CS 340 / SW 672

Building Financial Assets and Capability for Vulnerable Families

Goals:

Understand that factors that impact individual financial security
Learn about strategies for managing cash flow, credit and debt, savings
Understand the potential for private market financial services solutions for underserved populations
Learn how public programs support economic stability
Learn how to assess and prevent household financial problems in direct practice
Apply your skills to develop tools and resources to support local programs or providers

Resources:

This course is designed in Canvas. All assignments and projects will be managed on online. This course emphasizes applied learning, especially written and oral communication skills in a professional context. Most classes we will be using case studies based on four families described in the text. We will also use some outside materials-mostly online and embedded into class session pages.

We will have one book-- Financial Capability and Asset Building in Vulnerable Households: Theory and Practice by Margaret Sherraden, Julie Birkenmaier, and J. Michael Collins.

Course time: Tuesdays and Thursdays 1:00PM-2:15PM

Location: Microbial Sciences Building Room 1420

Client Project Instructions

Topics/Sessions:

9/6 Course Intro	9/11 Financial Capability	9/13 Financial Portrait	9/18 History
9/20 Products	9/25 Balance Sheets	9/27 Income	10/2 Taxes
10/4 Spending	10/9 Long Term Savings	10/11 Emergency Savings	10/16 Practice
10/18 Credit	10/23 Debt	10/25 Bankruptcy & Garnishment	10/30 Managing Shocks
11/1 Life Course (No Class)	11/6 Higher Education	11/8 ID Theft	11/13 Housing
11/15 Retirement	11/20 Group Projects (No Class)	11/27 Estates	11/29 Insurance
12/4 Careers	12/6 Client Presentations	12/11 Client Presentations & Course Evaluations	12/13 Final Project Submission Group Member Evaluation (No Class-Study Day)

What to Expect

You should expect the work load for this class to require 5-6 hours of attention weekly (on average). Course content is presented in the order above. The topics for each session are above, with links to the materials for that session. Some sessions most of the work will be online before the class session. There are also projects with community-based clients. Working with clients on projects will involve meetings off campus, conference calls and other methods of communications as needed.

Assignments include...

Assigned readings for each session
Online discussions
In class tasks or activities
Online weekly quizzes
Individual applied projects
Peer Reviews for other students
Client Sponsored Projects (including group work)

Instructor

Madelaine L'Esperance

4249 Nancy Nicholas Hall

mlesperance@wisc.edu

248-837-5336

Office Hours: Mondays 3PM-4PM and Wednesdays 11AM-12PM (Except Weds., 11/21)

Questions? Post any general course or assignment questions online: Course Questions or Other Issues

No late work is accepted in this course. No exceptions.