About This Course

Finance is ubiquitous, affecting everyone's decisions whether saving or borrowing. This introductory course provides a conceptual framework and tools to help make sound financial decisions, focusing on common financial operations. Its scope extends from individual finance management to corporate investment decisions, directly tying theoretical principles to practical implications in political and economic contexts. This foundational knowledge is essential for understanding our daily operations within the financial world.

What Students Will Learn

• Describe the fundamental principles of financial reasoning including the absence of arbitrage opportunities, and incorporating time and risk in financial decisions.
• Calculate present or future values of single cash flows or sequences of cash flows.
• Apply actuarial evaluation techniques to typical financial operations (like savings or loans) and to major financial assets (stocks and bonds).
• Use various investment selection tools in corporate projects.
• Analyze investment decision issues, considering the relationship between expected returns and risks.
• Determine the rate of return a company should use when making investment decisions and use this rate to calculate the value generated by a project.
• Prepare for more advanced finance courses in corporate finance, portfolio management, financial markets, international finance, derivatives, etc.

Pre-requisites or Skills Necessary

Students should have a high school level of mathematical proficiency.

Course Coverage

• Fundamentals of financial reasoning and decision making.
• Calculations for present and future monetary values.
• Techniques in actuarial evaluations for various financial operations and assets.
• Investment selection methodologies for corporate environments.
• Analysis of investment decision-making processes.

Who This Course Is For

This course is suitable for beginner to intermediate students interested in finance, corporate managers, entrepreneurs, and anyone planning to progress to more advanced studies in finance.

Real World Application of Skills

Learners can apply these skills in understanding everyday financial decisions, evaluating personal and corporate investments, managing financial risks, and progressing to more specialized financial roles in corporate or investment sectors.