Personal finance final exam Example

Essays on Personal finance final exam Essay True 2. False 3. True 4. True 5. True 6. False 7. True 8. True 9. False 10. True 11. True 12. False 13. True 14. False 15. False 16. True 17. True 18. True 19. False 20. True 21. Liquidity 22. Property taxes 23. A mortgage 24. In which investors pay a commission (or sales charge) every time they purchase shares. 25. Forgo the opportunity to keep the cash in an interest-bearing account 26. Pay for damages that a tenant might cause during his or her occupancy 27. Speculative 28. Your current income and payment 29. Blue chip 30. Decrease in value in secondary market 31. Net asset value 32. No load 33. Intestate 34. All these factors are vitally important 35. Executor or executrix 36. Everybody needs a financial plan to ensure that the goals of an individual are met. This can be backed up by a number of reasons. Firstly, the plan ensures that one is following the track and that he or she is headed in the right direction. The plan will enable the planner to make decision on what should be bought, amount to spend on entertainment, and even future savings (Varian, 86). Secondly, the plan help in regulating expenses adjust some factors that led to increase in revenue and identifying risks in time. A number of steps may be considered, which include being aware of the current financial status which include expenses, savings and the income. Individual goals are a priority in this planning, by considering the current economic situation, regarding how to balance between the social needs, household needs and other luxury items. Due to uncertainties, alternative courses may be identified. For instance increasing the amount saved with increase in returns or changing the m oney saving account. There is need to evaluate the plan and make changes in appropriate areas to ensure that it is up to date (Varian, 104). 37. Career would be the best choice after schooling since it gives a chance for development of the desired skills and ambitions. In addition, it will enable me focus all my energy and develop my gifts. In this regard, I will completely plan all my activities to ensure that I have utilized my talent, time, and chances to the maximum, and will need to be autonomous. 38. The best type of housing after graduating would be an apartment. An apartment will be affordable, considering the fact that I have just graduated from college. In the same time, I am yet to have a family, which will require expanded house. 39. Sample personal balance sheet ASSETS. TOTALS Savings account 400 Vehicle 5000 Personal loans 100 Personal property 900 Others 200 Total assets 6600 LIABILITIES. TOTALS Personal debts 120 Unsecured loan 400 Credit card 1000 Total liabilities 1520 Net worth 5080 Total assets and liabilities 6600 Table 1.personal balance sheet (Varian, 234) Sample personal income statement Monthly Income Statement for the month of April 2012 INCOME Income from an enterprise 4000 Other income 600 Total income 4600 EXPENSES Expenses on savings 20 Food 300 Rent 300 Transport 100 Medical 300 Clothing 500 Others 100 Total expenses 1620 Net income 2980 Table 2. Personal income statement (Varian, 258) Work Cited Varian, Hal. Microeconomics Analysis (3rd edition). New York: Norton Company, 1992. 60-260. Print.

Agony And The Ecstacy Essay Example For Students

Agony And The Ecstacy Essay The Agony and the Ecstacy depicts Michelangelos struggle to become the embodiment of Renaissance humanism. In the course of the novel Michelangelo must overcome the interference of his family, religious dogma, political intrigue, papal patronage, military campaigns, and artistic jealousy to realize his artistic ambition. Despite his fathers opposition, twelve-year-old Michelangelo becomes an apprentice, first to painter Ghirlandaio and then to Bertoldo, a sculptor, who directs a school financed by Lorenzo de Medici, patron of Florentine art. Michelangelo quickly wins Lorenzos esteem, meets his children (among Them two future popes, Giulio and Giovanni, and Contessina, his first love), suffers the first of several attacks by jealous colleagues (his nose is broken by Trrigiani, whose later appearances always threaten Michelangelo), and through forbidden dissection learns the anatomy and physiology he needs. Eventually Savonarola, a reform priest, comes to power, and his crusading zeal threatens Lorenzo de Medicis family and the Florentine art world. When Savonarola gains political, as well as religious control, Michelangelo flees Florence and travels to Bologna, where he meets the sensuous Clarissa Saffi and carves the Bambino that attracts the attention of Leo Baglioni. In Rome for the first time, Michelangelo meets Jacopo Galli, a banker, who commissions a sculpture; Giuliano Sangallo, an architect; and Bramante, another architect and an adversary. In Rome, Michelangelo carves the Pieta, learns about the whims of religious patrons, and becomes interested in St. Peters the building of the new St. Peters will embroil him in controversy and ultimately consume his last years. Michelangelo return to Florence, where he carves the Giant, a sculpture of David which becomes the symbol of Florence. There he meets Leonardo da Vinci, his principal rival, and Raphael, the painter the three become the triumvirate of Renaissance Italian art. Jealous of Leonardo Michelangelo competes with him as the two artists paint frescoes for the rulers of Florence. Word of Michelangelos work reaches Pope Julius, who forces Michelangelo to work in bronze, rather than his beloved marble, and to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling. It is Julius who resolves to build a new St. Peters. Julius is followed by two Medici popes who only add to Michelangelos problems: Giovanni, by forcing him to work with marble from Pietrasanta, an almost inaccessible region, thereby making Michelangelo an engineer, and Giulio, against whose forces Michelangelo must use his engineering talents to fortify the city of Florence. The Medici popes are followed by Pope Paul III, who commissions Michelangelo to paint the Last Judgment and who, after bitter disputes about the ongoing building of St. Peters, appoints him as architect for the cathedral. The dome, Michelangelos last creation, is the appropriate capstone for his creative efforts. In addition to achieving artistic acclaim, he finds an assistant, Tommaso de Cavalieri, who is to complete St. Peters, and Vittoria Colonna, the female epitome of Renaissance humanism and his last great love. The CharactersStone presents Michelangelo as the idealized Renaissance humanist, the artist whose commitment to his work becomes a religion and whose creative efforts are no less than godlike. In fact, his commitment to art is such that it alienates him from society, makes him a misunderstood recluse, and, in becoming the outlet for his passion, prevents him from finding love. Because art becomes religion, art cannot be commercialized; the artist is not a businessman. Overly generous to his parasitic family and deaf to the warnings of his banker/agent Galli, he lives in relative poverty, unlike Leonardo and Raphael. Also unlike them, he works alone, refusing to compromise his work by using, even in the Sistine Chapel, other painters. Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael, despite their stature, exist in Stones novel primarily as foils, artists whose deficiencies help define Michelangelos greatness. Thoughts On Earth EssayStone also addresses the incompatibility of art and business. During most of his life, Michelangelo is totally dependent on the patronage of the wealthy, especially the papacy, and their whims and eccentricities prevent him from expressing himself in his beloved marble. Although a creative god in theory, the artist is, as Michelangelo ruefully acknowledges, a hireling, below a tradesman in status. Rather than financing the artist and allowing freedom of expression, the patrons exercise their vanity and force artists to work on inappropriate projects. Running throughout the novel is the notion that the artist exist only to be exploited both artistically and financially. Lodovico may not approve of his sons vocation, but he extorts money from him. Michelangelo is, in truth, his fathers quarry. Finally, he recognizes that both his Holy Fathers and his earthly one have exploited him. It is only the committed artist who can survive, even thrive, in the midst of such materialism. Michelangelos commitment allows no distractions and necessitates mastery of every phase of art: painting, poetry, sculpture he masters them all. Like the amateur film director who wishes to control all phases of the filmmaking process, the sculptor wants to control the marble from the time it is cut from the quarry until the carved statue is safely installed. Therefore, readers learn that Michelangelo can cut stone, that he can build roads to the quarry, that he can protect his work from the ravages of war. According to Bertoldo, the stone works with a sculptor like Michelangelo. Critical ContestThe Agony and the Ecstasy, perhaps Stones most acclaimed novel, is a worthy successor to Lust for Life (1934), his first venture into the artistic world, and the two novels contain many of the same themes. Stones other novels concern, for the most part, political figures as diverse as Eugene V. Debs and Mary Todd Lincoln; he returned to the world of art in DepthsOf Glory (1985), a novel about the Impressionist painter Camille Pissarro. In his genre, the biographical novel, Stone has no American equal in quality or quantity, though Andre Maurois is a worthy foreign rival. The lack of competition is understandable, given the demands of the genre and the lack of critical appreciation for it, despite its popular acceptance. First, the research is formidable, for the biographical novelist must know not only his subject but also his times, including history, religion, politics, science, and the arts. Second, because they believe that less imagination and creativity are required in history, critics value fiction over fact. As Stone points out, however, a biographical novel is not simply history or biography; a biographical novelist must select and shape his material to give it dramatic structure and theme. In The Agony and the Ecstasy, Stone eliminates historical characters, alters them, adds fictional ones, and has them reappear so as to give unity, focus, and theme to his novel. Given the massive amount of material that was at his disposal, tones novel is a significant achievement. Sources of Further StudyClements, Robert j. the Artist as Hero, in Saturday Review. XLIV (March 18, 1961),p.18. Book Reports

Why Brands Should Take a Stance on Contentious Issues

More and more corporations are throwing their hats into the ring and voicing opinions on sometimes contentious social issues. While some strongly believe that this is not an appropriate realm for companies, a survey by the Global Strategy Group actually showed it’s what the majority of the public wants – over 56% of the respondents felt that corporations should take a stance on important issues, even if they’re controversial. But this kind of advocacy can be a risky move that has the potential to inspire backlash, so is it worth it? I, for one, strongly believe that the answer is yes. Besides better connecting with your customers, companies can actually bring about great change. But before you become more vocal on a particular issue, there are a number of factors to consider first. Consumers vote with their wallet Taking a public stance on a controversial issue can win you some loyal customers, but it may also cost you others. According to one survey, 45 percent of consumers have stopped purchasing from a company because they disagreed with a stance taken by the business. While the majority of survey respondents indicated that they would be more likely to buy from a business they agreed with, only 3 out of 10 have actually done so. Which brings me to my next point. Be sure the cause is relevant to your customers Before you take a stand on an issue, make sure it fits with your brand identity and the values of your customers. A good example is Rescue Chocolate, a Brooklyn-based maker of vegan chocolates that donates their profits to animal rescue organizations. So, when they take a stand on animal-related social issues, such as legislation involving pit bulls, it fits seamlessly with their brand identity. Actions speak louder than words When companies voice an opinion on an issue, consumers perceive them in a more favorable light when they take action rather than merely issue a statement. For example, when McDonald’s and Starbucks took a position on minimum wage, 77% of Americans surveyed considered it appropriate. Disney, on the other hand, demonstrated their stance on the issue by raising employees’ wages, and 91 percent of people deemed that action appropriate. Some causes are â€Å"safer† than others Let’s face it – nobody is going to boycott your brand for taking a stand on a cause such as hunger and poverty. Other issues however, like gun control, same-sex marriage and transgender washrooms, may solicit a more hostile response from some customers. Starbucks took no heat for their public commitment to sourcing fair-trade coffee, but their stance on same-sex marriage led to the infamous â€Å"Dump Starbucks† boycott with a petition signed by over 56,000 consumers. The Bottom Line So, should brands take positions on controversial issues? It really depends on your business but I think in most cases, the answer is yes. But proceed with caution. Make sure your stance fits in with your brand’s identity and your customers’ values. And be prepared to back up your stance and be ready for backlash. You may alienate some consumers who don’t agree with you, but you’ll strengthen the connection and loyalty of those who do.

The Devils Knot and the West Memphis Three essays

The Devil's Knot and the West Memphis Three essays One would believe that justice is found in every law and in every courtroom, and judges and jurors are the perfect tools to demonstrate such fairness on every situation. However, not all people receive fair trials regardless of gender, race, ethnic background or religion as established by the American judicial system. For example, throughout decades millions of innocent people have been accused, arrested, tortured, put to trial, and persecuted for the practice of witchcraft and Satanism. In her book Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three, Mara Leveritt recounts the story of three eight year old boys that disappear on one night and are found dead on near by stream the following day. In her book she describes the atrocities done to this kids and gives an accurate account of all the things found in the scene and how three teenagers are accused of the crime. Although there was little evidence left at the crime scene, the investigators were able to find sufficient reasons to charge the defendants The inspectors and investigators negligence is one of the factors that leads them to form speculations. For example, in the exposition of the case investigator Gitchell decides to interrogate all of the families. When the Byers are called to testify, Ryan ,the brother of one of the victims, recounts the story of what happened that night. In his narration of the events he tells the police that when his family did not find Christopher, they went to search for him and on that evening he went to the woods with his friends to search for his brother, and when he returned home at midnight his father had sent him to bed. Furthermore, the police interviews Mark Byers ,Christopher's stepfather. In his interrogation he gives the same details that Ryan gave except for one thing: he told the police that when Ryan returned home they both went to search for Christopher. The officers obviously...

There are No Failed Books 3 Ways to Save a Trunk Novel - Freewrite Store

There are No Failed Books 3 Ways to Save a Trunk Novel - Freewrite Store Today’s guest post is by author Jeff Somers.  He has published nine novels, including the  Avery Cates Series  of noir-science fiction novels from Orbit Books, the darkly hilarious crime novel  Chum  from Tyrus Books, and most recently tales of blood magic and short cons in the  Ustari Cycle.       When Truman Capote died in 1984, he hadn’t published a major work since the absolute classic In Cold Blood in 1965. He’d produced material, yes; mainly short stories and some screenplays. Some of that work had been highly regarded, but nothing on the scale and ambition of In Cold Blood or Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Over the course of those two decades, Capote had transformed from a predominantly literary figure into a general celebrity, a man known for his parties, his circle of famous friends, his wit, and his television appearances more than his writing. But Capote hadn’t been idle. In fact, in January 1966 he signed a contract with Random House for a new novel, receiving a $25,000 advance (nearly $200,000 in 2017 money). The book proposal was ambitious: A modern reworking of Proust’s immense In Search of Lost Time. Capote worked on the book (titled Answered Prayers) for the next twenty years, occasionally publishing chapters from it, and renegotiating his contract twice (getting a further $750,000 in 1969 and a promise of $1 million if he ever finished the book in 1980, money he never saw). He once remarked about the book â€Å"either I'm going to kill  it, or it's going to kill me,† and history shows who won that struggle. The unfinished draft of the novel was published posthumously. There are many possible reasons why Capote couldn’t finish this novel. Maybe his celebrity was too enticing and he lost his drive to create. Or it might have been the reaction early chapters received: Much of the book was a thinly veiled depiction of his high society friends and their very embarrassing behavior, which cost him those friends- something that Capote reportedly took very hard. Or maybe it was just one of those books that all authors begin and then lug around with them for years, even decades- sometimes their whole lives. We call them Trunk Novels- novels that start off with so much promise, so much excitement, and then proceed to consume hundreds of thousands of words and huge tracts of time without ever coalescing into something resembling coherency. Every author has at least one. Most of us have several.       Too Good To Fail The problem with a Trunk Novel is there’s something there. A premise or an experiment, an energy, a challenge- something that brings you back to it again and again even though you can never get it to work. You revise, you scrap and start over, you recast it in different genres, you try to put it away and forget about it, but you can’t. And even if you are eventually able to put the book aside, should you? After all, you put a lot of good work into it. A lot of time, ideas, and solid writing. Instead of abandoning Trunk Novels, rethink them- here are three strategies for getting them out of your trunk and into publishable shape without losing any more of your sanity or precious time. Method 1: The Mashup If you’ve got more than one Trunk Novel cluttering up your hard drive with its imperfect sadness, one ambitious but potentially brilliant strategy is to combine them. This requires a certain amount of overlap in terms of genre and style, of course (though it doesn’t have to be a perfect match, as many genres combine wonderfully well- like romance and horror) and will probably need quite a bit of fix-up revision, but it can work. (Photo by  Erwan Hesry  on  Unsplash) The reason why it works is simple: Many Trunk Novels have great stuff in them- and it’s often complementary stuff. One novel I was working on for years had a solid plot, a good framework of events and motives, but it lacked interesting characters and lush description. A second book, separated from the first by several years, had a cast of characters I loved spending time with, but meandered through a plot that barely qualified. Taking the two and combining them resulted in a strong novel that popped off the page. I haven’t sold that novel yet, but my agent is enthusiastic. Method 2: Call It Sometimes you can get caught up in the supposed â€Å"rules† of professional writing. One of those rules concerns the marketability of a novel, and specifies that in order to have any chance your novel has to hit a certain word count (80,000 words is usually the quoted number, though you’ll hear variations on that). And thus, were a million Trunk Novels born because writers are reluctant to admit that what they’ve actually written is a novella or a short story. Writers sometimes desperately try to turn works into novels because they think novellas are impossible to sell, and short stories aren’t worth it in terms of money or attention. But novellas are actually easier to sell these days than in the past, thanks to digital platforms that don’t really care about word counts, and short stories have been having a Moment as increasing numbers of them are being adapted into film and television- see Arrival, The Grey, and Total Recall- leading many agents to reevaluate the wisdom of writers spending time and effort on shorter works. (Photo by  Simson Petrol  on  Unsplash) So, if you have a novel that’s been sitting in the Trunk for a while, consider whether the problem isn’t the story or the writing, but it’s girth. Is it a novella or short story that you’ve been trying to bulk up to novel size? Try cutting it mercilessly down and see what you have. You might be surprised. Method 3: The Inversion Another way to save a Trunk Novel from oblivion is to run a critical eye over your assumptions about the book. That initial moment of inspiration we experience is often powerful- one of the best things about being creative is that rush of energy when you have â€Å"the idea.† That power also burns certain things into your brain, like who the main or POV character should be, or the tone the story needs, or the precise pacing of the plot events. Over time, these turn into assumptions- no matter how often you attack the book unsuccessfully, you never think about changing the bedrock of that initial inspiration. You become blind to the possibilities offered by other characters who might be promoted or explored, other stylistic choices, or other third acts that go off in crazy directions. (Photo by  Dardan Mu  on  Unsplash) The secret sauce in this approach isn’t so much that you were wrong about everything from the beginning, but in the thrill of the unknown. By the time you’re ready to admit that a book is a Trunk Novel, there’s a very good chance you’ve been over each scene, every line of dialog, and every plot twist many, many times. It’s familiar, and familiarity breeds contempt and blindness. You can’t see it any more. Changing something fundamental about the book forces you into unknown territory, bringing back some of that electric buzz of discovery and revealing new ways forward. With a book stuck in Trunk Mode, that can jump-start the creative process and get you over the finish line. Not every novel can be saved, and writing a bad book is just part of being a writer- but if you’ve got a novel that just won’t go quietly into that dusty drawer, consider trying one of these techniques to rescue it once and for all. So, how many Trunk Novels are you hauling around with you? Have you ever managed to make one work? Let us know if you did, and if so, how you did it!    Jeff Somers (www.jeffreysomers.com) began writing by court order as an attempt to steer his creative impulses away from engineering genetic grotesqueries. He has published nine novels, including theAvery Cates Series of noir-science fiction novels from Orbit Books (www.avery-cates.com) and theUstari Cycleseries of urban fantasy novels. His short story â€Å"Ringing the Changes† was selected for inclusion inBest American Mystery Stories 2006,his story â€Å"Sift, Almost Invisible, Through† appeared in the anthologyCrimes by Moonlight edited by Charlaine Harris, and his story â€Å"Three Cups of Tea† appeared in the anthologyHanzai Japan. He also writes about books forBarnes and Noble andAbout.com and about the craft of writing forWriter’s Digest, which will publish his book on the craft of writingWriting Without Rules in 2018. He lives in Hoboken with his wife, The Duchess, and their cats. He considers pants to always be optional.

3G Network Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

3G Network - Essay Example The world had come a long way from personal letters sealed by wax in an envelope. People now live where a conversation with a love one from continents away is done with just a touch of a button. We are in a time where messages can be sent across seas in a matter of seconds, not months. This is a world where information and news can be received by anyone in the convenience of their own homes. This is the privilege of living in this decade.But what's next The communication technologies at work today may be at its finest but there always are innovations up ahead. A few years ago, the GPRS services seemed like the future, but it is now perceived as slow, expensive and is too much of a hassle. That is why a new generation of mobile telephone communication system was developed, the 3G.3G technology is short for third generation mobile telephone communication system technology. This technology promises better, faster and more efficient data transfer through cellular phones. It boasts 2Megab ites per second data transfers which allow video calls, conferencing, mobile banking, map positioning services and internet access among others. With this transfer rate it is the task of the service providers to utilize it to the fullest by giving a variety of services for the subscribers. Along with the above mentioned 3G capable cell phones will still have conventional voice and messaging services.The institution responsible for standardizing 3G is the International Telecommunication Union or ITU. The standards for 3G are specifically known as the IMT-2000. This stands for International Mobile Telecommunications system finalized in the year 2000. After this establishment, the development of physical equipments may then proceed. In May of 2001, the first pre-commercial 3G network was launched in Japan branded FOMA. The company responsible for this is NTT DoCoMo. This same company then launched the first commercial 3G in Japan on October of the same year. Korea and Europe then followed. (Wikipedia) Mobile phones were originally just for voice data transmissions, much like its land line forefathers. This was considered the second generation or 2G. But with the increase in demand for better audio qualities and later on the demand for faster data transmissions, a better system is require, this lead to the development or 3G. The first step to this change was the switch from 2G to GPRS or General Packet Radio Service. With this change came the increase in data rates from 56kbps to 114kbps. This now will allow not just voice data but also short message service (SMS), Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) and wireless application protocol (WAP). Another change made was the per-megabite charging as oppose to the per-minute charging of 2G. Continuing, the GPRS service, otherwise known as 2.5G, was upgraded to 2.75G or Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution. By definition, EDGE falls under IMT-2000 and should be called 3G but it is more frequently referred to as 2.75G, but it is more like an improved GPRS than 3G. (Wikipedia) According to the ITU, the key characteristics of IMT-2000 are flexibility, affordability, compatibility with existing systems and modular design. It is said to be flexible because it can accommodate five possible radio interfaces based on three different technologies which are FDMA, TDMA and CDMA. This avoids the problem of supporting a wide range of different interfaces and technologies. It is also agreed to make it more affordable so as to encourage the adoption by consumers and operators. The existence of the present technologies will also not cease because 3G is also compatible with these. And finally, the 3G system should be easily expandable in order to allow growth. Specifications 3G may have all the bells and whistles to brag about but it is, for a fact, a cellular telephone system, and all cellular telephone systems function the same way. The basic concept of two-way mobile telephone is quite simple; however, mobile telephone systems involve intricate and rather complex

Sayonara Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sayonara - Essay Example ary to their white costars, even though, later, the film would be hailed as an all-time silent film great and classic because of Anna May Wong’s portrayal of Shosho, a dancer discovered in the kitchen of a cabaret and who gets her big break on stage in the owner’s effort to keep is audiences coming in. The film gave top billing to the white actors over Wong, whose performance would be recognized as carrying the film to the top of the list of silent film greats. Nonetheless, the acting success of Wong or her co-actor, King Hou Chang, who played the role of Jim, Shosho’s onscreen boyfriend until the club owner, and white character, played by Jameson Thomas as Valentine Wilmot wins her away from Jim. In the film, Shosho falls in love with Wilmot, even though he is still interested in Mable, the star of the cabaret, played by Gilda Gray. Even though Jim is loyal to Shosho, loves her deeply, she is prepared to lose that for white man, which reduces Jim to being portrayed as a weak Asian man who gives in to his jealous impulses and drives Shosho even further away from him. Jim has to hide his relationship with Shosho, who, unbeknownst to Jim has already lost her virginity to Wilmot. Even though Jim is a respected businessman in his own neighborhood, in London’s East end where Wilmot owns the Piccadilly, Jim must pretend to be Shosho’s musical accompanist in her act. However, Wilmot is a clever man, and he makes sure that Jim finds out that he has already been intimate with Shosho when he sends Jim to his office and Jim finds a good luck figurine he had given to Shosho. Not only is Jim portrayed as less important and less clever than Wilmot, the physicality of the actor in relationship to that of his costar is dramatically emphasized t show that the Wilmot is taller, stronger, and, therefore, presumably, more virile than Jim. This is in keeping with the stereotypical imagery that surrounded the Asian film actor during the era, 1929, when this last