Course code:

HS4058

Level:

MA - Intermediate/Advanced

Class size limit:

15

Meets the following requirements:

  • HS - Human Studies

Lab fee:

10

Typically offered:

Once every three years

Financial decisions are often a reflection of personal beliefs encompassing lifestyle, ethics, personal worth, security, and numerous other factors. Personal Finance and Impact Investing merges an exploration of personal financial choices with a broader exploration and introduction to impact investing. To ground the discussion, students will forecast and analyze their present and future financial needs, investigating various scenarios. Then the class will examine investing fundamentals and explore the emerging field of impact investing.

Impact investors use a multitude of investing strategies and mechanisms to simultaneously seek social, environmental, and financial returns. They create avenues for private investment to work alongside non-governmental organizations, large corporations, small businesses and others to help solve global and local problems. Impact investments have funded solutions in diverse arenas including food systems, climate change, poverty, affordable housing, clean technology, and public health.

Through readings, discussions and class projects students will explore the benefits and pitfalls of different strategies and the potential of investments to create social and environmental change. During the course, students will learn how to create financial projections and evaluate the financial returns of enterprises. For their final project, students will have to recommend an investment platform that generates returns financially, socially and/or environmentally. Students will be evaluated based on class participation, written assignments and verbal presentations.

Prerequisites:

None, but it is recommended that students have taken a prior Sustainable Business course such as Financials, Business and Nonprofit Basics, Sustainable Strategies, or Launching a New Venture.

Always visit the Registrar's Office for the official course catalog and schedules.