Hi, I'm Peter Navarro and I'll be your professor for this course on managing your time, money and career. I've been a professor at UC Irvine business school here in Sunny California, for over 25 years, and I'm delighted to be able to share with you some insights about personal finance and management. Usually reserve for my MBA students. >> And I'm Alex LeBon. I'm an undergraduate student majoring in physics that experienced firsthand most of the issues and problems we're going to be talking about in this course. You will be seeing and hearing me throughout the video lessons, and I will be helping explain and translate the business and economics concepts from Professor Navarro to your everyday lives as a student. >> Here then is the deal. This course is designed to be both practical and fun. And it should be a very low stress experience. >> If you simply view the online lectures a couple of times, take the quizzes, You should get a very high rate of return on this educational investment. >> As for the topics you will be studying, they range from budgeting, borrowing and credit score management to saving and investing, insurance, taxes and even entrepreneurship. >> And one note about the content. In most of your classes, the lessons will be structured in a clear progression where each lesson builds on the next as the material becomes more and more difficult. But that's not what we will be doing here. >> That's right, Alex. Each of the lessons in this class more or less stand on their own. But they are also highly related to at least some of the other lessons, as if in a web. >> For example, in one lesson we'll teach the concept of having a plan for your money. But in other lessons we will show you related concepts like investment strategies and credit. >> So keep that in mind while you're going through the lessons, and don't be afraid to go back to lessons to keep your knowledge fresh when we reference a particular subject outside of it's lesson. >> And here's my first key tip for you. One of the most powerful things about a Coursera course is the community discussion forums. >> That's right, be sure to post your questions, personal insights or additional related resources. While Alex and I cannot answer all of your questions, the vast community of learners in the course can help fill that gap. And you will benefit greatly from the collective insights of your fellow students. >> So now, let's get ready for what should be a very interesting ride. Jump right into the first lesson, and enjoy the course. [BLANK AUDIO]