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Education

University of Phoenix LogoNormally, when you want to be accepted into a university to study towards completion of a Master’s degree, schools require potential students to take the GMAT, a standardized test.

The University of Phoenix does not have this requirement. The school has a different philosophy for accepting students. [click to continue…]

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University of Phoenix LogoIn August, I completed my Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree with the University of Phoenix Online. I’m putting together a series about the entire experience.

When I started working for my current employer in 2002, I decided to take advantage of the practically free education they were offering, 90% reimbursement for any work-related classes passed. (Later on, the conditions for 90% reimbursement changed to only courses passed with a “C” average or above.) The MBA seemed to be a good fit for me, and the curriculum would be general enough for me to take it with me wherever I end up going — and whatever I end up doing — in the long run. But what about the “online” component? [click to continue…]

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The Ivey Guide to Law School AdmissionsOne of the books I’m working on is The Ivey Guide to Law School Admissions, by Anna Ivey. I write a bit about decisions regarding graduate education, thanks to decisions I make in my own life, so I agreed to mention the book on Consumerism Commentary.

One of the many things I learned while pursuing my Master’s degree is that I did not want to continue with more education in law school. For those who are still considering law school, and for any other students and recent grads, I am including an excerpt from Ivey’s book which presents several financial tips. [click to continue…]

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IESE Business SchoolAs I’m now in the final two weeks of my graduate studies, I’ll be writing more in reflection about my time earning an MBA with the University of Phoenix Online.

What caught my eye tonight was the description in Business 2.0 Magazine of a European business school that is bucking the worldwide trend set by American curricula, the IESE Business School at the University of Navarra, in Barcelona and Madrid, Spain.

Besides the fact that the private college is run by Opus Dei, a Catholic group that gained popularity following the publication of The Da Vinci Code, I’ve noticed some differences between the description of IESE, the European institute of higher learning, and the experiences with my graduate program. [click to continue…]

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According to a biannual report by Prudential Financial, women are now more involved in financial decisions then they were five years ago, but their financial knowledge and money management confidence is relatively low.

Two-thirds of the respondents gave themselves a grade of “C” or lower, while just 1% assigned themselves an “A.” These women have clear financial priorities, such as saving for their children’s college educations, having enough money for retirement, or not being a burden to others in their old age. Yet many lack confidence that they’ll be able to achieve these goals.

* In the past 24 months, only 11% of the sample invested in stocks or bonds.
* 84% of the sample say they understand insurance but “few” have acquired enough to help their family.

The survey’s main conclusion is that women’s lives are a balancing act. This pursuit for balance often results in inaction when it comes to financial decision making. While some strides have been made, there is clearly room for improvement.

Read the study here (PDF, 24 pages). The report includes lovely, colorful charts depicting the survey results and lots of analysis.

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David Bach, the author of The Automatic Millionaire and The Automatic Millionaire Homeowner (the latter of which I reviewed earlier this year), also writes a column on Yahoo Finance. Recently he presented five tips for college graduates just beginning their path to financial security. This follows Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

Today’s tip comes from David Bach’s grandmother: [click to continue…]

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David Bach, the author of The Automatic Millionaire and The Automatic Millionaire Homeowner (the latter of which I reviewed earlier this year), also writes a column on Yahoo Finance. Recently he presented five tips for college graduates just beginning their path to financial security. This follows Part 1 and Part 2.

Here is the fourth tip Bach is providing to recent graduates: [click to continue…]

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David Bach, the author of The Automatic Millionaire and The Automatic Millionaire Homeowner (the latter of which I reviewed earlier this year), also writes a column on Yahoo Finance. Recently he presented five tips for college graduates just beginning their path to financial security. This follows Part 1.

Here is the next tip Bach is providing for recent graduates: [click to continue…]

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