Class Schedule – Fall 2012
11 September, Tuesday
6:30 p.m.260 TNRB Class 1 of 6
More Money Than You’ll Ever NeedTM
18 September, Tuesday
6:30 p.m.260 TNRB Class 2 of 6
Million Dollar ChoicesTM
25 September, Tuesday
6:30 p.m.260 TNRB Class 3 of 6
The Science of Personal ProsperityTM
2 October, Tuesday
6:30 p.m.260 TNRB Class 4 of 6
Beating the Market—Achieving
Maximum Investor Performance
9 October, Tuesday
6:30 p.m.260 TNRB Class 5 of 6
Perpetual Legacies—Estate Planning
16 October, Tuesday
6:30 p.m.260 TNRB Class 6 of 6
America’s Financial Future
Related Articles: Part 2
What, me worry?
An interview with course instructor Scott Marsh
We’ve been taught all our lives that if we work hard, pay our tithes and offerings, keep our covenants and exercise faith, the Lord will take care of us. But are we really doing everything necessary to be able to retire in security and reasonable comfort?
According to Scott Marsh, who teaches Business Management 205R: Planning for Financial Security at Retirement at BYU, there is much more that we can and should be doing to prepare for retirement. And apparently our Church leaders agree—they offer this course free of charge to BYU employees.
“There is a sense, especially in faith-based societies, that faith and payment of tithing will just take care of you,” Scott said in a recent phone interview. “Faith, tithing and ‘I just give all my money to other people.’ In our class we try to stress that there are very definite steps you need to take to be financially secure. The scriptures are filled with these steps.”
Reveal All Hide All“Alma, when he met the poor Zoramite converts, presented an allegory about prosperity,” Scott explained. “He taught us how to plant seeds, harvest, nourish the seeds. If we’ll learn to plant, nourish and harvest correctly, we’ll partake of that fruit everlastingly. Could it be that the discipline and the habits and the vision and the innovation that we learn through managing resources wisely will benefit us not only in this life but also in the eternities?
“The whole thing about managing resources and being blessed by prosperity is that it creates discipline and talents that will benefit us in this life and in the life to come. How do we utilize what the Lord has given us, for now and for the future? This is not just a process that teaches how to build a financial storehouse. This is a process that teaches how to multiply resources.”
“You have to establish a correct path, and know you’re on the right path. There are principles that really create a path—a path is critical,” Scott said. “Also there are destinations—these are quantifiable. We need to lock the destination with the path.”
“There are four things, available to everybody, that anybody can do,” he said. “Do those four things, do them consistently—and you will do them if you just start off. These four things have high behavioral intelligence and high financial intelligence.”
“Most people, especially based on the way we’re planning today, will not be retiring at age 65,” he said. “Why not get on track so it might be by age 70 instead of 75 or never?”
“We have advanced our strategies for accomplishing financial objectives,” Scott said, “but that has not come because of the change in the economy. The principles we’ve taught for years were tested and well proven during this most recent setback. What we’ve taught actually worked—we have some real significant evidence that it did. We have refined, and continued to hone, a precise and intelligent and an innovative way to accomplish the obvious objectives.”
“Yes,” he said firmly. “It’s not only practical, but that’s part of what was well proven and tested (in 2008). This last recession actually proved just unbelievably how well Modern Portfolio Theory works.” (Modern Portfolio Theory was developed by economist Harry Markowitz.)
“‘America’s Financial Future’ will be taught as part of this adult class at BYU,” Scott said. “We’ll talk about the very specific things you need to do to be part of it. Actually I believe that America’s financial future is very bright. We are living in an age of just explosive technological and innovative growth. We just went through the worst financial reversal in our lifetime. And in recorded history, American corporate profitability has never been higher than it is now. In addition, they’re sitting on mountains of cash. If I’m going to be an investor, what am I looking for? A company that’s very solid, has cash reserves and a proven track record.”
What do BYU employees who have taken this class say about it? You’ll find out in part three!