As millions of online college students continue to struggle with debt, the problem surrounding the lack of financial knowledge in the U.S. is growing. Once those students graduate with thousands of dollars in long-term liabilities, they often face a tough road to financial freedom. Hence why many households who may not have been in college for decades still carry balances on outstanding student loans with mind-boggling interest rates.
Luckily, both regular and online institutions of higher education are well aware of the fact that their costs put a lot of their alumni in unfavorable positions. To try and help them, almost all four-year schools are now offering financial classes that can be taken as electives. That means that folks who are not majoring in finance-related fields will still get a chance to improve their knowledge about spending. So, what would be the most valuable online classes that someone can leverage to learn how to handle money?
Personal Finance
According to Punch Associates, one of the most popular elective courses for many programs boils down to some form of personal finance. In other words, nearly every online institution should have it in their catalog. The reason why personal finance is an outstanding alternative is that it includes an extremely versatile and applicable material. Students who take the class will learn about everything from some basic types of budgets all the way to proper credit analysis.
Another great benefit of this class is the fact that it comes in different levels. That means that those who pass the introduction course of personal finance can go further and explore more advanced money management strategies. At one point, they could even qualify for a minor or certificate within the subject area and boost their future marketability.
Cost Accounting
The next option that many people are unaware of is cost accounting. While a lot of face-to-face courses require students to have taken financial accounting beforehand, online programs’ requirements are a bit looser. In translation, one could probably find a class that touches on the same topics as cost accounting almost effortlessly.
The foundation of the material here will revolve around managerial accounting that professionals in the business field use to successfully run their company’s production, finance, and similar. Although it may seem slightly unrelated, students can certainly take advantage of the course to learn many types of budgets and proper ways to analyze spending variance.
Financial Technology/Business Information
Finally, Punch Associates advises folks to look into some type of financial technology or business information software course that is offered online. The reason why is that many majors outside of the field of business do not teach anything about programs that are great for data analysis. Well, learning how to use Excel spreadsheets, for instance, can be incredibly advantageous when it comes to things like budgets, spending reports, savings, and much more.
Another benefit of a technology-based online course is the fact that one does not have to be a computer expert to do well. On the contrary, learning the most basic and essential tasks on certain money management programs or apps only mandates attention, patience, and curiosity. Successful completion will also usually mean that one has just attained some lifelong talents that will always come in handy