You will be very successful in your finance course if you show an enthusiasm for the financial concepts and work with them on a regular basis. This will involve reading the materials available with this text (sometimes more than once) and working through the chapter problem assigned by your instructor.

Furthermore, you should be aware that finance is a discipline that has its own evolving language, so learning and understanding the terminology and definitions will be a key to your success. Put your financial knowledge to the test regularly by studying the financial pages of a business paper and then applying the discussion or figures that you find within the paper to the topics in the text.

A suggested plan of study using Foundations of Financial Management is:

1. Read the summary of the textbook chapter provided in the Study Guide. The summary is a succinct statement of the major issues covered in the corresponding chapter of the textbook.
2. Read through the outline of the text chapter that follows the summary in the Study Guide. The outline includes the most significant components of the chapter.
3. Carefully read the text chapter. Be especially attentive to the chapter components identified in the Study Guide outline. Be sure to relate the learning objectives at the beginning of each chapter to your reading of the material.
4. Quickly review the textbook chapter by reading the summary and outline in the Study Guide again.
5. Test your knowledge of the chapter concepts by answering the multiple-choice questions in the Study Guide. If you incorrectly answer several questions, you should read the text chapter again. You will find additional multiple choice questions within the Quiz Questions available at the Online Learning Centre (OLC). Your answers will be automatically graded and you will be directed to the correct solution.
6. Work through the problems in the Study Guide. It is suggested that you thoroughly attempt to solve the problems before referring to the solutions provided. If your answers differ from the solutions, you should study the solutions to detect the errors and rework the problems correctly.
7. Work through the end-of-chapter problems in Foundations of Financial Management. You should strive to solve the problems without referring to the author's examples. If you cannot do so, you should reread the applicable portion of the text.

Remember that the Study Guide and OLC should be used as supplements to the textbook, not as substitutes. If you conscientiously work through the problems, and if you can relate the material in the text to the financial pages of a newspaper or to the information and discussion in the Web Links identified through the OLC, you will be a success in your financial management course.
Good luck in your course and enjoy yourself.

J. Douglas Short