• The Open University

Managing My Financial Journey

Take a journey around the UK financial marketplace. Find out how it has changed following the financial crisis and reforms.

7,700 enrolled on this course

An illustration of customers in a bank, queuing up and using a cash machine
  • Duration

    4 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours

Explore the financial products on offer in the UK and how they’re regulated

The financial crisis of the late 2000s transformed the UK financial services industry. This online course takes stock and examines the industry today.

You will review the history of the industry leading up to the financial crisis; examine its institutions and the issues they now grapple with; walk down the financial supermarket aisles and see what’s changing with the products on offer; and find out how the industry is now regulated and protects consumers.

The Open University’s Centre for the Public Understanding of Finance created this course, with the generous support of True Potential LLP.

Skip to 0 minutes and 10 seconds MARTIN UPTON: History tells us you need money to make life’s journey.

Skip to 0 minutes and 20 seconds Banks and insurance companies merged. The building society sector shrank.

Skip to 0 minutes and 27 seconds Rules were relaxed, and then the 1986 big bang revolutionised the financial marketplace. The industry went global, only then for it to teeter on the verge of collapse 10 years later. This MOOC will make today’s financial marketplace clear to you.

Skip to 0 minutes and 54 seconds In recent times, we have new banks and regulators, new rules, a different approach to product design, and a mini revolution in pensions provision. And these have transformed the financial marketplace. This MOOC helps you assess the recent developments in financial advice. Can robo advisors really work? How do you choose between independent financial advisors and more restricted advisors? We will discuss the impact on rock bottom interest rates, near zero price inflation, and a volatile equity market.

Skip to 1 minute and 30 seconds The housing market has made a strong recovery, but we now have the stamp duty surcharge on buy to let investors - designed to take the heat out of the market. But will it?

Skip to 1 minute and 44 seconds And is regulation becoming overly burdensome?

Skip to 1 minute and 50 seconds Hello, I’m Martin Upton. I’ve written three MOOCs on personal finance, and it’s been as much of an education for me as for the many learners we’ve met on the way. Helping you understand the impact finance has on all our lives has been an eye opener for me. We’ve witnessed huge changes to the financial services industry in recent years. And today, the financial marketplace is even more complicated than in previous eras. Studying Managing My Financial Journey will give you clarity about the new marketplace, the new rules protecting consumers and the product choices you and I now have. There’s expert contributions, bit-sized learning, quizzes, and a chance to learn together. And throughout, there’s great support from our facilitators.

Skip to 2 minutes and 41 seconds So ask yourself this question - are you and other consumers confused by or just inquisitive about the range and complexity of products and the changes that are occurring in the financial marketplace? With so much change, it’s a wise choice to get clued up on this essential subject. So studying Managing My Financial Journey is the way to join the well informed. I look forward to meeting you.

What topics will you cover?

The course involves 3 hours of study per week with a test at the end of each week.

Week 1: The financial services industry – its origins and development in the UK

Week 2: The post-crisis financial services industry: new players, new issues, new rules

Week 3: What’s on offer? The products in the market place and the current issues

Week 4: My rights and my protection: regulation and consumer protection

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Discuss and understand the development of the financial services industry up to the 2007/08 global financial crisis.
  • Assess and appreciate how the financial services industry and the way it is regulated have changed since the financial crisis.
  • Apply and understand recent developments to financial and other investment products.
  • Assess and understand how the regulation of financial firms is conducted.
  • Assess and understand how sales of financial products are regulated and how this regulation aims to protect consumers.

Who is the course for?

This course is intended for those with an interest in the financial services industry. The course does not require any previous experience of this subject, but prior study of Managing My Money may be an advantage.

Who will you learn with?

I am Director of the True Potential Centre for the Public Understanding of Finance (PUFin) at the OU Business School. Previously I was Treasurer of Nationwide Building Society.

Who developed the course?

The Open University

As the UK’s largest university, The Open University (OU) supports thousands of students to achieve their goals and ambitions via supported distance learning, helping to fit learning around professional and personal life commitments.

  • Established

    1969
  • Location

    Milton Keynes, UK
  • World ranking

    Top 510Source: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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