finance

1. Go to http://www.bloomberg.com/markets/rates-bonds/government-bonds/us/ and report the US Treasury yields on 3 month, 6 month, 12 month, and 10 year maturities. Is the yield curve upward or downward sloping? If you needed funds in six months, you could invest in two consecutive 3-month Treasury bonds or in one 6-month Treasury bond. Which strategy would you choose? Why?

2. Go to http://www.bankrate.com/checking.aspx. According to the website’s search engine, what is the highest rate offered on Money Market & Savings accounts locally? What is the highest rate offered on Interest Checking Accounts by internet-based banks? What are the minimum opening balances required to obtain those rates?

3. Historical mortgage rates are available at http://www.freddiemac.com/pmms/pmms30.htm. What are the lowest and highest annual average rates that have been charged in this data? When were they charged? What was the average rate charged in the year you were born? What was the average rate charged in the most recent data year?

4. Go to http://money.cnn.com/calculator/pf/debt-free/ and enter your information from your most recent credit card statement(s) to determine when you will be debt free. If you have no credit card debt, give yourself a pat on the back and ask a friend if you can compute when he or she will be debt free (or use national averages). Also, use your credit card information to explore http://www.consumercredit.com/financial- education/financial-calculators/debt-payoff-calculator.aspx. Finally, visit http://free- financial-advice.net/time-to-pay-debt.html to consider the impact of paying more on your credit cards. In addition, consider a $7,500 vehicle loan at 12% with monthly payments of $250. What will be the impact of paying an additional $50 per month?

5. Visit mypermissions.org and identify all the permissions you have allowed due to your use of social media over time. These permissions can possibly expose your account to identity theft. You may find that you granted some permission for creating accounts that you no longer use and these permissions can be eliminated to limit exposure. Report on what you learned from this service.

6. Go to youtube and search for video clips on “assessing your credit” or “credit cards”. Select a video clip on either of these topics that you would recommend for other students. Provide the web link and a compelling recommendation.

7. Go to http://www.finaid.org/calculators/loanpayments.phtml and calculate an estimate of the student loan payment for the national student debt average of $37,172 using their provided inputs. What is the loan payment? How much total interest will be paid?

8. Visit www.kbb.com to find the value of your dream car as well as the trade-in and resale values of your current vehicle. Is the resale value more or less than you expected?

9. Go to http://www.bankrate.com/calculators/mortgages/new-house-calculator.aspx to calculate an estimate of the value of home you will be able to afford. Use your estimated future monthly income and debt, including student loans, an interest rate of 6%, homeowner’s insurance of $1,000 per year, real estate taxes of $2,500 per year, and a down payment of $20,000. What is the home amount you can afford with a loan term of 30 years? What is it with a 15 year term? Search for homes in this price range in your desired city using realtor.com. How many homes meet your criteria? Are you surprised by the amount of house you can afford? How so?

10. Go to http://finance.yahoo.com/rates/. What are the rates offered for a 36 month used car loan in San Bernardino? These rates generally represent average rates in a specific area and may provide a useful benchmark for you to consider.

11. Review the Frequently Asked Questions at http://www.insurance.com/home-and-renters-

insurance/faq.aspx to learn something new about insurance. What did you learn?

Use the calculator at http://www.libertymutual.com/home-insurance/home- products/renters-insurance/renters-coverage-calculator to estimate the cost of renter’s insurance.