Fall 2023 Course Syllabus
Course: BUSI-1307 (Section: 71Z, CRN: 92748)
Personal Finance 		LSCPA Logo Image
Instructor Information
Instructor Emily Peters
Email petersem@lamarpa.edu
Phone (409) 984-6418
Office Umphrey Industrial Technology Center - Room: 201A
Office Hours Monday and Wednesday 10-11am or as needed, by appointment.
Additional Contact Information
Course Information
Description Personal and family accounts, budgets and budgetary control, bank accounts, charge accounts, borrowing, investing, insurance, standards of living, renting or home ownership, and wills and trust plans.
Required Textbooks Textbook Purchasing Statement: A student attending Lamar State College Port Arthur is not under any obligation to purchase a textbook from the college-affiliated bookstore. The same textbook may also be available from an independent retailer, including an online retailer.

Personal Finance: Turning Money Into Wealth, 8th edition by Arthur Keown (Published by Pearson)
Hardcover: ISBN-13: 9780134730363, ISBN-10: 0134730364
Loose-Leaf: ISBN-13: 9780134730851
eBook: ISBN-13: 9780136879015
*The book format you choose is a matter of personal preference.
Additional Materials/Resources Pocket calculator
Corequisites/Prerequisites None
Learning Outcomes
Core Objectives * Communication skills: Students will demonstrate effective written, oral and/or visual communication.
* Critical Thinking Skills: Students will engage in creative and/or innovative thinking, and/or inquiry, analysis, evaluation, synthesis of information, organizing concepts and constructing solutions.
* Empirical and Quantitative Skills: Students will demonstrate applications of scientific and mathematical concepts.
* Personal Responsibility: Students will demonstrate the ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making.
Lecture Topics Outline

PART 1: FINANCIAL PLANNING
The Financial Planning Process
Measuring Your Financial Health and Making a Plan
Understanding and Appreciating the Time Value of Money
Tax Planning and Strategies


PART 2: MANAGING YOUR MONEY
Cash or Liquid Asset Management
Using Credit Cards: The Role of Open Credit
Student and Consumer Loans: The Role of Planned Borrowing
The Home and Automobile Decision


PART 3: PROTECTING YOURSELF WITH INSURANCE
Life and Health Insurance
Property and Liability Insurance


PART 4: MANAGING YOUR INVESTMENTS
Investment Basics
Investing in Stocks
Investing in Bonds and Other Alternatives
Mutual Funds: An Easy Way to Diversify


PART 5: LIFE CYCLE ISSUES
Retirement Planning
Estate Planning: Saving Your Heirs Money and Headaches
Financial Life Events -- Fitting the Pieces Together
Major Assignments Schedule Students should expect weekly Assignments and Quizzes on the topics above. Unless otherwise noted, these will typically be due the following week after assigned. Please check the calendar in Blackboard for specific weekly assignment/quiz due dates. Additionally, there will a several small projects due throughout the semester. Students will be expected to manage their time wisely to complete these.

***NOTE: SCHEDULE/DUE DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE***

TENTATIVE Exam Due Dates:
*Exam 1 over Chapters 1-4 due 9/29/23
*Exam 2 over Chapters 6-8 due 10/27/23
*Exam 3 over Chapters 11-14 due 11/17/23
*Exam 4 (Comprehensive Final Exam with a focus on Chapters 15-17 due 12/12/23

Any changes will be announced on Blackboard.
Final Exam Date December 4, 2023 - 8:0 AM   Through  December 12, 2023 - 11:59 PM
Grading Scale  90 - 100=A 80 - 89=B  70 - 79=C   60 - 69=D  Below 59 = F
Determination of
Final Grade		 Exams (including Final) - 40%, Weekly Assignments/Quizzes - 50%, Projects - 10%
Course Policies
Instructor Policies

Textbook/Supplies/Software: Every student MUST have a copy of the required textbooks by the beginning of the SECOND week of class. The student will be responsible for any assignments given. Reliable Internet access is required for ALL courses. Computer failure and lack of internet access are not acceptable excuses for missed assignments, projects, quizzes, or exams.

Students will need a standard function calculator. You may use the calculator function on your phone, but I suggest an inexpensive desktop/pocket calculator. Unless otherwise specified, the use of calculators is permitted to solve problems on assignments, quizzes, and exams. 

If you are in a course that is using a specific software, you MUST have the software available to you either on your home computer or you must use the open lab provided in the Gates Library. Access to Microsoft Office (Excel and Word) will be necessary for this course. There is access available on campus in the testing center and the Gates Memorial Library. DO NOT wait until the last minute to complete class work or exams. Do not complete assignments, quizzes, or exams on a phone or Chrome book, as they may not submit properly.

Announcements: I will generally post announcements weekly, usually early in the week. These announcements indicate upcoming due dates and notes important to your success in this course. You should READ these Announcements every week. I also recommend using the Blackboard app on your phone, with notifications, so that you immediately receive notices of new announcements for this class. Please use your LSCPA email to communicate with me.

Assignments/Quizzes: Assignments and quizzes will be posted weekly and due the following Tuesday night by 11:59pm. This is subject to change.  Check Blackboard for any changes to due dates.  No emailed work is accepted. You must submit all your assignments in Blackboard unless you have been given specific written instruction otherwise from the instructor.  Because you have ample time to complete assignments, LATE WORK is not accepted, except in a rare circumstance at the instructor's discretion. Penalties may apply.  DO NOT wait until the last minute to complete your assignments. Assignments not turned in on time will receive a zero. The lowest assignment grade will be dropped.  Some assignments, such as commenting on the Discussion Board, may be for a completion grade only. However, failure to participate or complete may result in a zero or a penalty/deduction on another assignment or quiz.

Quizzes will be given on Blackboard covering the chapter studied that week and are good preparation for the Exams. Quizzes will often cover the key terms/vocabulary/concepts contained in the chapter and will often be timed. There will be no makeups for missed quizzes. Missed quizzes will receive a score of zero. The lowest quiz grade with be dropped.

Exams: Exams will be provided within a Blackboard examination window. Even though the exams are administered through Blackboard and not given during class time, you MUST WORK ALONE while taking the exam.  The use of your notes and book IS permitted; however, cheating on exams is not acceptable and will be subject to violations of the Academic Dishonesty policy.  If you fail to complete an exam (including the Final) by the due date, you will receive a grade of zero. If you have special circumstances which require you to miss an exam, you may contact the me to see if other arrangements can be made. Requests for makeup exams or other arrangements are granted ONLY if you have an exceptional reason for missing an exam, such as a medical emergency, or death in the family. It is your responsibility to initiate arrangements for a makeup or other arrangements. Approval should be cleared with me PRIOR to the date of absence. If it is not possible to contact me prior to the exam, please e-mail me within 48 hours after missing the exam and cite the reasons you missed the exam. The format of a makeup exam may differ from that of the regularly scheduled exam. As a word of precaution, please do not use mobile or wireless devices for exams.

Projects: Students can expect several small projects throughout the semester.  These are intended to help the student put the knowledge learned in class to use in a real-world situation or their own personal situation.  Because some projects may cover a longer period of time, students will be expected to exercise personal responsibility and plan their time accordingly.  LATE WORK will not accepted, except in a rare circumstance at the instructor's discretion. DO NOT wait until the last minute to complete your projects. Projects account for 10% of a student's grade.  Failure to complete all parts of a project will result in deductions.  

Grades: All grades will be posted you Blackboard under My Grades. I will not discuss your grades by e-mail. If you would like to discuss your grades, you must schedule a meeting with me, either in person or via TEAMS.  Students should check their grades in Blackboard often and keep a record of their grades/average. Instructor(s) will not average grades for students. If you notice a discrepancy, please talk to me about it early. Do not wait until the end of the semester.

Academic Dishonesty: Copying, stealing, and/or submitting someone else's work (including AI-generated work) is considered a violation of the Academic Dishonesty policy. Academic Dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated. A student violating this policy will receive a ZERO on any assignment (first offense); a second incidence of academic dishonesty will result in failure of the class and meeting with program coordinator and/or department chair.

E-Mail Etiquette: Please use your LSCPA email to communicate with me, not voice mail, as I do not have a permanent office on campus.  Students must use appropriate e-mail etiquette when corresponding with instructor, for example, complete sentences and a full subject line with your name and course name. 
Attendance Policy Poor attendance is a leading reason for termination from a job in all areas of employment. With this factor in mind, the instructor monitors student "attendance" via Blackboard reports of logins and interaction with course. Students should be logging in at least 3x per week to be successful. 
Additional Information
Institutional Policies
MyLSCPA Be sure to check your campus email and Course Homepage using MyLSCPA campus web portal. You can also access your grades, transcripts, academic advisors, degree progress, and other services through MyLSCPA.
Academic Honesty Academic honesty is expected from all students, and dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. Please consult the LSCPA policies (Academic Dishonesty section in the Student Handbook) for consequences of academic dishonesty.
ADA Considerations The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the the Office for Disability Services Coordinator, Room 231, in the Madison Monroe Building. The phone number is (409) 984-6241.
COVID 19 Information The Lamar State College Port Arthur (LSCPA) Student Code of Conduct COVID 19 Policy requires students who have been diagnosed with COVID 19 to report their condition directly to their local health department. Students should also contact their course faculty to report their quarantine status. In addition, this policy requires all students to wear face coverings when directly exposed to COVID 19 in compliance with the criteria included in the policy. For more information please refer to the COVID 19 link on the LSCPA website.
Facility Policies No food or tobacco products are allowed in the classroom. Only students enrolled in the course are allowed in the classroom, except by special instructor permission. Use of electronic devices is prohibited.
HB 2504 This syllabus is part of LSCPA's efforts to comply with Texas House Bill 2504.
Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect As per Texas law and LSCPA policy, all LSCPA employees, including faculty, are required to report allegations or disclosures of child abuse or neglect to the designated authorities, which may include a local or state law enforcement agency or the Texas Department of Family Protective Services. For more information about mandatory reporting requirements, see LSCPA's Policy and Procedure Manual.
Title IX and Sexual Misconduct LSCPA is committed to establishing and maintaining an environment that is free from all forms of sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, sexual violence, and other forms of sexual misconduct. All LSCPA employees, including faculty, have the responsibility to report disclosures of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment, sexual assault (including rape and acquaintance rape), domestic violence, dating violence, relationship violence, or stalking, to LSCPA's Title IX Coordinator, whose role is to coordinate the college's response to sexual misconduct. For more information about Title IX protections, faculty reporting responsibilities, options for confidential reporting, and the resources available for support visit LSCPA's Title IX website.
Clery Act Crime Reporting For more information about the Clery Act and crime reporting, see the Annual Security & Fire Safety Report and the Campus Security website.
Grievance / Complaint / Concern If you have a grievance, complaint, or concern about this course that has not been resolved through discussion with the Instructor, please consult the Department Chair.
Department Information
Business and Industrial Technology
Chair:Sheila Guillot
Email:guillsr@lamarpa.edu
Phone:(409) 984-6381