Well, we were going to go over more budgeting stuff today, but I think instead, I want you to do some research. 

1. Find a car you would like to buy online.  You will need to know the year, make, model, mileage if it is used, and have a picture of it.  Print this out.

2. Look up the Kelly Blue Book value of the car at http://www.kbb.com/ (using what you know and guessing on the rest).  Print that out.

3. Use the loan calculator tool at http://www.cars.com/go/advice/financing/calc/loanCalc.jsp?mode=full to see how down payments affect the monthly payments for your car, etc.  For this exercise, I want you to pay no more than half down for the car.  You can use less for a down payment , but not more than half.  Assume a 8% interest rate and a 48 month term.

4. Adjust your budget to reflect the payment you will have.

If you have questions, ask around...  Someone in the room should be able to figure it out. 

BTW - Remember to have your three-ring notebook in class by Friday.  That is where you will put the page you printed out for your cell phone, and the car ones you are printing out today...

One of the greatest parts of having a job is getting a check on payday.  And for the purposes of our class, we are going to assume that you have been on the job long enough to get your first full weekly check!

Along with your paycheck, you will also get a pay stub.  The pay stub is full of valuable information - information you will want to know.  We will take some time today to go over the things you see on your pay stub.  Take notes - it is testable info.

We are also going to have you fill out W-4 forms as you would have done on your first day on the job.  This is a tax form required by the government so we will go over it so that you know what it is and how to use it to your advantage.

Also, your resume is due today.  Name it lastname_resume and turn it in to the appropriate folder.

The following students have not turned in the Career Research assignment:

• Veronika
• Andy
• Susana
• Hailey
• Michael
• Mallary
• Ryan D
• Aislinn

I realize that some of you have excused absences or special situations - this is not a "bad person" list - it's just a list to help remind people to get things turned in so you don't get behind.

Today in class, we will go over what a resume looks like and answer any questions that you may have about them.  Your resume is due at the end of class tomorrow.

Also today, you will be "hired" by your simulated employer.  The hourly rate and number of hours you get will be assigned randomly.  This means that some of you will make more than others.  This is to simulate how things are in real life.  But, never fear, simulated events can occur that will affect your pay rate and hours both positively and negatively from time to time.  Also, there will be a few times when you will experience a career advancement and will get a new job and have a new chance at making the big bucks!

By the end of class today, you should have your career research completed and turned in.  Be sure to have it in the format I went over yesterday.  I passed out a sheet showing the format as well.  Look at yesterday's entry to see what you will be graded on.  When you turn in the document, be sure to name it properly (lastname_careerresearch.doc) and turn it in to the VOC drive --> Personal Finance --> Career Research folder.

This might also be a good opportunity to inform you of my late work policy.  If you turn in the assignment one day late, you will lose 10% of the points possible.  If it is two days late, you will lose 20% of the points.  If it is three days late, you will lose 30% of the points.  I will not accept assignments past three days late unless you have excused absences and/or I have a conference with you and your parents.

It is also worth noting that any extra credit points you earn during the semester will only be counted if all assignments have been turned in (even if you did not recieve credit for them).

Remember, tomorrow, your resume is due by the end of class.  You will have some time to work on it, but you should plan on having it mostly done at least prior to coming to class.

First, I want to thank you all for doing a great job on Friday.  I had a very positive report from the sub. 

Today, we are going to continue working on the career research you started last week.  I will go over some examples of how to format your work and answer any questions you have about the resume.  The career research project will be due tomorrow by the end of class.  The resume will be due Wednesday at the end of class.

Your career research project will be graded as follows:

Career Steps 1-4 (10 points each)

• name/type of job
• average monthly pay
• source of average monthly pay
• description of the step
• company name of open position
• job title
• education required
• experience required
• skills required
• source of open position

Presentation (10 points)

• spelling
• grammar
• capitalization
• punctuation
• formatting