Spring 2024 Course Syllabus Course: BUSI-1307 (Section: 71, CRN: 10383) Personal Finance

Instructor Information
Instructor	Emily Peters
Email	petersem@lamarpa.edu
Phone	(409) 984-6418
Office	Umphrey Industrial Technology Center - Room: 201A
Office Hours	By appointment only.  T/R 10:30 am -11:00 am and 12:15 pm-12:45 pm.
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, 9th edition by Arthur Keown (Published by Pearson) ISBN10: 0137504152  ISBN 13: 9780137504152 ISBN 13: 9780137672042 *The book format you choose (Hardback or eBook) is a matter of personal preference.
Additional Materials/Resources	Students will need a standard function calculator. You may use the calculator function on your phone, but I suggest an inexpensive desktop/pocket calculator. We will use financial calculators, but students do not need to go out and purchase one. I will provide a link to an online version. Unless otherwise specified, the use of calculators is permitted to solve problems on assignments, quizzes, and exams.
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 2/16/24 *Exam 2 over Chapters 5-8 due 3/22/24 *Exam 3 over Chapters 11-14 due 4/19/24 *Exam 4 (Comprehensive Final Exam with a focus on Chapters 15-17 due 5/7/24
Final Exam Date	April 30, 2024 - 9:0 AM   Through  May 7, 2024 - 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. . We will use financial calculators, but students do not need to go out and purchase one. I will provide a link to one online. 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.  Assignments/Quizzes: Assignments will be posted weekly. They will typically be posted by Tuesday and due the following Tuesday night by 11:59 pm. This is subject to change.  Check Blackboard OFTEN for any changes to due dates. You must submit all your assignments in Blackboard unless you have been given specific written instructions otherwise from the instructor. DO NOT wait until the last minute to complete your assignments. The lowest assignment grade with be dropped. 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 may be timed. 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. 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. 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.  Projects account for 10% of a student's grade. Failure to complete all parts of a project will result in deductions.  You will be given a grading rubric. Late Work: All assignments, quizzes, exams, and projects must be completed and submitted before the due date. Because you have ample time to complete assignments, LATE WORK is not accepted without specific approval of the instructor. Such approval is at the instructor’s sole discretion and will require appropriate documentation suitable to support the work being late. When possible, any requests for additional time must be submitted PRIOR to the due date. Technical problems on the due date are NOT an excuse for turning in assignments late.  In circumstances where the instructor has granted an extension, any late work that is accepted may be subject to a penalty, such as a maximum grade of 70, regardless of your score. 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.   Grades: All grades will be posted on Blackboard under the Gradebook. I will not discuss your grades over the phone or by e-mail. If you want to discuss your grades, you must schedule a meeting with me, either in person or via TEAMS. Extra credit may be assigned at the discretion of the instructor but should not be expected. Students should check their grades ion Blackboard often and keep a record of their grades/average. Instructor 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 the program coordinator and/or department chair.
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