Finance for Everyone: Debt

  • 4.8
Approx. 11 hours to complete

Course Summary

This course covers the basics of finance and debt management, including analyzing financial statements, understanding interest rates, and managing debt.

Key Learning Points

  • Learn how to analyze financial statements to make informed decisions.
  • Understand interest rates and how they affect your finances.
  • Develop a plan to manage your debt effectively.

Related Topics for further study


Learning Outcomes

  • Analyze financial statements to make informed decisions.
  • Understand interest rates and their impact on personal finances.
  • Develop a plan to effectively manage debt and improve financial health.

Prerequisites or good to have knowledge before taking this course

  • Basic understanding of finance and accounting concepts.
  • Familiarity with Excel and financial calculators.

Course Difficulty Level

Beginner

Course Format

  • Self-paced
  • Online
  • Video lectures

Similar Courses

  • Financial Planning and Analysis
  • Investment Management

Related Education Paths


Related Books

Description

In Debt, we take on one of the most challenging financial questions that remains unresolved: How much to borrow? We start by demonstrating why using debt has always been and continues to be a great temptation, particularly when borrowing costs are historically low. We identify conditions for selecting the optimal amount of debt for a corporation looking to maximize its value. You’ll become fluent in related concepts like norms and benchmarks. You will explore these and other factors that influence debt for individuals and for public sector organizations -including governments, who are the largest consumers of debt. Like pollution, debt creates systemic risks even for the people and organizations that don’t create it. This course discusses the imperative of limiting and reducing debt and the costs to all of us if we don’t. We build on case based learning giving you opportunities to interpret, uncover and acquire financial information that is often hidden or missing. We also summarize important threads from previous courses to give you a deep and cohesive understanding of when debt works for you and when it becomes your worst enemy.

Outline

  • Welcome & Personal Debt
  • Course Introduction Part I: Today's Temptation to Borrow
  • Course Introduction Part II: When Giving In to Temptation Becomes the Norm
  • Personal Debt Part I: Debt & Financial Literacy
  • Personal Debt Part II: Reading the Signs of 2007 and Today
  • Personal Debt Part III: Common Types & Taking Stock
  • F4E Specialization Snapshot
  • Course Outline
  • Where are Our Learners From?
  • Keeping a Learning Portfolio
  • Introduction to Final Assignment: Choose Your Own Debt Case Study
  • Learner Introduction Survey
  • Practice Quiz: Personal Debt
  • Personal Debt
  • Making a Difference 1
  • Corporate Debt
  • Firm Debt Part 1: Calculating How Much to Borrow
  • Firm Debt Part 2: Theorizing How Much to Borrow
  • LearnSmart - what it is and how to use it
  • LearnSmart Chapter 16: Financial Leverage and Capital Structure Policy
  • Practice Quiz: Firm Debt Part 1
  • Practice Quiz: Firm Debt Part 2
  • Firm Debt
  • Making a Difference in Week 2
  • Government Debt
  • Sovereign Debt Part I: Global Money Flow in the 21st Century
  • Sovereign Debt Part II: The Big Picture
  • Practice Quiz: Sovereign Debt Parts I & II
  • Sovereign Debt
  • Making a Difference 3
  • Debt Synthesis
  • Course 4 Epilogue
  • End of Course Feedback

Summary of User Reviews

Discover how to manage and avoid debt while optimizing your financial decisions with Finance & Debt course from Coursera. Learn from top instructors and gain practical skills to improve your financial literacy and make informed decisions. Many users praise the course for its practicality and real-life scenarios.

Key Aspect Users Liked About This Course

Many users found the real-life scenarios and practical skills taught in the course to be highly valuable.

Pros from User Reviews

  • Highly practical skills taught in the course
  • Real-life scenarios make the course engaging and relatable
  • Top instructors with extensive experience in finance

Cons from User Reviews

  • Some users found the course to be too basic
  • Lack of interaction with instructors and other students
  • Some users found the course to be too focused on debt management and not enough on other financial topics
English
Available now
Approx. 11 hours to complete
Arshad Ahmad
McMaster University
Coursera

Instructor

Arshad Ahmad

  • 4.8 Raiting
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