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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Fundamentals of Finance by University of Pennsylvania

3.9
stars
875 ratings

About the Course

In this course, you’ll learn the basic fundamentals of corporate finance. Based on the pre-term qualifying courses for Wharton MBA students, Professor Jessica Wachter has designed this course for learners who need a refresher in financial concepts, or for those who are learning about corporate finance for the first time. You’ll identify foundational concepts in corporate finance, such as NPV, Compound and Simple Interest, and Annuities versus Perpetuities. You’ll also learn how to apply the NPV framework to calculating fixed-income valuation and Equity, using hypothetical examples of corporate projects. By the end of this course, you’ll have honed your skills in calculating risk and returns to optimize investments, and be able to assess the right set of financial information to achieve better returns for your firm....

Top reviews

RB

Mar 17, 2024

The teacher is very knowledgeable but sometimes passes some topics too fast and its hard to grasp the concept and the idea. The quizzes are not according to the classes that are given.

CB

Mar 21, 2022

The notes for this course were excellent, and the lectures were concise and easy to follow. Prof. Wachter is easy to listen to and is relaxed and helpful in her explanations.

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26 - 50 of 236 Reviews for Fundamentals of Finance

By Walt B

•

Nov 11, 2020

Good overview of financial concepts from a knowledgeable professor. The course would have been more helpful if the quizzes included explanations of answers: oftentimes I brute forced an answer without really understanding why it was I got to the correct result.

By Aditya

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Jan 8, 2021

Firstly thanks to Coursera for providing this high-quality course on fundamentals of finance. Secondly, I am left in Awe by the immense depth and command of Miss Jessica Wachter on the subject. Being from an engineering background, finance is something that I am completely alien to, but under her guidance, I was able to not only grasp the concepts but was able to apply them in the very challenging questions in the quiz. It's my dream to pursue an MBA in Finance from Wharton and study under her guidance in real life!

By Christopher B

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Mar 21, 2022

The notes for this course were excellent, and the lectures were concise and easy to follow. Prof. Wachter is easy to listen to and is relaxed and helpful in her explanations.

By Priska R

•

Jul 28, 2021

Very good course presented very well. I can easily understand and the topics every week are interesting

By Maurice K O

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Jul 4, 2020

great introductory course for finance. the course materials were also very helpful

By André V

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Oct 25, 2020

it could have more details and examples

By Matthew C P

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Nov 23, 2021

I believe there is a wealth of knowledge here, but the execution of presenting and teaching is not up to snuff. If this is a fundamentals course, then the materials should break down the terminologies and calculations in a more thoughtful way. I hold advanced personal finance designations including the CFP(r) certification; without any prior financial knowledge this course would be extremely hard to follow in my opinion. The positive of this course is that there is some great information that can be useful for those who want to learn.

By Pedro S

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Feb 22, 2021

Hi,

there seems to be errors in the quizes. This is a source of pretty terrible doubts as to how one should apply the equations correctly.

The lectures and notes are quite good though, and this course is a pretty decent starting point to the path of knowledge in finance.

However, if I were responsible for the course I would be ashamed of falling short, as it does, when it comes to the correctness of the exercises in the quizzes.

By Ksenia B

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Jun 17, 2021

Explanations are too complex. The same things could have been explained much simplier. Some concepts are tested in quiz although not properly explained in the course. And the hand-written lecture notes are not the best idea either.

By Kaitlin T

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Mar 5, 2021

First quiz of this course asks you to work backwards from the principles that you are taught without prior instruction on how to do so.

By AL

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Jul 31, 2021

It states beginner, but the lecturer does not explain the concepts involved at all

By Shauna W

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Jul 14, 2021

A lot of the questions on the quiz are not covered in the readings and videos

By Julia B

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Feb 22, 2021

Didn't love you don't end up seeing all answers/explanations on quizzes.

By Sai T

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Apr 29, 2021

It isnt at a beginner level. Dives too deep without proper introduction

By Andres L R

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Mar 23, 2021

Its not well explained.

By Deleted A

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Nov 9, 2021

The instructor is knowledgable, but terms are not well-defined in the course. Difficult to pick up for people unfamilar with finance. I think there is a disconnect between what the audience expects in the course based on the marketing and description about the course and what is actually delivered

By Robert R

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May 21, 2021

Sucked. 110%. So much math, and so little explanation as to how to use it, especially in the context of the quizzes. I do not recommend for beginners because I had to draw on my experiences in a business calculus class to even grasp the concepts the instructor was failing to explain.

By Eric G

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May 20, 2023

Completely lost. Beginner course? Hardly. I have no idea what she's talking about and she moves way too fast. The notes also don't help whatsoever. The first quiz is crazy difficult. Maybe provide the equation that is supposed to go with it for a practice run.

By Sara J H

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May 25, 2021

En los video que vi entendí mas o menos pero al momento de hacer el examen las preguntas estaban formuladas de diferente manera haciendo imposible que completara los exámenes.

By MOHAMMAD S

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Jun 6, 2021

This is not a beginner level course without any introduction, it is explained in depth about finance.

By Mariam Y A M

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Aug 25, 2021

too difficult for beginners.

By Suli Z

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Jan 22, 2021

I learned a lot of financial terms and concepts, such as NPV, annuity, YTM, HPR, ROE, and IRR. At the same time, I also learned how to compare and select two investment activities with different conditions. This course helped me a lot and expanded my knowledge.

By Sjouke R v d B

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Feb 20, 2021

Excellent taught course with difficult quizzes, brought me a lot of extra knowledge and financial skills. You might need some extra books of material to finish the quizzes. I enjoyed this course very much.

By Rubi R B

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Mar 18, 2024

The teacher is very knowledgeable but sometimes passes some topics too fast and its hard to grasp the concept and the idea. The quizzes are not according to the classes that are given.

By Darlene M

•

Apr 3, 2021

It is really challenging and fun to be able to finish this course. Thank you for this opportunity.