Understand how money works
Interest, prices and exchange rates
Why do prices rise, and how do interest and exchange rates reach your household? Turn the numbers in the news into the language of everyday life.
Courses
Why Do Prices Rise?We will examine historical price rises using the quantity of money, the supply of goods, and trust in the system as clues.Face Value and Intrinsic ValueThe stated value, the metal content, and the quantity of goods one can buy. We will consider these as separate measures of worth.Deciphering Amounts, Percentages, and StatementsLearn to compare figures for interest rates, fees, and prices, and where to find them in statements and contracts.Money Used Across BordersAthenian owl tetradrachms, 8-reales, dollars. We will compare the conditions that allowed currencies to be accepted abroad.Currencies that unite, currencies that divideAlliances, unification, independence. Learn about the advantages and difficulties when multiple countries use the same money.Comparing Past Prices and SalariesHow much would a Roman soldier's annual salary be today? We will learn about the yardsticks for comparison and the limits of calculation.
Everyday money notes
How to read the news — Translating "interest rate hikes" into household termsWhere does a one-line "rate hike" announcement hit your wallet?Reading a headline: "The BoJ raises interest rates"Where does a "rate hike" headline land in your household finances?How many dollars is 10,000 yen? — Reading the strong/weak yen from your walletI heard that "the yen has weakened." What has changed for my 10,000 yen?Calculating the real decrease in the value of moneyHow much will one million yen today be able to buy in ten years?Calculating the amount lost to inflationThe amount on my pension notice has increased, but life isn't any easier. How much value is being lost?
Famous money crises
Then and now
Putting a price on timeIs ten thousand yen today worth the same as ten thousand yen a year from now?The price is not always what is written on the surface.How much am I paying? Who is taking it, and where?The monetary system collapsesHow does the manner of collapse teach us what supported the system?
Price
After purchase, the full courses, the illustrated books, every country’s story and the numismatics examination are open to you.
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