Fall 2025 Course Syllabus
Course: BUSI-1307 (Section: 1D, CRN: 93520)
Personal Finance 		LSCPA Logo Image
Instructor Information
Instructor Kara Booth
Email boothkn@lamarpa.edu
Phone (409) 984-6418
Office Umphrey Industrial Technology Center - Room: 201A
Office Hours Virtual upon request
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, 9e

Authors: Arthur J. Keown

9th Edition

Published by Pearson (July 6th 2022) - Copyright © 2023

Digital: ISBN-13: 9780137672042
Additional Materials/Resources None.
Corequisites/Prerequisites None
Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  • Understand how financial decisions made today can affect their future financial stability.
  • Possess the analytical tools they need to think intelligently about personal finance decisions.
  • Use sound reasoning skills in evaluating personal finance alternatives.
  • Be conversant on a variety of personal finance issues.
  • Understand the language and vocabulary of personal finance.
Program Student Learning Outcomes
Lecture Topics Outline The Personal Financial Planning Process
Measuring Your Financial Health and Making a Plan
Understanding and Appreciating the Time Value of Money
Tax Planning and Strategies
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
Life and Health Insurance
Property and Liability Insurance
Investment Basics
Investing in Stocks
Mutual Funds and Exchange-Traded Funds: An Easy Way to Diversify
Retirement Planning
Financial Life Events: Fitting the Pieces Together
Major Assignments Schedule Week #    ASSIGNMENTS
Week 1    Discussion Board: Intro, Chapter 1 Quiz
Week 2    Discussion Board, Chapter 2 Quiz
Week 3    Chapter 3 Quiz
Week 4    Chapter 4 Quiz, Exam 1 Chapters 1-4
Week 5    Chapter 5 Quiz
Week 6    Discussion Board, Chapter 6 Quiz
Week 7    Chapter 7 Quiz, 
Week 8    Chapter 8 Quiz, Exam 2 Chapters 5-8
Week 9    Discussion Board, Chapter 9 Quiz
Week 10    Chapter 10 Quiz,  Exam 3 Chapters 9-10
Week 11    Chapter 11 Quiz
Week 12    Discussion Board,  Chapter 12 Quiz
Week 13    Chapter 14 Quiz
Week 14    Chapter 15 Quiz
Week 15    Chapter 27 Quiz, Unit 4 Exam Chapters 11, 12, 14, 15, 17
Final Exam Date December 9, 2025 - 12:1 AM   Through  December 9, 2025 - 11:59 PM
Grading Scale
Determination of
Final Grade
Chapter Quizzes 30%
Unit Exams (4) 60% (15% each)
Discussion Boards 10%
Course Policies
Instructor Policies

Response Time Policy
Quizzes and exams are automatically graded by Blackboard and will be available to you immediately. Discussions will be graded in 7-10 days after the due date. 

Announcements
I will 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.

Exams
Exams will be provided within a BlackBoard examination window. The exams will be timed and limited to 60 minutes. Make-up exams will NOT be given. Missed exams will receive a score of zero. Your exam will be graded immediately by Blackboard. Feedback on specific exam questions will be given 24 hours after the exam is due. You must work alone while taking the exam. Cheating on exams is not acceptable and will be subject to violations of the Academic Dishonesty policy.
Dates for exams are listed on the Course Calendar and on the Task list. Each exam counts for 15 percent of your final grade. 

Quizzes
Weekly quizzes will be given covering the chapter studied that week. Dates for quizzes are listed on the Course Calendar and on the Task list. There will be no makeups for missed quizzes. Missed quizzes will receive a score of zero. The 2 lowest quiz grades will be dropped. Combined, these quizzes will count as 30 percent of your final grade.

Discussions
Discussion boards are in place to add to your classroom community and emphasize important skills that prepare you to enter the workforce.
The National Association of Colleges and Employers lists eight important skills that are needed to successfully enter today’s workforce.  These discussions emphasize four of those skills. You'll work on your written and oral communications. You'll think critically and solve problems. You'll show your professionalism and work ethic. And finally, you'll gain important global and intercultural fluencies. Because of all of these reasons, the use of AI is prohibited. Participation is required. 

For your own post, you should FULLY answer the prompt, utilizing proper grammar, including proper capitalization. Then you should comment on two fellow student's posts. Your responses to the posts of other students should contribute to the discussion of the prompt, rather than be a critique of the response.  Furthermore, comments should not just state “I agree” or “good post.” Full credit will NOT be awarded for comments that simply indicate agreement. Because comments should add to the discussion of the prompt, terms, as they relate to the appropriate chapter, is expected. 
A rubric for discussion boards is available. Exceptional scores requires exceptional participation. There will be 5 Discussions. There will be no makeups for missed Discussions. One discussion board grade will be dropped. Combined, these Discussions will account for 10 percent of your final grade.

Use of Instructional Materials
Instructional materials, such as PowerPoints and concept videos, are provided in Blackboard for each chapter. These will be useful in understanding concepts as presented in the chapters.

Chat Sessions
It is possible that I may schedule a chat session periodically (if needed) to answer questions. Your attendance/participation is not required and does not count for a grade. If a chat session is conducted, the session will be recorded so that you can view the session at your convenience.

Make-Up/Late work
Exams, quizzes, assignments, discussion boards, the rough draft, and the final research paper are due on the dates as listed on the Course Calendar and Task list. There will be no make-up exams. There will be no make-up quizzes. Late discussion boards will not be accepted. Late assignments will not be accepted. Units, exams, quizzes, or discussion boards will not be reopened once closed. Late research papers will not be accepted.

AI use: 
If the instructor believes that AI was utilized in the course, a recorded video call will be required to discuss learned learning objectives. 
Attendance Policy To be successful in this online course, the student MUST access the assigned textbook and log into BlackBoard 4-5 times weekly. Regular, reliable access to BlackBoard via Internet is required for this online course.
Additional Information Incomplete Grades
Assigning the grade of incomplete (I) requires prior approval of the Department Chair. An I is assigned only when the deadline for dropping the course has passed, the student is passing the course, and course requirements, including the final examination, cannot be completed because of unavoidable circumstances. To receive an incomplete, a student must be in good standing to pass the class and must have completed most of the course work (75%).

Withdrawing from the course
It is the responsibility of the student to properly withdraw from the course. The withdraw process will not be initiated by the instructor.

Changes in Calendar
Instructor reserves the right to change, alter, omit, or add to the tentative course outline and calendar. This course continues to be a work in progress. Assignments, due dates, etc. can and usually do change.

Technical/computer/Internet/software/hardware/Blackboard Issues
It is the responsibility of the students to ensure that any and all technical/computer/Internet/software/hardware/Blackboard issues are handled in a timely manner and that all tech support personnel are contacted to correct the problems. These issues do not excuse a student from assignments or exams.
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 Disability Services Coordinator, Room 117, in the Student Sucess Center. 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:Cristina Lawson
Email:lawsonac@lamarpa.edu
Phone:(409) 984-6381