In this specialization, you’ll focus on the mechanics and intuition of the main building block of finance — the time value of money. You’ll learn the structure and basics through assignments and tests that are introductory in nature but with real-world applications.
We developed this specialization with the express purpose of enabling you to understand and apply these foundational principles of finance to your everyday life. Understanding how to use finance for personal decisions will also help you understand and excel at making professional decisions. After the successful completion of this series, you will be equipped to make thoughtful decisions based on a framework that uses multiple advances in modern financial theory over the past several decades. The most important features of this specialization are: (a) it is an integrated set of courses with a focus on understanding both the theory and applicability of finance; and (b) it is applied in execution — everything is covered using examples.
The four courses in this specialization all build on each other, use real-world examples, and include richly designed assessments/quizzes to test your knowledge and enhance your learning experience. Assessments will progressively build in complexity as you better understand the applicability of finance to complex issues.
Foundational Finance for Strategic Decision Making
University of Michigan via Coursera Specialization
Overview
Syllabus
Course 1: Introduction to Time Value of Money (TVM)
- Offered by University of Michigan. The strength of finance is that it takes a structured approach to decision making, with one key building ... Enroll for free.
Course 2: Advanced Concepts in Time Value of Money (TVM)
- Offered by University of Michigan. This course builds upon the fundamental concept of Time Value of Money (TVM) using more advanced ... Enroll for free.
Course 3: Stocks and Bonds
- Offered by University of Michigan. In this course, we will apply the central concept and applications of Time Value of Money (TVM) to ... Enroll for free.
Course 4: Advanced Understanding of Stocks and Bonds
- Offered by University of Michigan. This final course will cover more advanced aspects of bonds and stocks that will help you make smart ... Enroll for free.
- Offered by University of Michigan. The strength of finance is that it takes a structured approach to decision making, with one key building ... Enroll for free.
Course 2: Advanced Concepts in Time Value of Money (TVM)
- Offered by University of Michigan. This course builds upon the fundamental concept of Time Value of Money (TVM) using more advanced ... Enroll for free.
Course 3: Stocks and Bonds
- Offered by University of Michigan. In this course, we will apply the central concept and applications of Time Value of Money (TVM) to ... Enroll for free.
Course 4: Advanced Understanding of Stocks and Bonds
- Offered by University of Michigan. This final course will cover more advanced aspects of bonds and stocks that will help you make smart ... Enroll for free.
Courses
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In this course, we will apply the central concept and applications of Time Value of Money (TVM) to explore the structure and pricing of stocks and bonds at an introductory level. In this course, you will learn about bonds, different types of bonds (Zero Coupon bonds, Government bonds). You will learn about bond pricing calculations and see their direct connection to market data on bonds. You will also learn about stocks, and their pricing and valuation. You will learn about growth and dividend stocks and how to use market data. After completing this course, you will have an understanding of the two fundamental and pervasive ways in which savers transfer money to governments and corporations. You will be able to apply all this knowledge to personal investing decisions and, importantly, these same tools and frameworks are applicable to corporate decisions. This course is part of the four-course Foundational Finance for Strategic Decision Making Specialization.
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The strength of finance is that it takes a structured approach to decision making, with one key building block underlying all decisions — understanding the value of time, or the Time Value of Money (TVM). In this course, we will develop this building block using introductory, and simple, applications. We will learn about the Time Value of Money (TVM), Simple Future Value (FV) , Simple Present Value (PV) , Future Value of Annuity, Loans, compounding, and Valuing Perpetuities. We will introduce the framework in a carefully structured and replicable way to prepare you to explore more advanced applications in the rest of the specialization. In the follow-on courses, we will expand the applications to more complex real-world decisions. After completing this course, you will have an understanding of how the value of money changes over time. You will understand the implications of all your financial decisions, including saving for the future through different channels and borrowing for future needs. You will leave with the practical knowledge needed to make informed decisions on a wide range of financial decisions. This course is part of the four-course Foundational Finance for Strategic Decision Making Specialization.
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This course builds upon the fundamental concept of Time Value of Money (TVM) using more advanced applications and questions. You will apply the TVM concept in real-life problems of financial planning and saving for college. You will also learn more about loans and apply TVM concepts to borrowing and lending. You will realize that — while the applications are seemingly more complex, but when seen and broken-up into bite-size components — the framework, principles, and tools remain the same. After completing this course you will have an understanding of the detailed mechanics and reasoning behind any decision you make that has consequences for the future. The deeper exposure to financial transactions you will be applicable in any/all decisions. The great news is that these concepts and skills will transfer to your professional/business decisions. This course is part of the four-course Foundational Finance for Strategic Decision Making Specialization.
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This final course will cover more advanced aspects of bonds and stocks that will help you make smart personal decisions and develop a keen understanding of how governments and companies borrow from us. You will better understand stocks and bonds valuation and take a deeper dive using real-world problems. For stocks, you will review what you have already learned and understand valuation. You will learn about growth, different types of growth both bad and good. You will also get an opportunity to apply these concepts in practice assignments. For bonds: you will review what you have already learned. You will learn about different sources of risk in bonds. Lastly you will get an opportunity to apply these concepts in practice assignments. After completing this course, you will have a deeper understanding of how bonds and stocks are valued and the risks involved in both. You will be able to apply this knowledge to understand the workings of a company and how it creates value. This will enable you to invest with more confidence and also bring a special and critical lens to a company’s decisions. This course is part of the four-course Foundational Finance for Strategic Decision Making Specialization.
Taught by
Gautam Kaul
