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Introduction to Personal Finance
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Introduction to Personal Finance
A Step-by-Step Guide to Financial Freedom

First Edition
January 2025 | 280 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
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Introduction to Personal Finance invites students to reflect on their values and behaviors with money and to set goals to reach financial freedom and financial wellness. Author Kristen Carioti provides clear, step-by-step guidance on the essential building blocks, from setting up an emergency fund, to navigating student loans and investing for retirement. Students are encouraged to evaluate their personal relationship with money and mindfully assess their behavior so they can set and reach achievable financial goals.
 
Part I: Your Relationship with Money
 
Chapter 1: Your Money, Your Story
 
Chapter 2: Defining Financial Freedom
 
Appendix: Time Value of Money
 
Part II: The Basics
 
Chapter 3: Banks and Money
 
Chapter 4: Introduction to Credit and Credit Cards
 
Chapter 5: Credit History and Identity Theft
 
Part III: Income and Expenses
 
Chapter 6: Income and Career Planning
 
Chapter 7: Expenses and Budgeting
 
Part IV: Loans and Debt
 
Chapter 8: Consumer Loans
 
Chapter 9: Debt
 
Part V: From College to Career
 
Chapter 10: Investing Fundamentals
 
Chapter 11: Investing Applications
 
Chapter 12: Taxes
 
Chapter 13: Insurance
 
Chapter 14: Housing
 
Part VI: Pathways to Financial Freedom
 
Chapter 15: Your Money, Your Future

Supplements

Instructor Resource Site
For additional information, custom options, or to request a personalized walkthrough of these resources, please contact your sales representative.

LMS cartridge included with this title for use in Blackboard, Canvas, Brightspace by Desire2Learn (D2L), and Moodle

The LMS cartridge makes it easy to import this title's instructor resources into your learning management system (LMS). These resources include:
  • Test banks
  • Editable chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides
  • Budget Template Spreadsheet
  • All tables and figures from the textbook
Don't use an LMS platform?

You can still access the online resources for this title via the password-protected Instructor Resource Site.

Carioti's Personal Finance textbook delivers key content on critical components of one's personal finance journey in a logically present/easy to understand format. Based on my 10+years of postsecondary experience teaching this course, I feel as though the students would easily relate to the presented content.

Mark Ryan
Hawkeye Community College

It is actually the best Personal Finance textbook I've seen. I don't even use a textbook anymore because I couldn't find one that I felt included all the topics I review in my class and that was easy to read for students. I think that students will find it an interesting read.

Tricia Hersel
Trine University

"Student performance after implementing Vantage is incredible...this is a really tangible way to see that."

Karen Deeming
Instructor, Merced College

"This is the smoothest student onboarding process I have ever experienced. Everything is syncing and the students were able to figure things out with almost no help from me."

Echo Leaver
Instructor, Salisbury University

This is an excellent introductory personal finance text. It meets students on an emotional level—dealing with that first before moving on to a task orientation.

Bruce Kline
University of Northern Colorado

"I am really excited to have tools that help motivate students to actually do the reading..."

Emily Hopkins
Instructor, University of Scranton

"My learners really enjoyed the SAGE Vantage experience. Many of them said it forced them to read, which aided in their comprehension…The feedback I received is that they all really enjoyed the interactive nature of the program, as well as the [number] of activities..."

Daniel Amoruso
Instructor, Boise State University

This book breaks complex topics down into manageable steps that students can integrate into their own financial planning. Students will enjoy the hands-on approach this book provides.

Dyan Pease
Sacramento City College

This a very good Personal Finance text. The material includes current thinking. There was a good bit of discussion about cryptocurrencies. Students need to be aware of these types of investments with a good amount of warning.

Walter F. Boyle
Methodist University

"I think that Vantage [is] an ideal system that will promote engagement of students."

Linda Trautman
Instructor, Ohio University
Key features
  • This text is available in Sage Vantage, an intuitive learning platform that integrates quality Sage textbook content with assignable multimedia activities and auto-graded assessments to drive student engagement and ensure accountability. Unparalleled in its ease of use and built for dynamic teaching and learning, Vantage offers customizable LMS integration and best-in-class support.
  • The Seven Steps to Financial Freedom framework provides a clear, ordered checklist of financial goals.
  • Financial Wellness Q & A boxes address emotional challenges related to personal finance. Sample topics include managing family expectations, dealing with familial identity theft, addressing money addictions, dealing with medical debt, and recognizing financial abuse.
  • Integrated throughout the chapters, Mindful Money provides actionable strategies for achieving financial goals and avoiding pitfalls.
  • Check Your Social features discuss the impact of social media on personal finance. Sample topics include implicit money messages, lifestyle creep, multi-level marketing (MLM) schemes, and no-spend challenges.
  • Each chapter ends with a summary, reflective and actionable homework questions, and two case studies, encouraging readers to apply and consider their own financial situations.

Sage College Publishing

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