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 2020 graduation class who had been sitting in our seat just a few years before, and now is trading stocks successfully. We also read highly regarded personal finance books that would supplement the class for the day. These are books that we are able to keep, and personally will have a place on my bookshelf for a very long time. One of my main takeaways of this course is that we actually have a blueprint for multiple businesses laid out for us. We are being strong-armed into paying attention to our finances, to budget to stay in control of our money and look out for our future. This course has shown me multiple opportunities that I want to be able to take advantage of. Thank you so much Dr. Ott, and happy retirement!

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