Essential MOOC Courses In Business

Understanding the Federal Reserve

School: New York Institute of Finance

Platform: edX

Registration Link: Understanding the Federal Reserve

Start Date: July 1, 2015 (Self-Paced)

Workload: 1-2 Hours Per Week

William Addiss

Instructor: William Addiss

Credentials: A former managing director at Lehman Brothers, Addiss has spent the past 15 years as a faculty member at the New York Institute of Finance, where he has taught courses in capital markets and derivative instruments. At the same time, he is the principal of Amherst Financial Training, where he has designed training programs targeted to bankers, brokers, and regulators. He also served as the editor of Series 7 For Dummies and The Investors Guide to Equities.

Graded: Students can earn a verified certificate for $25 by completing all course requirements.

Description: Drawing on 30 years of banking experience, including a stint as national sales manager and managing partner at Lehman Brothers, Addiss will help students understand one of the most mysterious and misunderstood arms of the Federal government: The Federal Reserve. Broadly, the course will cover how this 100 year-old institution’s actions shape business and government decisions (and how they, in turn, impact average citizens). In particular, Addiss will zero in on the Fed’s role and structure (along with that of the Federal Open Market Committee –FOMC). The course will also cover financial terminology, LIBOR, repos, quantitative easing, and the Fed’s role in shaping the yield curve.

Review: “This course is extremely well presented. It provides a brief but accurate and thorough summary of the mechanics of the Federal Reserve Bank. I was very impressed. Anyone you wants to understand the basic structure of the system quickly should take this course. The instructor is an extremely effective speaker. Looking forward to the next in the series.” For additional reviews, click

here.