CS 340 / SW 672

Building Financial Assets and Capability for Vulnerable Families

Remote Learning End of Semester Resources:

End of Semester Office Hours:

Monday and Wednesday from 4PM - 5PM via BlackBoard

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: Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:00PM - 5:15PM

Location: Ingraham Hall, Room 115

Group Agreements: Our commitments to ourselves and each other

Client Project Instructions

Topics/Sessions:

1/22 Course Intro	1/27 Financial Capability	1/29 Financial Portrait	2/3 History
2/5 Products	2/10 Balance Sheets	2/12 Income	2/17 Taxes
2/19 Spending	2/24 Long Term Savings	2/26 Emergency Savings	3/2 Practice
3/4 Credit	3/9 Debt	3/11 Bankruptcy and Garnishment	3/23 ID Theft
3/25 Higher Education	3/30 Managing Shocks	4/1 Life Course (NC)	4/6 Housing
4/8 Retirement	4/13 Insurance	4/15 Estates	4/20 Group Projects
4/22 Careers	4/27 Client Presentations	4/29 Client Presentations & Course Evaluations	Due 5/6: Final Project Submission Group Member Evaluation

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

Steph Harrill Kyle

harrill@wisc.edu

608-999-0542

Office Hours: Mondays at 5:15PM after class; via Canvas Chat Fridays 9AM - 10M

and by appointment at a time that works for you.

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