A Solution to Financial ILLITERACY

            I’ve been talking to a variety of people lately telling them that my wife and I are trying to get pre-approved for a home loan. I told my brother in law the other day and we started talking about the process. My sister in law heard and voiced the question to no one in particular “how do you know all of this stuff?” To which my brother in law replied, “Nobody knows this stuff. You just learn it baptism by fire.”

www.Choice.com

            That occasion made me think quite a bit over the last several days. That’s quite a demanding baptism if you ask me, to go through that process learning as you go, seeing as it may be one of the most important processes of your life. You would think that most if not all college students would be knowledgeable about these kinds of financial fundamentals and be able to handle their money well, but the truth is we don’t really know much about it at all. I think that it would in the best interest of all if Dixie State College were to take the reins, help out the community by helping its own students, and sponsor a free course in financial basics.

            It would probably seem logical to first say why we need this kind of program at Dixie State College. According to a 2009 survey, www.Credit.com states that “84% of undergraduates admitted the need for more financial management education. Of these, 64% would have preferred some type of financial literacy education in high school and 40% as college freshman.” What an overwhelming majority. I agree wholeheartedly with the 64% that it would be nice to have been taught this in high school. Unfortunately, that opportunity has been lost for me as well as all other Dixie students.  But now is the perfect chance to redeem that.

            A possible overview of the course could look as follows. The lessons could be done once a week for say a 1 hour or 1 ½ hour block, for four to six weeks in a row depending on the subject material to be covered. One to two subjects per night could be taught in the allotted time. The instructor would break the subjects down into basic units and go over each of them. The education could be given 2-3 times per year.

            Lectures could include topics such as creating a basic budget, credit, building credit, credit cards, when to get a credit card, what kind of credit card to get, avoiding debt, home loans, mortgages, pre-applying for a home loan, basic investing and retirement savings, stocks, mutual funds, bonds, reading bank statements, interest rates and how they are compounded as well as the different types, common tax errors, etc. I feel like I personally know next to nothing about most of these subjects, and I would imagine that the majority of my peers do not know much about them either.

This program could be instituted at minimal to no cost for Dixie State College. The college could use any classroom on the campus. While I haven’t looked personally, I believe that someone who is certified would be interested to teach a course if offered the chance. It would be very beneficial to them. Whether it is a realtor, or banker, or CPA, or CFA, based on their personal circumstances, they may have a need to do community service or they may be looking for a chance to boost their resume or credentials. What better incentive than to teach a free community course in finance basics sponsored by the city college? Likewise it would look good for Dixie State College. They would be seen as reaching out to the community to help. This would also look good in a time where Dixie State College is looking to become accredited as a university.

            On the website www.houstoncpa.org there is an example of such a group of CPAs who are offering free financial courses in Texas as community service. “20-20 Power Workshops start in September with weekly evening college-style classes… CPAs present materials, as well as mentor goal-oriented families to increase their income and net-worth by 20% in one year.” I trust that this kind of opportunity could also be found in St. George.

Perhaps a mutual agreement of sorts could be reached between Dixie State College and a local business, be it a real estate office, or accountant’s office. For example, Dixie State College could provide free advertisement privileges to a limited extent at Dixie State College sporting events in exchange for the course being taught. However, whoever ends up teaching should not be soliciting to obtain business for themselves before, during, or after the actual classroom instruction. It should also be someone who is not only educated about this subject but who is also fully capable of teaching and relating the material in an attractive and appealing manner. Know that much of the courses’ success will rest upon the charisma and charm of the instructor or instructors as they teach these rather dry topics.

Even writing this, I can imagine that students being told about this would say, “Hey that’s a really good idea, I think I might go to that.” and then not actually attend when it comes down to it. Therefore, aiming to get students to attend is also key. This would be done through advertising. Advertising in the form of student approaches could be done as service by the student council or other students looking for community service. It could also be done at college events. Incentives could also be provided for attendance. I would bet that if there was to be one or two IPod Shuffles raffled off at the end of each class session, the attendance and interest would both go up. And even if a little money is to be spent on the course (one IPod Shuffle retails for $49.95), is it not worth it to have graduating students at least competent when it comes to managing their money?

            It would definitely be in the interest of the college and its students if such a program existed for it would benefit the students who wish to have this kind of essential knowledge (no, I’m not proposing that this be mandatory, but even that option should not be thrown out) and in turn reflect positively on Dixie State College.

            I admit the suggestions and opinions in this essay are my own and that the number of possibilities in which one could implement this financial course are myriad, however, I would also point out that I am definitely not the only one who regrets having gotten to the point where he’s sitting in front of the loan officer and realizes he knows next to nothing about what he’s doing. Baptism by fire? There is a better, more worth-while way of doing things.

Dear Youtube: you're just not as cool as you used to be.

There needs to be some different choices regarding advertisements on the website Youtube. The Popular site has exploded in recent years and rightfully so. Anything you want to see that is educational or awesome, you can, and very quickly too. Anything you want to learn, you can. Often however, when you click on a particular video you would like to view, a mandatory advertisement ranging anywhere from 15-30 seconds will play. Sure, you can mute the sound if you want, but you just can't skip the thing. Isn't this one of the popular features of DVR? So we don't have to be bombarded with this anymore?

When I want my Bieber, I want it now.

In the film "The Social Network," advertisements are said to be, "just not cool." Well, Mark Zuckerberg was right with that idea. They just aren't cool. I think users would like to see some options like a skip ad button or an ad disable feature provided by Youtube. I think that this kind of site should be more about what the fans and users want.

                When People navigate a site like Youtube, they don’t want to waste their time with advertisements, therefore, there should be more options provided by Youtube to get around them if a user so chooses, thereby creating a win-win for both the user and Youtube.

The Best Soup Joint in St. George

When you walk in, you'll most likely be greeted by some swell song like, "Mr. Sandman," or "Lollipop, Lollipop." You'll see multiple shelves lined with classic longneck soda bottles and you'll see baskets with candy in them. This is Judd's Store on Tabernacle, and it is the best place in St. George to have a hot bowl of soup.

Part of the reason why I think that Judd's Store is the best place in St. George to have a hot bowl of soup is obviously because of the atmosphere. It's a treat and it really adds to the fun. The music is reflective of the diner days, the hand dipped ice cream is a delight and it just feels like what this kind of joint should feel like. There are several classic restaurants like this in town providing a bit of nostalgia, and they are all good, but in none of them will you get a bowl of soup this scrumptious.

Made in the store every day with fresh ingredients, you've got flavors like cheesy chicken and broccoli, chicken dumpling, southwestern chicken chili, and chicken enchilada. I asked one of the nice ladies who work at Judd's about the soup and she said, "There’s really not a soup here that people don't like." Together, the quality of the soup and the rich atmosphere make Judd's Store on Tabernacle the best place in St. George to have a hot bowl of soup.

It's an Alienware m11x invasion, the NETBOOK that GAMES.

If you were to google, “the most powerful netbook in the universe,” the first hit you will get will regard the Alienware m11x netbook, and most of the rest of the hits will have “Alienware” on the page as a reference or the main topic. Long has the brand Alienware been deemed the epitome of the PC gaming community, and now all of that powerhouse technology is housed inside of a netbook roughly the size of three stacked magazines.



pic. courtesy of www.dell.com



            If I had to sum up the physical appearance of this netbook in two words it would have to be… downright sexy. From the durable looking black outer casing to the square and boxy frame, this netbook, measuring in at slightly over 11 inches long, looks more like a Camaro than it does a computer. It feels a bit heavier compared to netbooks of similar size but this is not necessarily a bad thing. The build feels of a high quality. The most eye-catching features however, lie within. Upon opening the mini laptop, (if it’s powered on) you will see the Alienware exclusive backlighting system which is completely customizable to be any number of bright and vivid colors at any time. Whether you prefer a hellish and aggressive red, a cooling blue, a futuristic bumble-bee yellow, or a deep grass green is your choice.

            Now on to the functionality. When you were younger, your mother may have said to you,” It’s not what’s on the outside, but what’s on the inside that counts!” or something to that effect. Well, she was probably thinking of this netbook. The compilation of this grade of hardware in a body so small was revolutionary to the PC gaming community. The processor, RAM and graphics card all team up together to run high end games like Crysis, Counterstrike, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and Call of Duty: Black Ops on medium to high settings without much of a problem. Keep in mind that this is a NETBOOK. Don’t be fooled though. The developers had in mind to make this an ultra portable netbook completely compatible with most if not all of the most recent and cutting edge games, and they absolutely succeeded. However, this machine is not exclusively for the hardcore gamer enthusiast or even the casual gamer, but for anyone who has even moderate media and laptop portability needs. Be it the businessman with a presentation in the office working with PowerPoint (yes the speakers are amazing too), the college student with far too many gigabytes of music and a constant need for internet connection, the small family with a fondness for Netflix, or the architect with his blueprint rendering programs. My point is, yes, this laptop was made with high end graphics components specifically designed to give gamers an on the go laptop, but it doesn’t matter, because anyone can run pretty much any program on it.

            It also sports multiple ports which allow it to be hooked up to high definition television. So if you’re worried about the small screen size… you needn’t be. You can connect it to your 32 inch plasma TV… or 46 inch… or 70 inch. Anyone up for a movie?

            The value of the idea of this type of laptop is important to PC gamers for three specific reasons: It is ultra portable, allowing one to share with friends and attend LAN parties and events as they please. It is high end, allowing one to play the hottest and most demanding games. And above all, it is CHEAP. The base price for this model on Dell.com starts at 799$ with options to upgrade. Comparable models, while I won't cite any here, are usually several hundred dollars more with less powerful components. 

            I'll sum it up like this: If you were in ancient Egypt, the Alienware m11x netbook would be the monumental sculpture to which you would pray. It is the item which PC gamers covet and it is the epitome of the PC gaming community, because without this type of PC,  let's face it, there would be no community.