PFP 4361-D01
Personal Finance: Advance Topics
and Case Studies
Spring Semester, 2014
Instructor:
Course Access:
E-Mail:
Office Hours:
Program:
Department:
Lua Augustin
Blackboard 9: access at: ttu.blackboard.com
All email communication is through Blackboard 9 (BB9)
Tuesdays 2:00-3:00pm,Wednesdays 12:00-2:00pm (Online through Lync)
Personal Financial Literacy
Personal Financial Planning
Course Description:
Prerequisites: PFP 3301, 3321, 3341, 3361, and 3381. For nonmajors only. Students are expected to develop a sound
financial plan; analyze information; justify financial decisions; and describe the process used to track, evaluate, and
adjust financial plans to meet goals. Distance. F, S, SS. (Writing Intensive)
Required Text:
 Personal Finance, 11th edition by Garman & Forgue (ISBN 9781111531010)
 Real Life Financial Planning: An Easy-to-Understand System to Organize Your Financial Plan
and Prioritize Financial Decisions. Todd D. Bramson. Publisher: Thomson West; 3rd Ed. ISBN-10:
0314232907
Required Materials:



Acceptable Browser for access to Blackboard 9 (BB9) Learning Management System
Adobe Reader, Microsoft Lync, Word, and/or Excel software (available for download at eraider.ttu.edu)
Texas Instruments BAII PLUS Financial Calculator
Blackboard (Version 9/Learn):
The entire course will be managed through Blackboard 9 (accessible at: ttu.blackboard.com). Students will be
responsible for checking the site at least on a daily basis for announcements and e-mails from the instructor. Students
are advised to log on to Blackboard and conduct a browser tune-up to ensure that their computer is Blackboard ready
(this may require downloading software).
All tasks that require submission through Blackboard have an availability period. It is the student's responsibility to
ensure that all tasks are completed AND submitted before the end of the availability period.
***If you initiate a task before the deadline, but do not successfully submit before the end of the availability period,
your submission will not be accepted. All work must be submitted within the Blackboard 9 environment. No late work
will be accepted. The availability periods in this class are pre-programmed at the beginning of the semester and will
not be changed, so please plan accordingly.***
Having computer problems does not constitute a legitimate reason for not completing tasks in the course, so students
should plan on attempting to submit work at the beginning of the availability period to allow any time necessary to
work out any technical/computer problems they may encounter. Any technical difficulties should be handled through
the IT Department (742-HELP). Do not contact the instructor with computer problems. It is the student’s responsibility
to allow ample time to deal with computer glitches.
1
Hardware & Software Configurations:
IT help central offers a wide variety of services to the Texas Tech community. For more information regarding how to
choose the right computer and hardware/software configurations, please consult the website:
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/ithelpcentral/recommend.php
Expected Learning Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
 Apply and integrate basic personal finance concepts and tools, including time value of money, goals, taxes,
planning process, and financial statements.
 Understand the application of borrowing through mortgages, student loans, and installment loans and calculate
finance costs.
 Apply informed investment decisions based on stated goals and objectives.
 Identify risk reduction strategies that will protect against and minimize economic loss.
Methods for Assessing and Evaluating the Expected Learning Outcomes:
This course is designed to provide each student with content, learning opportunities, and evaluation of learning
objectives. To be successful in this course, a student should attend to all course content and take advantage of all
learning opportunities that are specifically designed to prepare students for the evaluation tasks upon which the
majority of the final grade is determined. For optimal success, it is imperative that a student adhere to ALL availability
periods for all assessment and evaluation tasks. All tasks in this course are set to a fixed schedule and there will be NO
opportunity to extend or alter these availability periods.
During each unit of the course a student will be introduced to content and provided with opportunities to work with
content and receive feedback to assess learning progress. Then, students will be evaluated on their learning
achievement. Optimal student success in this class depends on attending to the course content in addition to
completing and successfully submitting all assessment and evaluation tasks within the availability period.
Course content may be provided to the student through readings, lecture material, and/or other media. Students are
expected to read, listen, and/or watch all of the course content for each unit. To aid in learning the concepts and skills
within each content area, students are provided with opportunities to enhance and assess their learning.
Learning opportunities may include assignments, quizzes, discussions, and/or other activities in which the student is
provided feedback to augment the learning process. Assessment of these learning opportunities may (or may not) be
included in the determination of a student's final grade in the course; however, the majority of a student's grade is
dependent upon evaluation tasks.
The purpose of evaluation activities are to determine the level of learning that has been achieved by the student.
Evaluation tasks may include exams, quizzes, projects, assignments, and/or other types of evaluation. Because
evaluation tasks are designed to measure achieved learning (as opposed to enhancing learning), no additional feedback
other than score will be provided to the student.
The expected learning outcomes for the course will be assessed through the following learning opportunities:
 Discussion Threads
 Written Assignments
The expected learning outcomes for the course will be evaluated through the following:
 Final Case Study Summary
All learning opportunity assessment and evaluation tasks (for example, quizzes, exams, assignments, projects, etc.)
must be completed and successfully submitted during the availability period.
2
IMPORTANT Information Regarding Submissions for the Course:
1. Students should make sure that they SAVE all the files they create for submission within this course (either on
your computer hard drive, flashdrive, Dropbox, or some other form of cloud storage). It is students' responsibility
to make sure they have saved and accessible files in the event that their work is requested by the instructor. No
lenience or accommodation will be given for “lost” or inaccessible documents.
2. All assessment and evaluation submissions must be submitted through the Blackboard System. Do not email your
work to your instructor/TA at their TTU email address. Blackboard keeps a record of all submissions and will
house all the course information.
3. All work for submission (e.g., assignments, graded discussions, journal entries) should be created in a Microsoft
Word (or Excel) file and the file can either be uploaded to Blackboard (e.g., an assignment submitted through
assignment dropbox in Blackboard) or cut and pasted into a Blackboard submission area (e.g., graded discussion or
journal entry).
4. Any files that cannot be opened will not be graded. Please note that no submissions will be accept as zipped files.
Note: If you are a Mac (Apple) user please beware. There are very few people who are able to successfully submit
assignments in the proper .docx or .xls format. If you are a Mac user you may want to use Windows-based PC
computers available at the library to ensure proper submission.
5. All assignments must be completed independently. While it is fine to discuss assignments with other students,
including helping each other with how to do the work, each student will turn in a unique and individually prepared
project. All work submitted (including spread sheets, worksheets, tax forms, images, and written work) must be
your own work. If not, this will be considered academic dishonesty.
6. Student’s assignments may be submitted to anti-plagiarism software (turnitin.com). This software will compare
the current semester’s papers with past semesters. Copying work from existing sources or past semesters is
considered academic dishonesty.
7. Some assignments may require the use and/or creation of Excel spreadsheets. It is expected students have a good
working knowledge of Excel. If this is not the case, and you are required to use Excel in your course, Texas Tech
offers computer based training (CBT) in Excel via Lynda.com (http:iplogin.lynda.com) that is available from any
building on the TTU campus. Copying a spreadsheet from someone else is a form of plagiarism and will be dealt
with as academic dishonesty. Do not do this!
8. If you fail to complete and successfully submit a task in this course there will be NO opportunity for a makeup NO EXCEPTIONS, SO PLEASE DO NOT EMAIL THE INSTRUCTOR/TA ABOUT THIS ISSUE.
Criteria for Grade Determination:
Learning Opportunities:
Assignments (best 6 out of 7)
Discussions (best 6 out of 7)
Points
300
150
Percent
30%
15%
550
1000
55%
100%
Evaluation:
Case Study
Total
Grading Scale:
900 – 1000pts (90 – 100%)
800 – 899pts (80 – 89%)
700 – 799pts (70 – 79%)
600 – 699pts (60 – 69%)
Below 600 pts or 60%
A-range
B-range
C-range
D-range
F-range
Grade Disputes:
If you have an issue with a grade, please email the instructor within ONE WEEK (7 days). In your email, clearly
describe the issue and your outcome expectation (make sure you consult the syllabus to make sure your proposal
respects all course policies). The email should be professional and clearly written. If the situation is not resolved to
your satisfaction, please follow the steps in the "Resolving Student Issues" section toward the end of this syllabus.
3
Course Communication Center:
Within Blackboard you will find a Communication Center that has a Student Lounge (to discuss course content and
learning opportunities with your classmates), Blackboard email (to contact your instructor and/or other students in the
class regarding more particular or private conversations), and a portal to attend Office Hours (through Microsoft
Lync).
You are strongly encouraged to use the "Student Lounge" discussion board rather than e-mail for questions that are
applicable to everyone in the class. The instructor will closely monitor and communicate with class members through
the discussion board.
Meetings with the instructor can be arranged either in person on the TTU campus or via Lync (a free messaging
software provided through TTU). To download Lync go to:
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/ithelpcentral/solutions/uc/lync/index.php
Feedback from your Instructor:



You can expect your instructor to respond to your email within 24 hours (from Monday to Friday). Depending
on your request, it may take the instructor longer than this to fully address the situation and this will be
communicated to you during the initial response.
For all graded learning opportunity assessments, you can expect your instructor to provide feedback (through a
grading rubric, comments, etc.) within a week following the end of the availability period.
You should not expect any feedback (other than your score) on evaluation items within the course. Evaluations
are designed to determine level of learning, not an opportunity for learning.
Netiquette for Online Discussions and Email:
Netiquette refers to “Network Etiquette”. It is the way one should behave when sending email, posting to threaded
discussions, or chatting online. Here are some basic rules to help you get the most out of your online learning.
 ALL CAPS IMPLIES THAT YOU ARE SHOUTING - Please do not do this!
 Watch your “tone” - it’s written, not verbal communication. It can be very easy to misinterpret someone’s
meaning online.
 Check your spelling - Always!
 Never “say” anything that you would not want posted on the wall of a face-to-face classroom, because it could
be!
 Behave as you would in a face-to-face classroom.
 Remember there is a real live person at the other end reading your posts and email. Treat them with respect.
 Foul language, insults and harassment are not tolerated (just as it would not be tolerated in a face-to-face
classroom).
 Don’t flame others (a flame is a series of angry responses to someone’s comments).
 Think about what you have written before you submit it.
Source: http://www.tltc.ttu.edu/content/asp/Blackboard/student/netiquette.asp
Nondiscrimination Policy:
Texas Tech is committed to the principle that in no aspects of its programs shall there be differences in the treatment of
persons because of race, creed, national origin, age, sex, or disability, and that equal opportunity and access to facilities
shall be available to all.
ADA Compliance Policy:
Any student who, because of a documented disability, may require special arrangements in order to meet course
requirements should contact the instructor within the first week of the semester. Students should email the instructor
the Letter of Accommodation from Student Disability Services. Please note instructors are not allowed to provide
classroom accommodations to a student until appropriate verification from Student Disability Services has been
provided. For additional information, you may contact the Student Disability Services office at 335 West Hall or 806742-2405.
4
Student Absence for Observance of Religious Holy Day:
A student who intends to observe a religious holy day should make that intention known in writing to the instructor
prior to the absence. A student who is absent for the observance of a religious holy day shall be allowed to take an
exam scheduled for that day within a reasonable time after the absence. A student may not be penalized for such an
absence, but the instructor may respond appropriately if the student fails to complete the task satisfactorily. See OP
34.19
Academic Integrity Policies:
Texas Tech University is committed to a high standard of integrity and therefore, academic honesty is expected. It is
the aim of the faculty of Texas Tech University to foster a spirit of complete honesty and a high standard of integrity.
The attempt of students to present as their own any work that they have not honestly performed is regarded by the
faculty and administration as a serious offense and renders the offenders liable to serious consequences, possibly
suspension at the university level.
Consequences of academic dishonesty will result in, at the discretion of the instructor, an automatic F (zero credit)
on the assignment, quiz, or exam OR a failing grade in the course for the semester will be assigned.
The Personal Financial Literacy program requires the highest academic integrity and ethical standards. As such, the
Department of Personal Financial Planning has a zero tolerance policy relating to any instance of academic dishonesty
listed above. Students are expected to know and understand the definitions of cheating, plagiarism, and collusion found
in the Texas Tech University Catalog: (p.50) or at the following website:
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/studentjudicialprograms/academicinteg.php
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism occurs when a student submits work that is not his or her own. This includes copying from printed
materials, websites, or from other people. Any assignment containing plagiarized material will automatically be graded
as zero. Plagiarism may also result in failing the entire course or dismissal from the PFP program as outlined above.
Students who do not thoroughly understand methods of proper documentation should request assistance from the
instructor. The TTU Library has a resource on avoiding plagiarism at the following website:
http://library.ttu.edu/ul/cswrc/wr_plag.php
Anti-plagiarism software may be used to determine plagiarism issues with any work submitted.
All work in PFP courses, unless otherwise noted by the instructor, is to be completed individually. Instances of
collusion, or working together outside of class on an individual assignment without prior permission, will be
considered plagiarism.
Resolving Student Issues:
Should a student encounter an issue in the course, they should initiate resolution within one week of the incident. To
address issues, the following chain of authority should be followed and not circumvented:
1. Students should first discuss the issue with the instructor of the course in an attempt to resolve the issue.
2. If the issue is not satisfactorily resolved the student should contact the Assistant Director of the Personal
Financial Literacy Program, Dawn Abbott (email: dawn.abbott@ttu.edu).
3. If the PFL Assistant Director is unable to satisfactorily resolve the issue, she will contact the PFL Director (Dr.
Sandra Huston) for consultation.
4. Under no circumstances should the student start a resolution process with the Personal Financial Planning
Department Chair or Human Sciences Dean’s office without first having discussions with the PFL
administration.
5
The Studies in Personal Finance concentration meets the needs of students who will work in positions
where knowledge of personal financial issues is required (i.e., financial services, credit counseling,
social services, education). The Personal Finance Concentration will also be a valuable concentration
for students who want to improve their knowledge in this area to enhance their own earning and wealth
building potential. Two courses in the curriculum (PFP 3301 and PFP 3321) meet the educational
requirements for the Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC) designation. This curriculum may also lead
to graduate studies in Personal Financial Planning and/or to other designations; however, it will not
meet the educational requirements for the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) certification. Students
planning to take multiple courses in the SPF minor should retain the Introduction to Personal Finance
textbook as it may be a useful and/or required reference in all SPF courses. For further information
about the SPF concentration, go to http://www.depts.ttu.edu/pfp/non_majors.php
and http://www.depts.ttu.edu/distancelearning/minors/online-finance/.
6
Course Calendar
The following is a general guideline of the semester. Each week, you will have at least one of each of the following:
quiz, discussion, or journal entry options. See grid below for specific dates of availability periods:
Unit & Topics
Required Readings
Practice
Assignment
Student
Introduction
Discussion
Syllabus Quiz 0
Unit 0
Course Syllabus,
Introduction
Unit 1
Foundation –
Personal Finance and
Money Management
Unit 2
Foundation – TVM
and Tax
Unit 3
Borrowing – Debt
Management &
Consumer Loans
Unit 4
Investing – Basic
Investment Topics
Unit 5
Investing – Applied
Investment Topics
Unit 6
Protecting – Risk
Management
Availability
Period
(begin/end at
1 PM)
1/15-1/21
1/15-1/21
1/15-1/21


Real Life Text – pg. 11-44
Garman – Ch. 3 pg. 65-76, 77-79
Discussion 1
Assignment 1
1/21-2/4
1/21-2/4



Garman – Ch. 3 pg. 16-20
Garman – Ch. 4 pg. 104-133
Real Life Text – pg. 45-60
Discussion 2
Assignment 2
TVM Quiz
2/4-2/18
2/4-2/18
2/4-2/18



Garman Ch. 6 pg. 171-181 and pg. 184-190
Garman Ch. 7 pg. 199-209 and pg. 211-216
Garman Ch. 9
Discussion 3
Assignment 3



Garman – Ch. 14 pg. 411-418,
Garman - Ch. 15 pg. 458-469
Garman – Ch. 13
Discussion 4
Assignment 4
3/4-3/18
3/4-3/18

Garman – Ch. 17, Ch. 4 pg. 127
Discussion 5
Assignment 5
3/18-4/1
3/18-4/1

Garman – Ch. 10,11,12 Ch. 17 pg. 506 –
534 & Appendix B pg. A11-12
Additional Readings – EBRI’s
Fundamentals of Employee Benefit
Programs (Parts 1 – 5)
Additional Readings – Employee Benefit
Lecture
Garman – Ch. 18, Ch. 4 pg. 127
Additional Readings – 1) 5 most important
estate planning documents, 2) Creating a
bright future for your family, 3) Estate
planning MDRT, 4) NAFEP Estate planning
basics
Discussion 6
Assignment 6
4/1-4/15
4/1-4/15
Discussion 7
Assignment 7
Final Case
Summary
4/15-4/29
4/15-4/29
4/15-5/2


Unit 7
Protecting – Estate
Planning
Tasks


2/18-3/4
2/18-3/4
All availability periods START and END at 1 pm
All assignments for credit (discussion posts and assignments) have a two week availability period (Tuesday-Tuesday
7
Grading Rubrics
Grading Rubric for Discussions
Postings to the discussion board will be graded as follows (total 25pts):
Rating
5 (Excellent)
4 (Good)
3 (Fair)
Logic &
Organization
Develops ideas &
organizes them
logically with
paragraphs
transitions.
Language
Employs words
with fluency,
develops concise
standard English
sentences, balances
a variety of
sentence structures
effectively.
Spelling &
Grammar
The writing is
essential error-free
in terms of spelling
and grammar.
Purpose
The writer’s
decision about
style, content,
focus, &
organization, fully
elucidate the
purpose and keep
the purpose at the
center of the piece.
Posting
Had one original
post and at least
two responses.
Develops
unified and
coherent ideas
in paragraphs;
clear overall
organization for
most idea.
Word forms are
correct,
sentence
structure is
effective.
Presence of a
few errors is
not distracting.
There may be
minor errors,
the writing
follows normal
conventions of
spelling and
grammar and
has been
carefully
proofread.
The writer has
made good
decisions about
focus,
organization,
style, and
content so as to
achieve the
purpose of the
writing.
Had one
original post
and one
response.
2 (Poor)
0 (No Post)
Develops and
organizes ideas
in disconnected
paragraphs.
Some overall
organization.
Does not develop
ideas lucidly,
ineffective
overall
organization.
No postings.
Word forms
and sentence
structures are
adequate to
convey basic
meaning.
Errors cause
noticeable
distraction.
Frequent errors
in spelling and
grammar
distract the
reader.
Employs words
that are unclear,
sentence
structures
inadequate for
clarity, errors are
distracting.
No postings.
Writing contains
numerous errors
in spelling and
grammar which
interfere with
comprehension.
No postings.
The writer’s
decisions about
focus,
organization,
style, and
content
sometimes
interfere with
the purpose of
the writing.
Had one
original post
only.
The purpose and
focus of the
writing are not
clear to the
reader.
No postings.
Had only one
response.
No postings.
8
Grading Rubric for Assignments
Performance Scale Indicator:
Points
Performance Descriptions
Exceptional (E)
Work meets or exceeds criterion at a high level of competence.
Proficient (P)
Work reflects an understanding of criterion with minor misunderstandings.
Basic (B)
Criterion partially met, but one or more important concepts are missing.
Unsatisfactory (U)
Work reflects an attempt to meet criterion, but there are significant errors.
Missing (M)
Criterion not met or work is absent.
Assignment Grading Criteria
TTU adheres to a strict plagiarism policy, which is outlined in the Student
Handbook. Plagiarized papers will receive a failing grade.
1. The assignment report shows evidence of logical structure and
organization.
2. The assignment report contains evidence of depth of understanding
of the personal finance issues in this plan.
3. The assignment report contains complete documentation for all
recommendations, solutions, and implementations. The writer uses
sound reasoning to support his/her points, recommendations, or
assertions.
4. The assignment report identifies and presents clear issues.
5. The assignment report is free from grammatical errors (e.g., dangling
modifiers, subject-verb disagreement, verb tense shift, person shift,
pronoun-antecedent disagreement, run-on sentences, comma splices,
and diction errors).
6. The assignment report adheres to the designated format including
citations and reference page.
Total Points (50 maximum)
FINAL GRADE (note: a plagiarized paper receives 0 points)
E
Ratings
P
B
U
M
5
4
3
2
0
5
4
3
2
0
15
12
10
8
0
15
5
12
4
10
3
8
2
0
0
5
4
3
2
0
9
Grading Rubric for Final Case Summary
Performance Scale Indicator:
Points
Performance Descriptions
Exceptional (E)
Work meets or exceeds criterion at a high level of competence.
Proficient (P)
Work reflects an understanding of criterion with minor misunderstandings.
Basic (B)
Criterion partially met, but one or more important concepts are missing.
Unsatisfactory (U)
Work reflects an attempt to meet criterion, but there are significant errors.
Missing (M)
Criterion not met or work is absent.
Final Paper/Project Grading Criteria
TTU adheres to a strict plagiarism policy, which is outlined in the Student
Handbook. Plagiarized papers will receive a failing grade.
1. The summary shows evidence of logical structure and organization
(including title page, page numbers, etc.).
2. The summary’s paragraphing is used appropriately with central
points and a clear topic sentence.
3. The paper is free from grammatical errors.
4. The summary identifies and presents clear issues.
5. The summary contains evidence of depth of understanding of the
personal finance issues for the case. Especially the family’s
immediate problems.
6. The evidence presented for recommendations is accurate and
contains a balance of both generalities and specifics (e.g.,
explanations, calculations, statistics, etc.).
7. The summary contains creative, innovative, and feasible solution(s)
and recommendation(s) and provides enough information for the
audience to understand each argument.
8. The summary contains complete documentation for all
recommendations, solutions, and implementations.
9. The body of the paper contains cited information.
10. The paper includes the following:
 Introduction (Executive Summary)
 Client Information
 Goals/Objectives
 Overview of all Recommendations
 Financial Statement Analysis
 Income Tax Analysis
 Debt Management & Cash Management Analysis
 Housing Analysis
 Retirement & Investments Analysis
 Insurance & Employee Benefits Analysis
 Estate Analysis
 Conclusion
 Appendix
Total Points (550 points maximum)
Bonus - The plan uses creative presentation methods for tables, figures, &
visuals. An additional 15 points on total score.
FINAL GRADE (note: a plagiarized paper receives 0 points)
E
Ratings
P
B
U
M
55
44
38
28
0
55
44
38
28
0
45
45
55
36
36
44
32
32
38
23
23
28
0
0
0
75
60
53
38
0
75
60
53
38
0
55
44
38
28
0
35
55
28
44
25
38
18
28
0
0
15
0
10