Financial Literacy

A few simple concepts…

Interest
Taxes
Rates

Loans &
Insurance
Debt

Assets Credit

…is all you need to learn
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Interest Rates
Interest
Taxes Rates

Loans &
Insurance
Debt

Assets Credit


Interest Rates
 Interest is a fee paid to borrow or “rent” money. When
you borrow from someone, you pay this fee. When you
lend money like depositing in a saving account, you earn
this fee.

 There are two types of interest: simple and compound.


Simple Interest
 Simple interest is only calculated on the unpaid portion of
the principal amount borrowed, NOT on unpaid interests
accrued on it.

 The formula to calculate simple interest is:

where I is interest, r is interest rate and P is principal
amount.

Compound Interest
 Compound interest is calculated on the unpaid principal
amount borrowed PLUS on any unpaid interest accrued
on it.
 The formula to calculate compound interest is:

where I is interest, r is interest rate, P is principal and n is
number of compounding periods.


Compounding Effect
 Suppose you borrow $5,000 at the beginning of the year
to pay back at the end of the year from (a) a friend with
12% simple interest (b) on your credit card with a %12
interest rate (APR) compounded monthly. The interest is:

(a)

(b)


Fixed & Variable Rates
 Fixed interest rates are set when you borrow and don’t
change during the life of the loan.

 Variable or adjustable rates are subject to change as their
reference rate changes. Two reference rates are
commonly used:
 Prime: for example “Prime + 4.75%”

 LIBOR: for example “1 Year LIBOR + 3.25%”


Inflation
 Inflation is the rise in the general level of prices of goods
and services over a period of time, usually a year.

 Your cash loses its purchasing power by the inflation rate
just like a negative compound interest rate.

 If you have P dollars today, it is worth:

after n years if annual inflation rate is i (a constant).

APR
 Annual Percentage Rate or APR is not the real rate that
you pay on your loans. It is monthly interest rate times 12.

 To convert APR to Effective APR or the real interest rate
that you will pay on a loan use this formula:

Use Effective APR just like r or compound yearly interest
rate.

Loans & Debt
Interest
Taxes
Rates

Loans &
Insurance
Debt

Assets Credit


Loans
 Loans fall into two main categories:

 Secured: you pledge a collateral to get a loan such as

mortgages and auto loans.

 Unsecured: you get the loan without any collateral e.g.

unsecured credit card debt and student loans.

 If you default on a secured loan, the creditor will assume
the ownership of the collateral.

Loans
 The most common types of the loans are:
 Mortgage Loans

 Auto loans

 Student loans

 Credit card loans

 Home equity loans

 Equipment leasing


Common Characteristics of Loans
 Loan and grace periods: Loan period is the total duration
of the loan. It might be as short as one month for credit
card debt or as long as 30 years for home mortgages.
Grace period is a period of time in which someone is late
with a payment, but penalties are not incurred. For
example, credit cards have a typical 21 to 25 days grace
period, which starts when your statement is issued.


 Interest rate: A loan might have a fixed or variable
interest rate. A variable interest rate might change
considerably during the loan period, especially for longer-
term loans. If your interest rate changes, your monthly
payment will also change and might increase
considerably. Also, the lender may increase your interest
rate significantly if you miss a payment.


 Repayment schedule: A loan may have fixed repayment
schedule which means you pay fixed installments over the
repayment period, for example $5,00 per month for two
years. Or a loan may have graduated repayment schedule
starting with lower installments that increase after a
period, for example you may pay $200 for the first six
months and then your installments increase to $700.


 Security: Security is what you pledge to the lender as
collateral. For mortgages, it is the house itself and for
auto loans, it is the car. If you default on your loan, the
lender will take over the ownership of your collateral.

 Pay attention to these four characteristics and other fees
and conditions when you apply for a loan. They should be
100% known to you before you commit to anything.

Mortgage Loans
 Mortgages are the loans for home buyers to purchase a
property which is used as the collateral for the loan.

 Home buyers can usually borrow up to 80% of the home value
based on their credit history and income.

 Mortgages can have fixed or variable interest rates and their
duration varies from 15 to 30 years.

 borrowers need to submit several documents including their
credit history and home value appraisal to secure a mortgage.

Auto Loans
 Auto loans are usually offered by financing units of car
companies and have a duration of 36, 48, or 60 months.

 The car is the collateral of the loan and the buyer usually
is expected to pay a down payment in addition to dealer
fees and sales tax as soon as the loan is approved.

 The car needs to be insured for the duration of the loan.


Student Loans
 Student loans are offered to pay for educational expenses, and
to qualify for them, the borrower needs to have been
admitted to an accredited, degree-awarding program.

 Federal student loans in the U.S. can have fixed interest rates,
but private student loans have variable interest rates.

 The borrower usually doesn’t need to start paying back the
loan while he is in college.


Credit Card Loans
 Credit card companies usually treat any unpaid balances
on a credit card as a loan with credit card APR.
 Credit card loans generally have very high variable
interest rates which can be bumped up significantly if a
payment is missed.
 Pay attention to the credit card APR and fees when you
apply for one and never carry a credit card debt.


Home Equity Loans
 Home equity loan is a loan that you receive from a bank
by putting your home as collateral.

 They are like mortgages but the home is not actually
being bought or sold.


Equipment Leasing
 In equipment leasing, an actual equipment such as a truck or a
computer equipment is loaned or rented for a series of
payments.

 Lease agreements might have fixed or renewable period and
the borrower may have the option of purchasing the
equipment at the end of the lease period at a predefined price.

 Most common types of leases are home rents and car leases.


Loan Calculations
 Regardless of the type of the loan, if the interest rate,
period, and principal amount are known, the periodical
(usually monthly) payments can be calculated using this
formula:

P is the periodical payment, L is the principal, r is the
interest rate and n is the number of periods.

Loan Calculations
 Suppose you have got $10,000 with an APR of 6% (0.5%
per month) to pay back in 10 years (120 months). Your
monthly payment will be:

 Over the life of the loan, you will totally pay:


Credit
Interest
Taxes
Rates

Loans &
Insurance
Debt

Assets
Credit


Consumer Credit
 Your creditworthiness determines how much credit and under
which terms you receive as different kinds of loans from lenders.

 In the U.S., three credit bureaus collect financial records of
individuals: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.

 When you ask for credit from a lender, it obtains a copy of your
credit history from one of these bureaus. Based on your credit
history, it decides to approve or reject your loan request.


Credit History
 Financial institutions report how you use or misuse your
credit to the credit bureaus.
 Sometimes credit histories might contain errors. Because
it has such a big impact on your life, you had better
monitor your credit history regularly.
 You can get a free copy of your credit records per year
from here: http://www.annualcreditreport.com/


Credit Score
 Credit score is a number representing the creditworthiness of
a person or the likelihood that he will pay his debts

 Credit score in the United States ranges from 300 to 850 with
a credit score more than 750 considered excellent.

POOR WEAK FAIR GOOD EXCELLENT

300 620 660 720 750 850


Credit Score
 Credit score is calculated from five categories of data in
your credit report.

Payment History (35%)

Amounts Owed (30%)

Length of Credit History (15%)

New Credit (10%)

Types of Credit Used (10%)


Improving Credit Score
 Pay your bills on time. If you have missed a payment, get and
stay current.
 If you are having problem making ends meet, consult with a
financial counselor.
 Keep balances low on your credit cards. Pay your credit card
bills in full every month.
 Don’t open too many credit cards in a short period of time.
 Use your credit cards from time to time.


Credit Rights
 Based on the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) in the U.S.:
 You have the right to receive a free and complete copy of your
credit report once per year.
 If you are denied credit, you have the right to know why, and a copy
of your credit report that based on it the decision was taken.
 You have the right to know who has accessed your credit record
during the past year (for most purposes).
 You have the right to dispute the accuracy of your credit report and
the credit bureau is legally obligated to investigate your dispute.

Assets
Interest
Taxes
Rates

Loans &
Insurance
Debt

Credit
Assets


Assets
 In addition to cash, real estate, and equipments, these
four classes of assets are commonly owned by individuals
for investing or retirement saving:
 Public companies stocks

 Governmental and corporate bonds

 Options

 Exchange traded funds (ETF)


Trading Assets
 In order to trade these four classes of assets, you will need
to open an investment account with a brokerage firm.
 Most brokerage firms don’t charge a fee to open an
investment account. You are charged only when you buy or
sell assets.
 In the U.S., you need to have a valid social security number
to open an investment account .


Trading Assets
 These classes of assets are usually traded on stock exchanges.

 Two of the largest stock exchanges in the U.S. are New York
Stock Exchange (NYSE) and NASDAQ.

 When you want to trade a particular asset, you will place an
order through your investment account. Your order flows
through the computerized trading system in one of the stock
exchanges and is executed.


Trading Assets
 By opening a free investment account you will get
access to many investment reports and educational
materials even if you don’t plan to actively trade.

 But if you do not know enough about investing, do
NOT trade without consulting with a professional
first. Otherwise, you are almost sure to lose money.


Stocks
 Stock of a publicly traded company represents its value in the
market or its market cap.

 Stock of a company is divided to a number of shares that can be
bought in the stock market if it is a public company.

 When you buy a number of shares of a company, you will
become one of its shareholder. You will own a piece of that
company and are entitled to a portion of all its future revenues.


Stocks
 Some companies pay out a portion of their profits, called
dividend, to their shareholders every year.
 Share prices fluctuate on the stock market every day
during trading hours. Share of a company goes up if
investors expect its profit will increase in future and vice
versa.
 You can see live share prices at http://google.com/finance


Stock Charts
 You can track the price of a stock on the stock charts


Common Characteristics of Stock
 Every public company has a unique symbol on the stock
market called the ticker. For example, the ticker of General
Electric is GE, and the ticker of Wall Mart is WMT.
 Other information you will find on the stock charts are:
 Day trading range: the range between the lowest and the
highest price on the trading day.
 52 week hi & low: the lowest and the highest price in the past 52
weeks


 Opening and closing prices: opening and closing price of

the trading day.

 Trading volume and average volume: the number of traded

shares of that specific stock during the trading day and the
average trading volume per day.

 Market cap: the total value of all shares of the company in

the market.


 P/E: price per earning, current share price divided by the

company’s profit per share in the past year. It basically
means how much you have to pay to buy one dollar of the
company’s profit if you buy its shares at the current price.

 Dividend & yield: the amount of the dividend that the

company pays for every share you hold in a year and its
percentage of current share price.


 EPS: earning per share, how much profit the company has had in

the past year for each of its shares.

 Shares: the number of company’s shares.

 Beta: How fast the share price of the company moves comparing

to the market average.

 Institutional ownership: what percentage of the company is

owned by institutions like pension funds rather than individuals.


Stock Indexes
 A stock index is an average of the prices of a certain number of
stocks in the stock market which shows the overall direction of
the market. This average is usually weighted by the market cap
of each company included in it.

 The most famous stock indexes in the U.S. are:

 Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA): contains 30 of the largest

and most influential companies in the U.S. DJIA is not weighted.


Stock Indexes
 Standard & Poor’s 500 (SPX): contains 500 of the mostly-

held companies in the U.S. and is usually seen as the
benchmark of the U.S. stock market.

 NASDAQ Composite Index (NSAD): contains all companies

that are traded on NASDAQ stock exchange. It mostly
contains technology stocks.


Bonds
 Bonds are promissory notes issued by governments or
companies to borrow money. When you buy a bond, you
actually lend your money to its issuer to receive it back at
some time in future (maturity date) plus some interest.

 Bonds are considered safer investment than stocks and
their prices are less volatile than stock prices.


Bonds
 Bonds may be issued by:
 National governments - in the U.S. by the U.S. Treasury

 State and local governments, which are called muni

 Corporations

 U.S. government bonds are divided into three categories:
 Treasury bills: maturity date up to one year

 Treasury notes: maturity date between one and ten years

 Treasury bonds: maturity date more than ten years


Common Characteristics of Bonds
 Face or par value: is the amount of money a holder will receive
back once a bond matures. This is not the price one pays to buy
a bond. Bonds may be sold more than their face value (at a
premium) or less than their face value (at a discount).
Corporate bonds usually have a face value of $1,000.
 Coupon: is the amount the bondholder will receive as interest
payments usually as a percent of its face value per year. A bond
with no coupon payments is called zero-coupon.


 Maturity: is the future day on which the investor's principal
(bond face value) will be repaid.
 Issuer: the institution that has issued the bond. U.S.
government bonds are considered very safe. Other bonds are
less safe than Treasury bonds. Three rating agencies in the U.S.
rate bonds. These rates range from AAA to D. Bonds with
rating lower than BBB are called junk bonds which means
investing in them have the risk of losing your money.


 Yield: is yearly total of coupons (interest) paid divided by
the face value of the bond. It is actually the rate of return
on the money you have lent.

 When the prevailing interest rate in the economy (Prime
Rate in the U.S.) goes up the prices of bonds fall and vice
versa. Also price of a bond has inverse relationship with
its current yield (yearly interest divided by current price).

Options
 Option is a contract that gives you the right to buy or sell
shares of an underlying stock at a predefined price (strike
price) on or before a specific date (expiration date).
 There are two categories of options:
 Call options: give you the right to buy shares

 Put options: give you the right to sell shares

 You can buy or sell both call and put options even if you don’t
own the underlying stock.

Option Symbols
CVX 01/21/2012 80 P VZ 01/21/2011 22.5 C
I II III IV I II III IV

I. Underlying stock, most of the times its ticker with one
or two additional letters
II. Expiration date
III. Strike price

IV. Option type (put or call)


ETFs
 ETFs are investment funds managed by professional investors
that can be traded on the stock market just like stocks.
 ETFs may invest in stocks, bonds, options, currencies, or
commodities.
 For those who are not professional investors and don’t actively
manage their investments, ETFs might be a good alternative.
 Many ETFs can also be bought directly from the fund company
or through brokerages with no fees.


ETFs
 Many ETFs have been designed to track a specific index such
as iShares S&P 500 Index (IVV) or Vanguard Total Stock Market
Index (MUTF:VTSMX).
 Pay attention to the expenses that ETFs charge you before
investing in them.
 The 1, 3, and 5 year return numbers advertised by ETFs can be
very misleading. Don’t rely on these numbers alone when
deciding to invest in an ETF.

Insurance
Interest
Taxes
Rates

Loans &
Insurance
Debt

Assets Credit


Insurance
 Insurance takes care of the risks that you cannot cover by your
own financial means if they affect you for a (usually) monthly
payment which is called premium.
 Most common types of insurances for individuals are:
 Property or home insurance

 Auto insurance

 Health insurance

 Life insurance


Property Insurance
 Property or home insurance provides protection against
most risks to property, such as fire, theft and some
weather damage.

 Typical home insurances exclude some perils such as
earthquake, flood, and war, but you can separately
purchase specific insurances for them.


Types of home Insurances
 The typical home insurance policies in the U.S. are:

 HO1 – Basic: It covers 11 listed perils including fire and

lighting, windstorm, vandalism, theft, damage from car or
aircraft, and personal liability. It excludes earthquake and
flood.

 HO2- Broad: It covers 17 listed perils including all 11

covered by HO1.


 HO3 – Special: It is the most comprehensive coverage for
single-family homes. It covers everything that is not
explicitly excluded.
 HO4- Renter’s insurance: It is for the tenants of a home not
the homeowners.
 HO5- Premier: It includes all coverage in HO3 plus some
more. If the cause of a loss is not specifically excluded in
the policy, it is covered.

 HO6 – Condominium: this type of policy is for owners of

condominium.

 HO8 – Older houses: this type of policy is for the owner-

occupied older homes.


Auto Insurance
 Auto insurance is purchased for cars, trucks, and other
vehicles to provide protection against losses incurred as
the result of traffic accidents and against the liability that
can be incurred in an accident.

 Liability insurance is mandatory in most states and the
driver needs to carry the poof of insurance in his car all
the time.

Auto Insurance Terms
 Liability coverage: provides coverage for bodily injury
(BI) or property damage (PD) for which the insured driver
is at fault.

 Collision coverage: provides coverage for the insured
vehicle damages in an accident, subject to a deductible.
When you rent a car, this coverage is called Collision
Damage Waiver (CDW) or Loss Damage Waiver (LDW).

 Comprehensive coverage: provides coverage for the insured
vehicle that is damaged by incidents not considered collisions
such as fire, theft, vandalism, and weather, subject to a
deductible.

 Full coverage: collision and comprehensive coverage together.

 Loss of use coverage: pays for rental expenses when the
insured vehicle is repaired due to a covered loss.


 Uninsured motorist coverage: provides coverage if an at-
fault driver involved in an accident either does not have
insurance or has less than enough insurance.

 Loan/lease payoff coverage: pays for the difference of
the amount the owner of the insured vehicle owes on his
auto loan or lease and the coverage from his auto
insurance if the car is damaged beyond economical repair.

 Roadside assistance coverage: provides coverage for
tows that are related to mechanical breakdowns, flat
tires, and gas outages.

 Personal property coverage: provides coverage for
personal items in a vehicle damaged due to an
accident and are not attached to the vehicle and thus are
not covered by the principal insurance.

Health Insurance
 Health insurance plans vary widely in different countries. In
the United States, health insurance is usually provided by
employers or individuals buy it from private insurers. State-
provided health insurance is only available to the retired and
low-income families (Medicare and Medicaid).
 In some other countries, the state provides basic health
insurance and additional insurance can be bought from private
insurers.


Health Insurance Terms
 Premium: the monthly payment that the insured individual or his
employer pays for the health insurance.
 Deductible: the amount that the insured individual has to pay out of
his pocket before the insurer pays its share. The insurance actually
starts paying if healthcare costs exceed its deductible amount.
 Co-payment: the amount that the insured individual has to pay for
each doctor visit or service out of his pocket.
 Exclusions: services that are not covered by the insurance policy.


Health Insurance Terms
 Coinsurance: the percentage of the total healthcare costs that the
insured individual is responsible for, instead or in addition to co-
payment.
 Coverage limit: The maximum healthcare costs that the insurer pays
in any case.
 Out-of-pocket maximum: The maximum amount the insured
individual has to pay for his healthcare costs under insurance plan.
 In-network provider: A healthcare provider, such as a doctor or
hospital, that is preferred or allowed by the insurer.


Life Insurance
 Life insurance is a contract between the policy owner and the
insurer whereby the insurer agrees to pay a sum of money to
the beneficiaries if the insured individual dies or becomes
critically ill.
 In life insurance the policy owner and the insured individual
might be different persons.
 Three important factors that affects life insurance premiums
are age, gender, and use of tobacco.

Types of Life Insurance
 Term insurance: provides life insurance coverage for a
specified number of years for example 10, 20, or 30 years
in exchange for a specified premium.

 Permanent Life Insurance: is a type of life insurance that
remains in effect until the policy matures and pays out.
The policy cannot be canceled by the insurer except for
fraud in the application.

Taxes
Taxes
Interest
Rates

Loans &
Insurance
Debt

Assets Credit


Taxes
 Tax is a financial charge or levy on a taxpayer by a
national or local government with the authority to punish
failure to pay according to law.

 Taxes are often calculated as a percentage. Tax tables
contain marginal rates. Marginal rate is the rate you pay
for that portion of your income that falls into its bracket.
Effective tax rate is average tax rate for your total income.

Tax Rates
 For example if you were to file your U.S. federal income tax in
2009 as the head of household (versus single or married filing
jointly), you would have to use the following tax table:
Taxable Income Rate
$0 - $11,950 10%
$11,951 - $45,500 15%
$45,501 - $117,450 25%
$117,451 - $190,200 28%
$190,201 - $372,950 33%
$372,951 & Over 35%

Tax Rates
 Based on this table, a head of household with $87,500
taxable income in 2009 has to pay (excluding tax credits):

 His effective tax rate will be:


Tax Deductions
 A tax deductible expense such as interest on your home
mortgage is an expense that you can deduct from your total
income before you calculate its income taxes. It lowers your
income tax by bringing down your taxable income. It does NOT
lower your tax dollar by dollar.
 You can deduct a tax credit such as first-time home buyer tax
credit directly from your payable tax. Therefore it brings down
your payable tax dollar by dollar.


Types of Taxes
 Capital gain tax: charged on the profit made by selling a capital
asset such as a stock or bond.
 Income tax: charged on the financial income of individuals and
corporations.
 Estate tax: charged on the transfer of the taxable estate of a
deceased person.
 Property tax: charged on the owners of real estate.

 Sales tax: charged when a product is sold to the final consumer.


There is more on…

 For more detailed information about topics on this
presentation please visit:

Visit: http://www.outflyers.com/investing/financial-literacy


Q&A


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Financial Literacy

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