Write an explanation of the three tools that the Federal Reserve uses to change the money supply and interest rates in the economy.

Your audience should be considered intelligent but uninformed citizens of the United States.

Be sure to explain why each tool works the way it does.
Defend your explanation with a detailed evaluation that demonstrates clear, insightful critical thinking.

Skill(s) Being Assessed: Problem Solving

Criteria for Success: In this assignment, you will:
Create three monthly budgets using Excel for a financial analysis.
Summarize the change in expenditures between budgets.
Show the findings of your personal financial analysis using appropriate graphs/charts in Excel.
Explain how the chosen graphs/charts help someone to better understand the presented financial data better than other potential graphs/charts.
Discuss the results of financial analysis including overall progress towards saving goals, potential changes in budget that can be made in the future, possible economic/life impacts that may affect their budget in the coming year.
Reflect on what your financial analysis might reasonably look like in a year taking into account income growth and inflation of consumer prices.
What to submit/deliverables: A completed Assignment 3 XLS Template and a completed Assignment 3 Financial Analysis Explanation Word Template.

What is the value of doing this assignment? One way to check your progress towards your financial goals is to conduct a personal financial analysis. This will help you see how well you have stayed on track with your finances over a period of time. Using technology can help you stay organized throughout your analysis, as well as help visualize financial data. Displaying the data visually will allow you to observe general trends in your personal finances and to communicate about them effectively.

For this assignment you will be using Excel as your technology tool to analyze personal financial data and display that data visually. There are many other technologies available for personal or professional use that can be used for this type of analysis. The approach to learning and working with Excel software in this course is one you can apply to other technology tools in your life and career.

Your goal for this assignment is to: Build your confidence and practice in the technology skill by conducting a personal financial analysis using a technology tool. You will use Excel to organize three monthly budgets, visualize this financial data using charts and graphs/charts, and discuss the results of your financial analysis, including progress towards your selected financial goal from Assignment 2.

Steps to complete: In Week 10, submit your assignment in BlackBoard by following these steps:

STEP 1:Read the following scenario and review the Assignment 3 XLS Template.

Scenario: Three months have passed since you created your initial Financial Plan (from Assignment 2). A friend who is studying to become a financial advisor recommends that you check in on your progress towards your saving goal. She volunteers to help you conduct a financial analysis of your personal budget over three months. You meet with your friend each month to go over your analysis. In her studies she is learning that people understand budget concepts better when they are represented as visuals, so she asks you to create some.

In this assignment, you will make three monthly budgets. Your income increases each month, as shown in the tables in theAssignment 3 XLS Template. Additionally, in months 2 and 3, some cells have been filled in with a formula to represent an unexpected expense in that expenditure category for the month. You will need to reallocate your budget around this.

STEP 2: Use the Assignment 3 XLS Template and take the income and expenditures from Assignment 2 to use as your starting point for your Month 1 Budget.

Remember, that since this is a monthly budget, you will need to divide all of the values from your Assignment 2 annual plan by 12. After you have done this, you will notice that embedded formulas show that your income changes for months 2 and 3, because you received additional unexpected income from other sources.
You will also notice an increase in your Healthcare expenditure in Month 2 as the result of an unexpected medical emergency, as well as an increase in your Miscellaneous expenditures in Month 3 because of an unplanned for repair expense.
STEP 3: Fill in the cells of each monthly budget table to show how you would choose to allocate your income each month.

STEP 4: Use formulas to fill in the percentage columns for each monthly budget.

STEP 5: Create three appropriate graphs/charts (one for each month) in Excel to show the findings of your personal financial analysis. Each should show how you have allocated your income among the various categories.

STEP 6: Create a graph that shows your progress towards your savings goal across all three monthly budgets.

STEP 7: In the Word template, explain the reason why you chose the graphs/charts you did. How do the graphs/charts you created help someone understand the financial data?

STEP 8: Also in the Word template, discuss the results of your financial analysis including overall progress towards saving goals, potential changes in your budget that can be made in the future, and possible economic or life impacts that may affect your budget in the coming year.

STEP 9: Finally, in the Word template reflect on what your financial analysis might reasonably look like in a year taking into account income growth and inflation of consumer prices.

review the conclusions that have been drawn by NASA regarding this information at NASA Climate

Part I:  A Closer Look at the Evidence

For the first part of this assignment, answer these questions using the NASA website:

Describe the graph on the NASA website. What does it show us about the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere? According to the following site (the United Kingdom’s National Meteorological Service), what recent event contributed to the rising carbon dioxide levels? Met Office
The supporting data on climate change are grouped into different categories on the NASA website. How are these groups labeled? Is there agreement on these categories between the NASA website and the UK website (Met Office). If not, how do they differ?
Select the Effects tab at the top of this web page: https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/. Summarize the effects of climate change listed here in one paragraph. Be sure to address the effect of climate change on our weather and water resources.
Part II:  How Can Economic Growth Become Part of the Solution?

Read the article from The Economist:

The outlook: Averting the sixth extinction. (2013). The Economist, 408(8853), 15. Available in the Trident Online Library.

answer the following questions regarding economic growth and climate change discussed in this article in paragraph format.

How does economic growth negatively impact other species?
What is described as the principal threat to biodiversity as the global economy and human population grows?
Is economic growth necessarily bad for our planet? What points suggest that economic growth can benefit biodiversity?
Conclude your summary by drawing connections between economic growth, climate change, habitat loss, and biodiversity.

Assignment Expectations
Organize this essay assignment using subtitles that summarize the topic from each question above. For example, to answer Question 1, use a descriptive subtitle like the following: Part I: A Closer Look at the Evidence/Recent Events.

Answer each question under the subtitle using complete sentences that relate back to the question. Be sure to use APA formatting throughout your essay with 1-inch margins, 12-point type, and double spacing throughout. Include answers to the questions with subtitles, and concluding paragraph. Remember to include in-text citations within the body of the essay referencing your resources (e.g., Murray, 2014).

The assignment is in two parts.

Presentation (not graded but required). The group must present its country case study to class (and upload slides)…on a day to be timetabled. There is a 10-minute time-limit. This is not graded but it is required. The purpose is to give the class material to think about in relation to specific real-world economies, but also use the presentations to provide feedback to the group on their work-in-progress. All group members must take part.
Final graded report. The group must submit a written Country Case Study Report (2500 words, by Friday of Week 14). This is what is assessed (for general assessment criteria, see the Rubric on the home page)
The topic and content
Groups are allotted a country. There will be two groups studying each country and they will present in class on the same day, with an informal class vote on whose study is the best.

You should summarise key features (and give key data) on the economic structure and macroeconomic trends. You must analyse and where appropriate explain the most important peculiarities and problems and identify key aims and issues for the macroeconomic policy of that particular nation.

You should spend roughly 1/5th of your time/space and effort outlining the economic structure (Themes 1-3 below): 2/5ths on macroeconomic fluctuationsrecent past and present (themes 4-6): and 2/5ths analysing key issues for policy. You must explain the trends you present. (For example, if there is high inflation, huge sovereign, debt, unusually high unemployment.)

This means you cannot just relate basic data but also read and supply explanations from your sources (newspapers, research reports books and research articles).

You should present data series over a fairly long time period so that there is some historical perspective (thus, for example, growth rates over 2 or 3 decades or more, not just the last year or quarter…and the same for other data, so we can identify and assess trends).

Here are issues to cover:

Describe the structure of the economy and the main sources of the country’s wealth. (What industries does it have, what agriculture, raw materials, minerals. What are its key imports and exports? How big is the public sector?)
What is the state of its balance of trade (exports relative to imports)? What is its position in terms of financial flows? Is it a net capital exporter or importer? Is there a deficit or surplus on either trade or financial accounts? What is the overall balance (adding them) Is the country accumulating debt or surplus over time?
What are its main national indicators GDP, GDP per capita, and health statistics, education, debt (public and private), productivity, population, growth, measures of inequality, well being, etc? And where does it stand in these key indices, compared to others?
What is its macroeconomic state? Is it in a recession, growing fast etc? And main macroeconomic/fluctuation indicatorslike inflation and unemploymentbut also output and income and investment growth (or lack of it). What is the state of government finances (spending and debt as a share of GDP)? What is the situation of its currency (is the exchange rate stable or volatile, rising or falling, is this helping or hindering the economy)?
What are the key features of its recent development? Use all or some of these indicators to tell the story of its recent experience.
What are the key current national economic issues and problems and thus what are the key current macroeconomic policy priorities?
Overall, you should think in terms of bringing the data alive….ask what story is it telling us?
Your writing and presenting should not be a dense recitation of statistics–you would present the data in charts and diagrams–the writing and talking should point out key trends and analyse possible causes or consequences.

Presenting and writing the report
When presenting, make sure you have mastered your material. Don’t read it (not even your own words and certainly not other peoples words). Similarly, don’t use others’ words in the report, summarise in your own words what you learn.
Make sure you understand what you are talking about (what does a certain index or figure or graph indicate?). Make an attempt to explain the numbers you are giving (again…ask ‘what is the story?’).

Make sure what you say and write is clear, logically organised and coherent (don’t go back and forth over the same material and issues because you’ve failed to coordinate and edit your collective efforts).

Make sure you’ve covered the key topic areas cited above. Don’t just do a cursory google search and throw down an arbitrary mix of things determined by whatever you find in the first one or two pages! Use the data sources indicated in my guidelines, and read articles and commentary to understand what you are saying. (Don’t repeat things you don’t understand, it looks childish and foolish. If you don’t understand….ask about it).

In both presenting and reporting, write clear, logical and professional English. Strive to give a mature impression, not ‘high school’ reporting. Imagine you are analysts briefing a client.

Make sure everyone in the group understands the country and can answer questions in Q&A (just being the person who digs up inflation data is not an adequate contribution to the project..you will be expected to be able to explain it and also talk about other issues). This means you should have group discussions to make sure all understand the entire case and have collective editing and responsibility.

If anyone fails to contribute the other group members can report this to me and that person will be removed from the group, not receive the group grade, and may fail the entire assignment.

Rubric
ECN Country Study Report Rubric
ECN Country Study Report Rubric
Criteria    Ratings    Pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeSummary of criteria
-Comprehensiveness of coverage of indicated in the assignment guidelines
-Adequacy of understanding and analysis
-Intelligence and quality of writing and presentation of data
100.0 to >89.9 pts
A
Full coverage of issues and breadth and depth of research not just of data but analytical issues. Sound grasp displayed in clear written analysis of key issues of the specific country, showing understanding of relevant economic phenomena and causal processes.
89.9 to >79.9 pts
B
Intelligent. Good research. Writing displays good understanding and coverage of most issues.
79.9 to >69.9 pts
C
Acceptable but with some lack of focus, weaknesses of writing or understanding and/or missing elements.
69.9 to >59.9 pts
D
Weak. Showing one or more of the following: Poor understanding and/or confusion and/or poor coverage of issues and data and/or weak writing
59.9 to >0 pts
F
Inadequate.
100.0 pts
Total Points: 100.0

This is a current events report. I have chosen a section to have written. All that needs to be done is follow the template I have provided answering the questions. I also am providing a sample/example of what the outcome should look like and I am providing the rubric as well.