Money Essentials Series: Financial Planning I
BUSA-80022
Want to be smart with your personal finances? This 4-week workshop will introduce you to the essentials of a financial plan and provide a roadmap to follow for your own financial planning process. Topics covered to include:
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Financial life stages
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Understanding your current financial situation
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Setting your financial goals
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Creating a cash flow and savings plan
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Learning to build wealth
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To-Debt or Not-to-Debt
Topics to be discussed may include the fundamentals of financial fitness, personal budgeting, emergency savings, wealth accumulation, and financial independence.
Handouts will be uploaded in Canvas. Time included for discussion.
Course Information
Course sessions
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All course materials are included unless otherwise stated.
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Instructor:
Mel O
Mel O is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner based in Las Vegas, Nevada, with over two decades of experience in the financial industry. She began her career at the age of 18 and credits her passion for financial education to her grandparents—blue-collar workers who lived through the Great Depression but never learned how to truly enjoy the fruits of their savings. That experience shaped Mel’s commitment to helping others overcome fear, confusion, and shame around money.
Mel holds a bachelor's degree from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, and is licensed in FINRA Series 7 and 66 through LPL Financial, along with life and health insurance. She specializes in serving Gen Xers, Millennials, and professionals in the Arts, Entertainment, and Media sectors through her firm, Hot Moon Financial. Mel also teaches financial literacy through live events and online education, including her popular Budget Bootcamps.
In 2008, Mel guided clients through the financial crisis with calm, clarity, and a focus on empowering them with real knowledge. Today, she continues that mission through both traditional financial services and media outreach. She hosts the long-running podcast Finances the Other “F” Word and a radio show on the Stationhead app under her trademarked handle @momentofmetal—where she fuses money talk with rock and metal music.
Known for her no-nonsense, straight-talking style, Mel delivers complex financial topics in relatable terms without the jargon. Her philosophy is simple: money should be understood, used wisely, and enjoyed. She believes in helping people take the first—or next—step toward financial security with integrity, transparency, and a rebellious spirit.