Money matters

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Sept. 27, 2024
Contact: Janese Heavin, [email protected]

Had he taken Starla Ivey's course at the University of Missouri, Laszlo Hanyecz might never have spent those 10,000 Bitcoins on pizza.

Of course, when he made the now infamous decision 14 years ago, cryptocurrency was just coming onto the scene, and early adopters weren't sure what to expect. Today, an estimated 219 million people across the world are Bitcoin holders. And those 10,000 digital coins? They're worth millions.

Ivey wants to make sure Mizzou students don't make the same types of mistakes. That's why she teaches Tigers the basics of cryptocurrency - helping them understand how it's mined, exchanged and invested.

It's just one of the learning objectives of iGen Money, a 1000-level class designed to help students navigate an evolving financial landscape.

"Personal finance is everchanging," said Ivey, an instructor and graduate program coordinator in personal financial planning in Mizzou's College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. "My students get a good sense of what cryptocurrency is, what non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, are and how smart contracts are changing certain jobs. Because this is all relatively new, it's information they might not have had access to before. And it's critical in order to make smart financial decisions."

Students at any level can take iGen Money, which meets the requirements for Mizzou's General Education Program.

And anyone, regardless of age or major, can benefit from a basic understanding of today's increasingly complex digital economy.

"What I really like about this course is that it's so applicable," Ivey said. "Students can use what they learn to make money, save money and invest in ways that can benefit them for life."

The course, offered online every fall, explores the history of money from the dollar to credit cards to crypto, a currency that relies on a shared public ledger called blockchain. Students also learn about digital payment options, "name, image, likeness" or NIL rules, and how technology can help when investing for retirement.

And the class goes beyond the tech, which is constantly changing. Ivey also wants students to know how to find reliable financial sources to make sound decisions and recognize scams.

And using real-world examples allows her to demonstrate the consequences of smart investments and not-so-savvy money mistakes.

"I like to take a difficult topic and turn it into something the everyday person can understand," Ivey said. "This course is fun, easy to follow and packed with practical information students can start using immediately."

MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources

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