FIN 4504 Investments - Online
Syllabus
Professor:
Office:
Dr. Doug Waggle
Bldg. 76, Room 226
E-mail:
Phone:
dwaggle@uwf.edu
850-474-2726
Office Hours
Monday
Wednesday
9:30 - 1:00, 2:15 – 2:45
9:30 - 1:00, 2:15 – 2:45
Textbook
Fundamentals of Investments: Valuation and Management, 5th edition, (2009), by Jordan and
Miller, published by McGraw-Hill Irwin ISBN: 978-0-07-338235-7.
Before you buy your book: Students may use the older 4th edition, (2008), ISBN: 978-0-07302721-0 instead. The chapter organization of this book is basically the same as the 5th edition, but
it lacks some updated materials.
Catalog Description
Introduction to an extensive development of theoretical concepts related to areas of securities
analysis and portfolio management.
Prerequisite:
FIN 3403 Managerial Finance
This course is three credit hours.
Course Purpose
The course will provide the student with an introduction to the concepts of investing. This course
addresses both the theory and application of investment topics. The course addresses the differences
between the basic types of securities and how they fit in the total portfolio picture. The course also
covers how to analyze securities, decide if they should be included in an investment portfolio, and
how to buy and sell them.
Student Learning Outcomes





After completing the course, students should be able to
Understand the essentials of portfolio theory.
Differentiate between the major types of investments.
Analyze a stock to decide whether or not to purchase it.
Understand how the stock market works and know how to purchase securities.
Locate and interpret sources of information available to investors.
Evaluation and Grading
All exams must be proctored. The midterm and final exams must either be taken in person at
a UWF campus (times and locations TBA) or be proctored at a testing facility approved by
the instructor. See the information on “Testing Policies” below.
Students can generally choose between 2 different course evaluation alternatives, with the decision
being made before the final exam.
Option A:
Standard
Midterm exam
Final exam (Not
comprehensive)
Major exams
Online Quizzes
Homework
Total
42%
42%
16%
100%
Quiz Impact
Option B:
Standard
21%
63%
74 – 84%
0 – 10%
16%
100%
Midterm exam
Final exam
(Comprehensive)
Major exams
Online Quizzes
Homework
Total
16%
100%
Quiz Impact
74 – 84%
0 – 10%
16%
100%
The typical or default selection is Option A with a final exam that is not comprehensive in nature.
This is for students who have successfully mastered the material from the midterm and are satisfied
with their grades on that material. Students should note that even though the final exam is not
specifically comprehensive with Option A, an understanding of earlier concepts is still required.
Option B, which involves a comprehensive final, is available for students who would like another
opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of material from the midterm. With Option B, the
weight placed on the midterm is reduced. Students must notify the instructor in advance of the final
if they would like to select Option B.
If you fall behind in the material, catching up may prove difficult. There are mandatory online
quizzes that are designed to keep you on track. The quizzes are open book and open note, but
you must do them on your own. You must take each quiz by the assigned completion date, which is
noted in the quiz section of e-Learning. Failure to take a quiz by the due date results in a 0. If you
take a quiz and make 50 or higher, then the quiz grade is optional. Individual quiz grades will only
be included if they are higher than the average score of your major tests. If you make less than a 50,
you are stuck with the grade. My reasoning here is that if you have gone through the presentations,
you should be able to make at least a 50 with your notes available. So each quiz that you do well on
will count roughly 1% of your grade. If you do well on 10 quizzes, they will be about 10% of your
grade. If you do well on 7 quizzes, they will be about 7% of your grade. The extra weight on
quizzes will reduce your major test weight. It is not as bad as it sounds.
Homework assignments will primarily require the use of Microsoft Excel. Details of assignments
and due dates will be provided. Late homework is generally not accepted.
Grades will be assigned as follows:
93-100, A; 90-92, A-;
87 - 89, B+; 83-86, B; 80-82, B-;
77 - 79, C+; 73-76, C; 70-72, C-;
67 - 69, D+; 60-66, D;
Below 60, F.
Makeup Exam Policy
Makeup exams are generally not given. If a student has an unexcused absence from an exam, the
general method for making this up is through taking the comprehensive final. The comprehensive
final will then receive additional weighting.
Testing Policies
As noted above, all exams must be proctored.
Northwest Florida Students
Students in the Pensacola and Fort Walton Beach areas should attend one of the announced
proctored exams. If you live in NW Florida, but are unable to attend any of the exam sessions at the
dates/times that are being offered, you can arrange for remote proctoring. See below for details.
Students outside the Pensacola or Fort Walton Beach area
Students who reside outside of this geographic area must make arrangements to have the exams
proctored by an individual who is acceptable to the instructor. Most U.S. colleges and universities
and military institutions can assist with proctoring. Proctors generally must have either a .edu or a
military mailing address. Students should contact the testing center at their local university or
community college and request such assistance.
Students who will be using a non-UWF proctor must complete and submit a Proctor Approval
Form (found at the course eLearning site). These forms should be submitted at least three weeks in
advance of the exam being proctored. Only one form is needed for the semester.
Other exam notes:
 Cell phones are not allowed in exams. This does not mean that you should turn your cell
phone off during the exams. It means that they should not be brought to the exams at all.
 A financial calculator is required, and only approved financial calculators are allowed.
(See the section on Financial Calculators for more information.) You may not share calculators
during exams.
 A formula sheet will be provided to aid you on the exam. See the eLearning page for an
example.
Financial Calculators
This particular class does not require extensive use of financial calculators, but one will be required
when we study bonds and possibly at some other points. There are only two approved financial
calculator models:


Texas Instruments BAII Plus
Hewlett Packard 10BII
I recommend the TI calculator, simply because it is what I have always used. I can answer questions
on the use of this particular calculator. Either one should work fine, though. You will need to
become very familiar with your calculator. You should get your calculator as soon as possible and
do all of your work with this calculator. Some other calculators that might be fine otherwise have
text functions which would allow for storing notes and creating an unfair situation. These
alternatives are not allowed.
All business and finance majors should own and be proficient with a financial calculator. If,
however, for some reason (I can’t imagine what that might be) you should decide that you would
like to sell your calculator when the semester is over, here’s what you can do: 1) Post an ad on the
Pensacola site for Craigslist.org that includes “UWF” and “Calculator” in the title and 2) Let me
know. I’ll send out an advance notice to students signed up for the next semester’s course.
Expectations for Academic Conduct
As members of the University of West Florida, we commit ourselves to honesty. As we strive for
excellence in performance, integrity—personal and institutional—is our most precious asset.
Honesty in our academic work is vital, and we will not knowingly act in ways which erode that
integrity. Accordingly, we pledge not to cheat, nor to tolerate cheating, nor to plagiarize the work of
others. We pledge to share community resources in ways that are responsible and that comply with
established policies of fairness. Cooperation and competition are means to high achievement and
are encouraged. Indeed, cooperation is expected unless our directive is to individual performance.
We will compete constructively and professionally for the purpose of stimulating high performance
standards. Finally, we accept adherence to this set of expectations for academic conduct as a
condition of membership in the UWF academic community.
Assistance
Students with a documented disability who require specific examination or course related academic
accommodations should contact the Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC) by e-mail at
sdrc@uwf.edu or by phone at (850) 474-2387.
Investments
Course Outline
Week of …
January 4
Chapter
1
January 11
1
3.1-3.3
Topic
Introduction & Risk and Return
January 25
2
5
Intro to Money Market, Stocks, and Bonds
** Martin Luther King Day – no class Monday!
Buying and Selling Securities
Stock Market
February 1
Notes
Common Stock Topics
February 8
4
Mutual Funds
February 15
6
Common Stock Valuation
February 22
---
March 1
March 8
7
8
---
Mid-Term Exam – To Be Arranged
(Chapters 1-6 and Notes on Stock Topics)
Market Efficiency
Behavioral Finance and Technical Analysis
** Spring Break – no class!
March 15
Notes
Asset Allocation Examples
March 22
11
Diversification
March 29
12
Risk and the CAPM
April 5
13
Performance Evaluation and Risk Management
April 12
18, 19, 20
Bond Basics
April 19
10
Bond Prices and Yields
January 18
Final Exam – To Be Arranged
(Chapters 7, 8, 10-13, 18-20, and Notes on Asset
Allocation)
Note: This course outline and the dates established therein are tentative, and the instructor
reserves the right to change them.
April 26
---
This outline shows the approximate dates that material should be covered. Due dates for online
quizzes are all noted on the course e-Learning page. Online quizzes are typically due by the middle
of the week after inclusion on the schedule.