Welcome to Finance for Non-business Majors. My name is Arun Tandon. I've spent much of my career in finance. I've also been teaching for many years. 

Finance is a huge area. It has many sub-areas such as corporate finance, investments, real estate, risk management, and insurance. The focus of this course is to provide a clear understanding of the basic financial concepts such as what are financial statements, concepts related to risk and return, time value of money, capital budgeting. And I think that finance is an intricate part of not just our personal but also our professional lives. 

The material in this course is challenging but very interesting. I think the key to succeed whether it is this course or any other course is a good work ethic, time management, excellent time management skills, and a genuine interest in the field. So there should be an intellectual curiosity to learn. More specifically about this course, I think if you watch the lecture presentations carefully, take your time to watch these presentations, spend a lot of time reading the assigned chapters more than once, and then of course do the assigned problems. Because I'm a firm believer that practice makes perfect. 

This is the last course you're taking towards your business certificate program, and that in itself should bring a smile to your face. But more than that, learning should be fun. And I think if you put the effort, you will discover that finance is a very exciting field and can be applied both in your personal lives as well as your professional careers. 

I look forward to working with all of you. Ask me as many questions as you wish, and have a great semester.