Summer Sessions 2024 Course Syllabus
Course: BUSI-1307 (Section: 71V, CRN: 61161)
Personal Finance
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Instructor Information
Instructor Renda Songer
Email songerrj@lamarpa.edu
Phone (409) 984-6102
Office Madison Monroe Educational - Room: 147A
Office Hours By appointment, Monday - Thursday
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 - 14th Edition - Garman, Forgue, Fox

Garman, T., Forgue, R., & Fox, J. (2024). Personal finance, 14th ed. Cengage publishing. https://www.cengage.com/c/personal-finance-14e-personal-finance/9780357901496/

ISBN: 9780357901496

Additional Materials/Resources
Materials: 
 
Computer with Internet Access

Calculator

User Accounts: You will also be required to have user accounts for various services, such as Google, Office, OneDrive, Canva, Zoom, etc.  These can be obtained at no cost to the student.  The instructor will provide details when we get to that section of the course. 

 
Tech Support and Help Logging in:  for technical assistance, contact Online Support Desk 24/7 at 936.496.5379 or bbhelp@lamarpa.edu. 

If you need to reset your password, you can do so by clicking on MyLSCPA button at Lamarpa.edu and then clicking the Help tab.Calculator
Computer with Internet Access
Corequisites/Prerequisites None">None">None">None">None
Learning Outcomes
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.
Approval Number: 19.0401.51 09
maximum SCH per student 3
maximum SCH per course 3
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.
* Teamwork: Students will demonstrate the ability to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal and consider different points of view.
* Social Responsibility: Students will demonstrate intercultural competency and civic knowledge by engaging effectively in local, regional, national and/or global communities.
* Personal Responsibility: Students will demonstrate the ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making.
Lecture Topics Outline
Understanding Personal Finance
Career Planning
Financial Statements, Tools, and Budgets
Managing Income Taxes 
Managing Checking and Savings Accounts
Building and Maintaining Good Credit
Credit Cards and Consumer Loans
Vehicle and Other Major Purchases
Obtaining Affordable Housing
Managing Property and Liability Risk
Planning for Health Care Expenses
Life Insurance Planning
Investment Fundamentals
Retirement Planning
Major Assignments Schedule Topics and Schedule
  1. Class Introduction, and Course Overview
  2. Understanding Personal Finance
  3. Career Planning
  4. Financial Statements, Tools, and Budgets
  5. Managing Income Taxes 
  6. Managing Checking and Savings Accounts
  7. Building and Maintaining Good Credit
  8. Credit Cards and Consumer Loans
  9. Vehicle and Other Major Purchases
  10. Obtaining Affordable Housing
  11. Managing Property and Liability Risk
  12. Planning for Health Care Expenses
  13. Life Insurance Planning
  14. Investment Fundamentals
  15. Retirement Planning
 


 
Final Exam Date August 10, 2024 - 8:0 AM   Through  August 11, 2024 - 10:0 PM
Grading Scale  90 - 100=A 80 - 89=B  70 - 79=C   60 - 69=D  Below 59 = F
Determination of
Final Grade
Weekly Assignments - 85%
Final Exam - 15%
Course Policies
Instructor Policies Due Dates:
All assignments due dates are posted in Blackboard.
Assignments WILL be accepted late.  However, assignments will not receive a grade higher than 70 if submitted after the due date.


Grades:
To pass the course, you must have a 60 average on assignments.  
Grade calculations displayed in Blackboard may not always be accurate. 
You should average your own grades using the syllabus grade calculation. 
Report any discrepancies to instructor.

Communication:
ALL communication must be submitted in ONE of TWO ways.
Through Blackboard
Via email to songerrj@lamarpa.edu


Please allow 1 full business day (Monday - Thursday) for a reply. 
If you send communication after hours, it will likely be the next business day before I reply. 
If you send communication over the weekend, it will likely be Monday before I reply. 


Attendance Policy Research has shown a cause and effect relationship between attendance and college success. The number one key to success in College is showing up on time and following instructions. :) 


Students will also find Weekly Collaborate Session in their Blackboard Course. 
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
Dual Enrollment
Chair:Sheila Guillot
Email:guillsr@lamarpa.edu
Phone:(409) 984-6381