BUS 253: Personal Finance – The Myths, Mysteries and Marvels of Money

There are many books available today offering advice about personal financial planning, presenting recommendations from a worldview that differs from that of the Christian tradition.  Choose a book (a sample of authors is listed below, and I have several resources available) and prepare a critical evaluation of the author’s approach to financial management. 

• Consider your initial answer from the first class: What does money mean to you? 
• Discern and discuss the author’s paradigms and conceptual frameworks, and their underlying worldview assumptions,
• Articulate how his or her paradigms and frameworks are shaped by a Western worldview. 
• Identify which paradigms and frameworks are valid and evaluate how they conflict with or can be used with integrity within a Christian frame of reference. 
• Conclude your report with a reflection of your response to the question “what does money mean to you” and how it may have developed or changed as you have read through your book selection.  

You will submit the name and author of the book you have chosen to evaluate no later than September 25^th.  No more than two students will read the same book. Authors include such individuals as David Bach, Suze Orman, David Campbell Lester, David Chilton, Robert Kiyosaki, Bruce Sellery, Gail Vaz-Oxley or Liz Weston.  The “Dummies” series also publishes a Personal Finance volume.

Your report is due at the beginning of class on October 16^th.