PERSONAL FINANCE
BUSI 1307
Instructor: ____________________________________
Phone:
____________________________________
Email:
____________________________________
Office: ________ Fax: __________________________
Prerequisite: None
Credit:
3 Semester Hours
Materials Needed:
Personal Finance by Bajtelsmit; 2008 Edition; Wiley Publishers.
A financial calculator is helpful, but not mandatory.
Course Description and Objectives:
Personal Finance is a basic financial planning course for both business and non-business majors.
It is designed to give participants an overview of the personal financial problems and
opportunities they will encounter in everyday life. Through the course, the student will discover
that an understanding of personal finances will assist him/her to more successfully manage the
financial situations and opportunities he/she encounters throughout life. Topics include financial
planning, budgeting, insurance, buying, taxes, use of credit, consumer protection, investing,
savings, home ownership, estate planning and basic statistics as applied to consumer problems.
Course Content SCANS
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Statement of Foundation Skills and Workplace Competencies (SCANS Skills)
The Lone Star College System is committed to preparing every student with the knowledge and skills needed
to succeed in today’s dynamic work environment. Towards this end, the following foundation skills and
workplace competencies have been designed into the curriculum for this course:
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Foundation Skills
Demonstrates Basic Skills – Reading (F1), Writing (F2), Arithmetic (F3), Listening (F4), Speaking (F5)
Demonstrates Thinking Skills – Creative (F6), Decision making (F7), Problem solving (F8), Seeing things
through the minds eye (F9), Knowing how to learn (F10), Reasoning (F11)
Exhibits Personal Qualities – Responsibility (F12), Self-esteem (F13), Social (F14), Self-management
(F15), Integrity / Honesty (F16)
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Workplace Competencies
Manages Resources – Allocates time (C1), Allocates money (C2), Allocates material and facility resources
(C3),Exhibits Interpersonal Skills – Participates as team member (C5), Teaches others (C6), Serves
clients/customers (C7), Exercises leadership (C8), Negotiates to arrive at decisions (C9), Works with
cultural diversity (C10)
Manages Information – Acquires and evaluates (C11), Organizes and maintains (C12), Interprets and
Communicates (C13), Uses computers to process (C14)Uses Systems and Technology – Understands
systems (C15), Monitors and corrects performance (C16),
Learning Outcomes
I.
Develop knowledge of our financial system so as to understand how it works and the role
personal finance plays in our everyday life.
2. Build a stronger vocabulary to aid in present and future personal financial transactions and
business dealings.
3. Learn the foundations of financial decision-making and goal setting in order to accomplish
the financial goals the student desires.
4. Develop and discuss a working personal financial plan based on the student’s current and
expected future earnings.
5. Learn the various types of insurance needed to protect against the various risks encountered
in life.
6. Understand the importance of how securities relate to our economic system and personal
financial well being.
In order to accomplish the above objectives, it will be necessary for the student to meet the
following skills and objectives.
1. Develop short-range, intermediate, and long-range personal financial goals.
2. Examine the significant factors influencing career choices.
3. Develop a successful money management plan including a balance sheet, cash flow
statement, one-year budget, and a plan for managing liquid assets.
4. Compare and implement tax-planning strategies.
5. Discuss the importance of developing and maintaining a good credit rating.
6. Compare housing alternatives including home financing options
7. Analyze and compare transportation alternatives.
8. Research options for home, automobile, health, and life insurance.
9. Apply strategies for long term financial goals using stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and real
estate.
10. Control personal financial future through retirement and estate planning.
Means of Assessment
Means of Assessment will be determined by your instructor. Please see the attached Syllabus Addendum
if your instructor has provided one.
Evaluation Policies and Procedures
Your instructor will supply detailed testing and grading procedures. If you stop attending class, you must
withdraw at the Admissions Office before the official drop date. Failure to do so will result in a grade of
‘F’ for the course.
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Attendance and Participation Policies
Class attendance is important. Generally, the course material is covered in the textbooks;
however, lectures and small group exercises augment and clarify the textbook material. You are
encouraged to get to know your fellow students in order to have a source for lecture notes and
handouts if you cannot attend a class session.
Students are expected to assume the responsibility for learning. Your instructor will assist you,
but the actual responsibility rests with you. Students are also expected to devote their energy to
attaining the skills and knowledge required for their particular career goals.
The Lone Star College System Policy & Procedure Manual [Student Conduct, Section 562.0ld]
states, “Disruptive activity that hinders other students’ learning or deters an instructor from
effective teaching will not be tolerated under any circumstances.”
To provide equal-opportunity learning situation for all students enrolled in this class, children are
not allowed in the labs or classrooms.
Cell Phones/Pagers: Cell phones and or pagers are to put on silent when in the class. No
student may answer a cell phone in class as this constitutes a disruptive activity. Any student
who must leave the class to answer a cell phone will not come back to class and will be counted
absent for that class period.
Academic Integrity
The college’s academic integrity policy states, the Lone Star College System is committed to a
high standard of academic integrity in the academic community. In becoming a part of the
academic community, students are responsible for honesty and independent effort. Failure to
uphold these standards includes, but is not limited to, the following:
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Plagiarizing written work projects.
Cheating on exams or assignments.
Collusion on an exam or project.
Misrepresentation of credentials or prerequisites when registering for a course.
Virus Protection
The college will not be held liable for any corruption of data caused by virus contamination. The
college computers are regularly screened and are protected against computer viruses to the best
of our ability. However, we do not guarantee that viruses do not exist on our systems. Procedures
are in place in all labs for you to scan your diskettes. It is your responsibility to protect your data
from corruption due to viruses.
Student Services
Library
The Library at each college provide print and non-print resources and services for students. The
materials have been selected to serve the curricular, vocational, and recreational needs of the
college community. Each college provides computer access to a variety of information in
electronic form including bibliographic indexes to journals, Internet resources, and multimedia
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publications.
Learning Support Centers
Learning Support Center at each college provide print and audio-visual materials as well as
tutorial assistance and computer labs for students who need academic support services.
Materials from other disciplines are available in each center including reading, writing, math and
college study skills.
Internet & E-mail
The Lone Star College System provides computing and network resources to students. Students
are encouraged to use the computers, software packages, and electronic mail (e-mail), for
educational or System-related activities and to facilitate the efficient exchange of useful
information. However, the equipment, software and network capacities provided through the
System computer services are and remain the property of the System, and access may be denied
to any student who fails to comply with the System’s policies and procedures regarding its use.
Access to the System’s e-mail and similar electronic communication systems are a privilege and
certain responsibilities accompany that privilege. System users are expected to demonstrate the
same level of ethical and professional manner, as is required in face-to-face or written
communications. Anonymous or forged messages will be treated as a violation of this policy.
Equal Opportunity Statement
It is the policy of the Lone Star College System to provide equal employment, admission and
educational opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age or
disability.
Lone Star College System strives to provide an excellent learning environment free from
harassment or intimidation directed at any person’s race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age,
or disability. Any form of harassment will not be tolerated.
ADA Statement
The Lone Star College System is dedicated to providing the least restrictive learning
environment for all students. The college system promotes equity in academic access through
the implementation of reasonable accommodations as required by the Vocational Rehabilitation
Act of 1973, Title V, Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) which
will enable students with disabilities to participate in and benefit from all post-secondary
educational activities.
If you require reasonable accommodations because of physical, mental, or learning disability,
please notify the instructor of this course as soon as possible and preferably before the end of the
first two weeks of class to arrange for reasonable accommodations.
Guaranteed Graduate Policy
The Lone Star College System guarantees that graduates of its Associate of Arts, Associate of
Science, or Associate of Applied Science and all Certificate programs, will provide under certain
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circumstances, additional education and training tuition free to students lacking appropriate
master of specified competencies.
Drops/Excessive Absences:
Under Section 51.907 of the Texas Education Code, "an institution of higher education may not
permit a student to drop more than SIX courses, including any course a transfer student has
dropped at another Texas public institution of higher education." This statute was enacted by the
State of Texas in Spring2007 and applies to students who enroll in a public institution of higher
education as first-time freshmen in the Fall 2007 semester or later. Students enrolled prior to Fall
2007 are not affected. Any course that a student drops is counted toward the six-course limit
unless the student is completely withdrawing from the institution or meets one of the eligible
criteria for a waiver. A "drop" in this instance is considered when a student is dropped or
withdrawn from a course after official day resulting in a grade of "W." Please refer to the catalog
for any additional information regarding the eligible criteria for a waiver.
For additional information, refer to the Lone Star College System catalog.
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