Skip to Content Text Only

SITEMAP

• Courses & Programs
• Directions & Parking
• Registration Information
• Sponsorship
• Calendar of Events
• Contact Information
• Resources
• MCE&CE Home Page

• Request Information

• Sitemap
• Search
• News & Events
• Contact Us

 Available Video Courses

Investing in Turbulent Times

Six 90-minute tapes; taped May-June 2006

Retirees are entering unchartered waters. As the baby boomers enter retirement en masse, they will stress the economic fabric like an elephant in a swimming pool. The waves that this creates will raise some investments and investors to dizzying heights. But the undertow can mean disaster for those on the wrong side of the tide. This course examines 1) investment allocation strategies and state-of-the-art financial products and services, 2) the various needs of different investors and the options available in different economic climates, and 3) how each generation (seniors, boomers, GenXers) can position its investments to serve the needs of the others and make a few bucks for themselves while doing so.

Instructor: James M. Richardson, CFP, ChFC

Talking Tarheel: North Carolina Speech from Manteo to Murphy

Six 90-minute tapes; taped January-March 2006

This course takes a unique linguistic journey through the dialects of this diverse Southern state from Hoi Toider speech on the Outer Banks to the Highland speech of the Smoky Mountains. Rural and urban dialects are considered along with ethnic dialects such as Lumbee English, African-American English, and Hispanic English.

Instructor: Walt Wolfram, the William C. Friday Distinguished Professor of English, NC State University. Researcher of NC dialects and producer of documentaries on NC speech.

Financial Planning Trends as the Boomers Reach Retirement

Six 90-minute tapes; taped May 3-June 7, 2005

In seven years the leading edge of the baby boom generation will turn 65 and they will begin entering retirement in droves. The problem is their parents are still in retirement. The effect of two generations on our existing retirement systems cannot even be gauged. This six-week course examines the implications for current retirees as the baby boom generation exerts its unprecedented power on all of the current retirement systems. The course examines the unknowns related to such issues as 1) Boomers taking their money out of the markets as they enter retirement; 2) the impact on private health care systems, pension plans, social security, and Medicare; 3) the impact on the current income and estate tax codes. Instructor: James Richardson, CFP, CHFC

Gadgets & Things

Six 90-minute videotapes; taped January-February 2005

Technology is moving at a very rapid pace and is hard to keep up with. This course looks at modern gadgets and technology and explains them in layman’s terms. The instructors explain the old analog systems and compare them to the new digital technology. After viewing this course, you will have a better understanding of digital cameras (both still and motion), mobile phones, hybrid cars, the Internet, GPS, digital and HDTV television technology, and CDs/DVDs. The course gives many tips for people considering buying products that utilize this new technology.

Instructors: Tom Price, BS, Electrical Engineering; MBA; retired entrepreneur. Doug Hall, BS, Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Japan Encounters the West: The Transformation of a Culture

Six 90-minute tapes; taped March-April 2004

2003 was the 150 th anniversary of Commodore Matthew Perry’s visit to Japan; 2004 marks the 150 th anniversary of the first US-Japan treaty. Looking back from this perspective over the history of Japan’s volatile relationship with the West, this class will carry this story into the 21 st century. Topics to be examined include 1) merchants, missionaries, and Samurai – the First Encounters; 2) Japan withdraws – national isolation and its consequences; 3) Perry and the black ships – American makes its entrance; 4) from Feudalism to steam in one generation – Meiji and modernization; 5) the post-war occupation – partners in remaking Japan; 6) Asian or Western? – where are we now?.

Instructor: Tony Moyer, Director NC Japan Center; John Sylvester, former director of the NC Japan Center and a retired foreign-service officer with 12 year experience in Japan.

Picking Up the Pieces: Repairing Your Retirement Nest Egg

Six 90-minute tapes; taped May-June 2003

This course is designed to help you assess how your retirement is proceeding and what strategies you should be considering, in light of recent market downturns. The impact of the financial markets and the outlook for various investments are examined. What do the recent tax law changes mean for you and your tax strategies as well as the new laws proposed in the Bush Stimulus Plan? Will the estate laws be repealed and if so, with what will they be replaced? No planning course would be complete without examining the most effective protection strategies including the dos and don’ts of long term care planning. By placing these timeless planning issues within the context of today’s economic, political, and demographic environment, we will provide options for making sure your retirement planning works now and in the years to come.

Instructor: James Richardson, Certified Financial Planner, Chartered Financial Consultant; weekly commentator of “It’s Your Money” on WB 22; frequently quoted in Financial Planning Magazine.

North Carolina Railroad History

Four 90-minute tapes; recorded January 22-February 19, 2003

This series explores the role of the railroad industry in North Carolina history. A North Carolina railroad, the Wilmington and Weldon, played a major part in prolonging the Civil War. A state_owned railroad, the North Carolina Railroad, formed the " Piedmont Crescent" running from Raleigh through Durham, Greensboro, High Point, and Salisbury to Charlotte. The course includes a discussion of North Carolina railroad history from 1830 to the present and a session focusing upon short_line and logging railroads

Instructor: Tony Reevy, Associate Director of Advancement of the Carolina Environmental Program at UNC_CH; graduate of NC State University; publisher of books and poetry.

Managing the Retirement Investment Portfolio: Lessons from the Tech Boom & Bust

Six 90-minute tapes; taped May 22-June 26, 2002

The easy investment markets of the 1990s and the subsequent crash has resulted in considerable losses in the nest eggs of many retirees. This series assesses the potential damage and looks at strategies for the future. The course starts by using retirement scenario modeling tools to determine the damage and examine the possible outcomes based on investment history. The course then looks at the optimal retirement income and growth portfolios using modern asset allocation techniques. The course covers the various income-producing strategies (bonds, cash equivalents, REITs, annuities, etc.). The uses of equity investments (stocks, mutual funds) are also examined with a review of techniques for reducing risk such as style analysis, sector ratio, and managed accounts. The impact of income taxes on IRAs and other retirement accounts are also evaluated, with key strategies for reducing the tax bite and stretching the retirement assets through retirement and beyond.

Instructor: James Richardson, CFP, Senior Financial Advisor at American Express Financial Advisors; member of the International Society for Retirement Planning.

Antarctica: Home of the Blizzard & Land of Incredible Beauty

Six 90-minute tapes; taped March-April 2002

This series explores the exciting and often unknown continent of Antarctica. Animals, from microscopic forms in the small spaces between soil particles to giant elephant seals will be introduced, along with the stately, yet comic, life of the penguins. Soar on the wind with albatrosses. Learn how this diverse life survives in a harsh, cruel environment. Reflect on the issues confronting environmentalists in their battle to protect this precious heritage and learn of the historic explorers and the hardships they endured.

Instructor: Dr. Harold Heatwole, Professor of Zoology, NC State. Dr. Heatwole is a biologist and a naturalist with PhDs in both Botany and Zoology. He is a veteran of nine expeditions to Antarctica.

NOTE: One of the sessions shows some audiovisuals that are flawed but still are interesting if the viewer is patient.

Beautiful Nepal – Now Open to the World

Six 90-minute tapes; taped September-October 2001

Only during the past several decades has Nepal opened itself to foreign visitors and begun embracing certain aspects of globalization. The two instructors have traveled several times, separately and for different purposes, to visit the Nepalese. The course provides an introduction to the religion, history, politics, art, architecture, present-day commerce, and culture of Nepal. Sights and sounds from Kathmandu and the instructors’ treks in the Himalayas are included.

Instructors: David Danielson, Encore member, and David Greene, Ph.D., Head, Division of Multidisciplinary Studies, NC State University.

North Carolina & World War I

Five 90-minute tapes; one 30-minute session; taped September-October 2000

In 1917 the United States entered World War I and within the year had troops in France on the Western front. North Carolinians were some of the first to volunteer and many ultimately experienced the horrors of trench warfare. Why did America go to war? What happened to the North Carolina common soldier during the war? Follow their stories through training, service overseas, and the return home.

Instructor: Jackson Marshall, M.A. History, Wake Forest Univ.; historian at the NC Museum of History.

Darwin – Evolution & the Galapagos

Six 90-minute tapes; taped March-April 2000

Explores Darwin’s On the Origin of the Species and takes a virtual visit (through video and slides) to the Galapagos Islands where the concepts of evolution and creationism took hold. Wide-ranging and lively discussions between the instructor and class members focus on topics such as 1) science vs. theory, 2) evolution vs. creationism, 3) science and religion, and 4) natural selection and racism. Recommended reading to accompany the series is On the Origin of the Species.

Instructor: Robert Bruck, PhD; Director and Professor, Environmental Programs, NC State University.

The Last Continent: Andean Archeology (Mountains, Desert & Jungle)

Five 90-minute sessions, taped March-April 2001

South America, the last continent to be inhabited by humans, produced a great empire – the Inca – which represented the final native episode in a long history of interaction between mountain, desert and jungle peoples. The course focuses on archeology finds in Peru and Bolivia and covers the period from the first appearance of humans in the New World (B.C.) to the 16 th century’s Spanish colonial administration.

Instructor: Donald Brockington, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, UNC-Chapel Hill.

Antiques, Collectibles & Relics

Taped November 1995

Topics covered include furniture, silver, fabrics, china, crystal, pottery, art, stamps, coins, autographs, documents, toys, glass; as well as tips for getting into the antiques business, preserving antiques, and selling antiques.

Instructor: J.C. Knowles, noted instructor on antiques, collectibles and N.C. history.