. Dr. Ott talked to us about what to look for in a company before buying their stocks. One thing quality of a high value stock is their dividend, if they pay good dividends, or any at all, for investing in their company then it's worth looking into. We also learned about insider trading in dark markets which is where top sellers go to trade. Usually they are insurance companies, investment groups and dowagers who buy thousands or even millions of shares. While other traders don't have access to insider trading, these trades largely affect the general markets but some traders can look at the trends to determine where they should invest next.  For seminar, we discussed Chapter 3 of Your Money or Your Life called Where Is It All Going? We talked about budgeting and how to create personalized categories for your budget based on your circumstances. The book also elaborated on applying what we learned about co
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Reflection Blog -Willlow

    Although this class was only two weeks long, I feel as if I've learned much more than I normally would in that amount of time. Because of this class, I feel significantly more financially literate than I did beforehand. In all honesty, I wasn't what I expected with this class, and at first, it freaked me out. The idea of planning out stuff for far in the future is scary, and I'm glad I've done it. I feel a lot more confident knowing that I have the tools that I will need to succeed in the future. 
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Reflection Blog - Micah Weinstock

 I am going to be honest. Personal finance was not my first choice. I didn't even really consider personal finance as anything I would take right now. I always saw it as a J Term that I would take in my senior year to make sure that I understood how to live on my own in college. When I was faced with the options for J terms I could take when I was no longer able to attend golf, I took personal finance because Alex was in it. I was aware that the course had gotten praise from those who have taken it, but what I was not prepared for was that I would enjoy it. What I saw originally as a course that I did not want to take yet spiraled into an enjoyable, if not exciting J Term. This course made finance fun! It is entertaining enough that you stay interested and challenging enough that the work is fun. The setup of the course is great too. Our speakers related very strongly to what we were learning. For example, when we were learning about stocks, our speaker was Ilan, a member of the 20
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Reflection Blog - Fabrício Guerra

  Personal Finance J-Term     The first time I read a J-Term Choice List back in my freshman year, Personal Finance was something that had made more of an impact on me out of all the other options. I was afraid that if I did it then, I would have forgotten all the information and it would've all been for nothing. I decided that I would probably do it for my Sophomore year, but the choices then were so good that I ended up leaving it as my third or second choice, something like that. Behold, that year my choices form wasn't submitted thanks to some sort of error and I had to choose a J-Term that still had spots available. So when my Junior year came I just told myself I was going to do Personal Finance no matter what, so I did. Before going into Personal Finance I had at least some outline of knowledge including investments, mortgage, net worth, college stuff, budgeting, etc etc. But like I said, it was only an outline of knowledge. When we started off with the stock market, I h
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Reflection Blog by Connor Kissack

 This is my second year taking this course and I definitely believe that I have taken in more information than I did in my previous year in the J-term. This two week course has certainly redirected my entire life path. I have also learned to be much more of a precocious person when it comes to my spending habits and to be more attentive with the money I have now. Although I have already read the two main texts, Your Money or Your Life and Why Didn't They Teach Me This in School , reading them again and fully absorbing the information provided by the books has changed my view on money, what to do/not to do with it, and how to live while saving it. Since it was my second year in the J-term, I was allowed to focus on my own text of my choice. I chose to learn about index funds. The book taught me what the best one to get into was and also how it has an impact on your savings. Because of this book ( The Little Book of Common Sense Investing ), it has had changed a view on how I should
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Personal Finance - Final Reflection

      One of the main draws of the Personal Finance J-Term are the student reviews; the most common one, year after year, is "I've never learned so much in two weeks." As someone who new nothing about balancing a budget, watching my spending, or investing--and as someone who was about to go to college and inevitably be cash tight--I felt like I needed this course. Two weeks later, I'm proud to report that I was right! Through Personal Finance I learned the basics of budgeting, investing, and mindful spending.       Personal Finance is a course of two parts, exemplified by our two readings, Your Money Or Your Life  by Vicki Robin, and Why Didn't They Teach Me This In School? by Cary Siegel.  Your Money Or Your Life , for me, was really the highlight of the course. As one of the original texts of the FIRE movement (Financial Independence; Retire Early), I was initially a little skeptical about what it had to say. The FIRE movement has a reputation of being overwhelm
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