Coun 282 52789 – Practical Money Skills for Life

Reedley College

Instructor: Blanca Rivera	Office Telephone & Voicemail: 638-3641 ext. 3271

Office: CalWORKS Office/Reedley College	email: blanca.rivera@reedleycollege.edu

Instruction: Tuesday & Thursday August 14 - October 11 , 2012

Time: 1 pm – 1:50pm

Room: Port. 4

Office Hours: By appointment

Reasonable Accommodation(s): If you have a verified need for an academic accommodation or materials in alternate media (i.e., Braille, large print, electronic text, etc.) per the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, please contact me as soon as possible.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

The goal of this course is to assist the student in examining the concept and benefits of budgeting. Students will learn the major types of financial institutions and basic banking terms.

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

Understand the concept and benefits of budgeting.

Recognize the major types of financial institutions and basic banking terms.

Identify different types of checking accounts.

Write a check and balance a checking account.

Understand ATM and debit cards and how a check-cashing service works.

Demonstrate an understanding of the cost and benefits of credit card use and compare credit card offers.

Understand a credit report and ways to start repairing poor credit.

Recognize various types of consumer scams and learn how to protect themselves from identity theft.

Required Materials:	Textbook: Practical Money Skills for Life Workbook (Available at the RC	Bookstore)

Binder

Subject Dividers w/ pockets

Pencil & Pen (Provided)

Calculator

Recommended:	50 Ways to Protect Your Identity and Your Credit by Steve

Weisman (Available at RC Bookstore)

Home Budget Book (Available at RC Bookstore)

ATTENDANCE AND CLASS PARTICIPATION:

Students are expected to attend all class sessions. In addition, students are expected to show up on time and stay for the entire class session. If a student is unable to attend, it is also his or her responsibility to notify the instructor and obtain any missed information or assignments. Students are required to be prepared and actively participate during group activities and class discussions. If you fail to have your books with you in class, you will lose participation points for the day.

No Show Absences = -10 Participation points

Informed Absences = 0 Participation points

Documented Absences = excused

ASSIGNMENTS:

Assignments are to be turned in on the scheduled due date, absences do not relieve the student of this responsibility. If you fail to turn in the assigned work on the due date, participation points will be reduced for that day. Furthermore, it is the student’s responsibility to be aware of the dates for readings, assignments, and exam. Assignments turned in are to be neatly done and completed for a grade.

GRADING SYSTEM:	Based on 725 points

Your grade will be based on participation, completed assignments, and final exam.

Class Participation:	180 points	CREDIT = 514.5- 735 points

Assignments:	425 points	NO CREDIT = under 514 points

Quiz	40 points

Final Exam	90 points

735 possible points

COURSE SCHEDULE Fall 2012

Week	Date	Topic	Assignment
1	Aug 14	Course introduction/syllabus Needs Assessment Introduce Expenses Tracking Worksheet	Read Money Matters pg. 1 – 19 in Money Skills Workbook Begin recording income and expenses on August. Tracking Worksheet
Aug 16	Money Matters – Budgeting Basics Making Budget Cuts Record Keeping Tips & Budgeting Tools Juan’s Fixed and Flexible Expenses	Continue recording income and expenses on August. Tracking Worksheet Complete Juan’s Home Budget Pages
2	Aug 21	Money Matters – Budgeting Basics Juan’s Budget due – 25 points Group exercise – Gabrielle’s Budget Plan	Continue recording income and expenses on August. Tracking Worksheet Read “Bad Money Habits” Article Complete Gabrielle’s Budget Pg. 15-17 Rework Gabrielle’s Budget pg. 18
Aug 23	Money Matters – Budgeting Basics Quiz over “Bad Money Habits” (10 points) Review Gabrielle’s Budget Plan Gabrielle’s Budget Plan Due – 35 points Group Exercise – Miguel’s Budget Plan	Continue recording income and expenses on August. Tracking Worksheet Finish Miguel’s Budget Plan
3	Aug 28	Money Matters – Budgeting Basics Review Miguel’s Budget Plan Miguel’s Budget Plan Due – 30 points Introduce “Budget Simple” with Andrea’s Budget Exercise	Complete Andrea’s “Budget Simple” Exercise
Aug 30	Money Matters – Budgeting Basics Review “Your Cash Flow Plan for August.” Andrea’s “Budget Simple” exercise due – 30 points Cash Flow Plan for August. Due – 30 points Complete “Where Does Your Money Go. August Tracking worksheet (20 pts.) Introduce September. Payment Calendar In Trouble – Warning Signs Who Do You Owe Money To? Why Consumers Don’t Pay	Begin recording income and expenses for September. on the Home Budget Pages Prepare your Payment Calendar for September. Read “In Trouble” pg. 120-132 in workbook Complete “Who Do You Owe Money To? Pg. 9 in workbook (10 points)
4	Sep 4	In Trouble Debt Collection Practices Wage Garnishment, Assignment, & Attachment Car Repossession Introduce National Foundation for Credit Counseling – www.NFCC.org “Who Do You Owe Money To? Pg. 9 in workbook due (10 points)	Read “Bank On It” pg. 27 – 44 in workbook Enter September’s Budget Figures into Home Budget Pages Continue recording income and expenses for September on the Home Budget Pages Visit www.NFCC.org and write a summary (3 paragraphs) of what you learned (15 points)
Sep 6	In Trouble Bankruptcy Introduce Bank On It – Banking Basics Group Activity: Choosing a Bank Choosing an Account NFCC summary due (15 points)	Continue recording income and expenses for September. on the Home Budget Pages Complete Test Your Knowledge of Trouble pg. 134A & 134B (30 points) Complete “Choose a Bank Account” Exercise Read “Check It Out” pg. 45-50 in workbook
5	Sep 11	Check It Out – Checking Accounts Check Register Practice “Choose a Bank Account” Due – 25 points Test Your Knowledge of Trouble Due (30 points)	Continue recording income and expenses for September. on the Home Budget Pages Read “Borrowing Basics” pg. 90-97 in workbook Prepare for Banking Basics Quiz
Sep 13	Check It Out – Checking Accounts Reconciling your Check Register with Your Statement Banking Basics Quiz (20 points) Borrowing Basics Advantages & Disadvantages Types and Sources of Credit	Cont. recording income and expenses for September on the Home Budget Pages Recommended Reading: Chap. 8 “Credit Cards” pg. 85-103 in 50 ways to protect Your Identity and Your Credit.
6	Sep 18	Borrowing Basics How Much Can You Afford The Three C’s of Credit Building A Credit History	Continue recording income and expenses for September. on the Home Budget Pages Recommended Reading: Chap. 9 “Fine Print” pg. 105 – 118 in 50 ways to protect Your Identity and Your Credit.
Sep 20	Charge It Right Tips When Shopping for a Credit Card Credit Card Do’s and Don’ts Dealing with Billing Errors Credit Card Terms and Conditions	Read “Charge It Right” p. 100 – 113 in the workbook
7	Sep 25	Charge It Right Building Credit Credit Card Comparison Exercise	Make an appointment with me to get your annual credit report on line from Annual Credit Report website. (Extra Credit 25 points) . www.annualcreditreport.com
Sep 27	Preparing Your Cash Flow Plan for May. Preparing Your Payment Calendar for May. Completing your Home Budget Pages for May. Charge It Right Building Credit Credit Card Comparison Exercise	Complete Cash Flow Plan for September. Prepare your Payment Calendar for Sep. Begin tracking expenses for Oct. on Home Budget Pages or in “Budget Simple” Begin tracking expenses for Oct. on Home Budget Pages or in “Budget Simple” Finish Credit Card Comparison Exercise
8	Oct 2	To Your Credit Reviewing Your Credit Report Proper Care and Feeding of Your Credit Score The Truth About Credit Repair Credit Counseling September Payment Calendar Due (10 points) Home Budget Pages for September. Due (30 points) Cash Flow Plan for September. Due (30 points) Credit Card Comparison Exercise Due (45 points)	Cont. tracking expenses for Oct. on Home Budget Pages or in “Budget Simple” Read “To Your Credit” pg. 114-132 in workbook Recommended Reading: Chap 11 “Credit Reports” pg. 127-146 in 50 ways to protect Your Identity and Your Credit. Read “Keep It Safe” pg. 139 -160 in workbook Complete Payment Calendar for October. (10 pts.) Complete tracking expenses thru October. 11 on your Home Budget Pages or in “Budget Simple”
Oct 4	Keep It Safe Are You at Risk for Identity Theft? Common Frauds Enter October’s Budget Figures into Home Budget Pages or on “Budget Simple.”	Recommended Reading: Chap 1 “Identity Theft” pg. 1-14 in 50 ways to protect Your Identity and Your Credit. Chap 2 “Making Yourself Less Vulnerable to Identity Theft” pg. 15 - 25 in 50 ways to protect Your Identity and Your Credit. Chap 4 “Your Social Security Number – An Identity Thief’s Lucky Number” pg. 39-50 in 50 ways to protect Your Identity and Your Credit.
9	Oct 9	Complete “Test Your Credit Knowledge” pg. 133A & 133B in workbook (30 Points)	Review for Final
Oct 11	Payment Calendar for October. due (10 pts.) Home Budget Pages for October. or Budget Simple print-out for October. due (20 pts.) Final Exam (90 points)

*** This schedule is tentative and is subject to change. ***