ECO 211 - Consumer Finance

Course Units: 1

(Not Offered this Academic Year) This course examines how consumers make decisions about borrowing, saving, and managing risk. The goal of this course is to learn how to think critically about these decisions. We will learn concepts such as time value of money, risk, and consumption smoothing. We will examine the markets for credit (credit cards, student loans, mortgages), saving/ investment (mutual funds, retirement plans, annuities), insurance and financial advice. We will ask why these markets sometimes fail and how regulation can help. Finally, we will examine how psychological biases influence consumers’ financial decisions and how private and public sectors can help in achieving better outcomes. Prerequisite(s): ECO 101 or permission of instructor.