1. Assignment Brief and Guidance

In two or three paragraphs, describe where you would "like to be" financially in 10 years. Include things like your career preparation/opportunities, housing, transportation and (generic) family situation. (The purpose is to have you give this issue thought, not to pry.)

After describing what you'd like, assess your probability of getting there? Do you see any major barriers, or are you already on the right track? Other than pursuing higher education (which, by the way, tends to be a very wise investment over the years), what changes/initiatives or steps do you intend to take in order to help make your plans a reality?

While it is usually a frivolous (if fun) exercise to think too much about the lottery, it does illustrate the mechanics of an annuity (a form of insurance or investment entitling the investor to a series of annual sums.). To answer the following questions, visit the Powerball website (Powerball) for this week and use information in your book, and information available from the web.

What are the current jackpot (paid in 30 equal annual payments) and the cash payout value?

Assuming you could invest the entire cash payout at a guaranteed, insured rate of 2% a year, what would your annual return total?

Which option would you take? Explain your choice.

2. Assignment Brief and Guidance

Using the tax form, instructions and info attached, answer the following questions.

Assume you are a single person with no dependents who made $35,000.00 from your primary job and an additional $5,500.00 from a part time position. You had a total of $7,700 dollars withheld in taxes (from both jobs combined) and will take the standard deduction.
Will you get a refund or will you have to pay more tax?

What is the amount of the refund/payment?

Using the tax tables on page 90 of the instructions, assume a single person has a taxable income of $382,000.00.

What will the single person's total tax be?

What is the single person's effective tax rate?

3. Assignment Brief and Guidance

A person's credit score is becoming a very important part of their life, being used not only to evaluate lending capacity, but often used in decisions like hiring and renting/leasing housing. Access your free credit score using this link:

Please DO NOT share your score, but write a 1 to 2 paragraph response stating if you are content with it and whether or not it accurately reflects your current status. What could you do to improve it (if anything)? Remember, this is a fluid measure that can change.

4. Assignment Brief and Guidance

The big advantage to owning a home is that eventually (hopefully around retirement), you will no longer have a monthly payment for housing (although you will always have taxes and upkeep.) That said, home ownership is not always the good move.

Do you own, or hope to own in the near future? If not, what are your reasons for preferring to rent/lease?

5. Assignment Brief and Guidance

Conduct an internet search on Risk Tolerance Quiz (or Questionnaire). There are plenty to choose from, but you're encouraged to use one from a name you are somewhat familiar with. Take the quiz, then share your results in a paragraph or two.

What instrument did you use? (Copy and paste the url to the site into your response.) How tolerant or adverse to risk are you? Do you think that will always be your nature or is it a function of "where you are" in your life right now?

Do you exhibit the same type of tendencies in areas other than investing? Do you follow your natural inclination, or do you try to approach risks logically? (20 pts.)

6. Assignment Brief and Guidance

Use the internet to find a site or video that explains how to read stock quotations. Investopedia is one of the best, and there are several videos on YouTube.

While different publications use different formats, the basic info is the same. After you have read the chapter and conducted your research, answer the following questions related to the stock quotation attached.

Assume the quotations appeared in the Tuesday morning newspaper.

What is the least you could have purchased one share of Aaron's Inc. for in the past year?

What is the most one share of AAR CORP could have cost you in the past year?

What is the most one share of Abbot Lab traded for on Monday?

What was the closing price on Monday for AbbVie?

What will ABB ADR close at Tuesday?

Assignment Brief and Guidance

You've read about bonds, and should understand that they are basically agreements where you loan your money to a company (or other entity) who pays interest while it uses your money, then repays the principal.

If you were going to lend money to a company, which one would you choose and why? Remember, the bigger and safer the company, the lower the return; but if a company is too risky, you might lose everything. That said, what company out there do you think would be a good candidate to borrow money from you?