Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

BA 218 Personal Finance: Path to Financial Independence with Dr. Michael Hohn

Ready to take more control of your money and move toward financial independence? BA 218 is set up to give you practical tools and confidence so you can make smarter financial decisions now and build a long term plan for your future.

Hybrid format (how the class works)
This is a hybrid class. We meet once a week on campus for discussion, short activities, and Q&A. The rest of the class happens online in D2L, where you will find weekly modules, assignments, and checklists. Plan to check D2L at least twice a week so you stay on top of deadlines and do not fall behind.

What you will learn
We go beyond “just making a budget.” The big goal is helping you build a realistic path toward financial independence. We will cover:

• Building and managing a spending plan that fits your real life

• Saving strategies, emergency funds, and paying yourself first

• Credit cards, credit scores, and smart debt management

• How taxes affect your paycheck and decisions

• Investing basics, retirement accounts, and the power of starting early

• Insurance and risk management so one crisis does not wipe you out

By the end of the term, you will pull these pieces together into a personal financial plan and a first draft of your own roadmap toward financial independence.

How we will approach the class
My teaching style is very applied and strengths focused. We will connect the numbers and concepts to your real world choices: work, school, housing, transportation, debt, and future goals. You will get clear expectations, practical assignments, and feedback you can actually use outside of class.

A bit about me
I am Dr. Michael Hohn. I teach from a strengths based perspective, which means I care about what you already do well and how we can build from there. I believe every student brings something valuable to the table, and I work to create a respectful, encouraging environment where your questions are welcome and your confidence can grow.

If you want a class that explains money in plain language and helps you take real steps toward financial independence, I would be glad to have you in BA 218.

— Dr. Michael Hohn

Access to Microsoft Word and Excel. Adobe Reader, and the Internet.