Life InsuranceEarl N. Phillips School of BusinessHigh Point UniversitySpring, 2006Course Syllabus Course: BUA234 Personal Financial Planning Professor: Jim Wehrley Email: [email protected] Webpage: www.highpoint.edu/~jwehrleyBlackboard: blackboard.highpoint.edu Telephone: (O) 841-4560; (H) 869-0042 Office: Cooke Hall 102/103 Office Hours: Monday: 1:30 - 2:00 Tuesday: 9:30 - 11:00 Wednesday: 1:30 – 2:00; 6:00 - 6:30 Thursday: 9:30 - 11:00 Friday: 9:30 - 10:30 While these are my official office hours, you are welcome to stop by my office at any time. If I am not immediately available, we can set up an appointment. Of course, you can also e-mail or call me. General rules or guidelines to help you contact me: 1) During the work week, I try to respond to e-mails or voice mail messages within 1 1/2 hours of receiving them. Of course, I have meetings both on and off campus that will sometimes result in a slower response time. 2) My teaching schedule: M, W: 2:00 - 3:15; W: 6:30+ online course.Course Description: The course is designed to further facilitate the understanding of topics in Finance and to help the student to create an appropriate personal financial plan at the same time. The student will explore the basics of investing and the fundamentals oflife, health, and property insurance. Overall, students will focus on how to make intelligent financial decisions. Text: None Primary Course Objective: The primary course objective is to have students learn how to create a personal financial plan. The student will learn certain facets of financial planning and become comfortable with the tools available to create the financial plan. 1Honor Code: The High Point University Honor Code expects all students to act in a manner so as not to infringe upon the rights and responsibilities of others. It is crucial to the development of a college student that one has the right to learn and prosper in a society free from fraudulence and dishonesty. It is the responsibility of each student to help maintain such a society. The High Point University Honor Code affirms that: - Every student is honor bound to refrain from conduct which is unbecoming of a University student and that brings discredit to the student and/or High Point University. - Every student is honor bound to refrain from cheating. - Every student is honor bound to refrain from collusion. - Every student is honor bound to refrain from plagiarism. - Every student has the right to report an Honor Code violation. Full details of the High Point University Honor Code are found in the Student Handbook. Grading Scale: 92 - 100 A 4.090 - 91.99 A- 3.788 - 89.99 B+ 3.382 - 88.99 B 3.080 - 81.99 B- 2.778 - 79.99 C+ 2.372 - 77.99 C 2.070 - 71.99 C- 1.768 - 69.99 D+ 1.362 - 67.99 D 1.060 - 61.99 D- 0.7Below 60 F 0.0Grading: - Exam 1 (15%) - Exam 2 (20%)- Financial Plan (65%): You will develop a personal financial plan for a fictitious family. You will hand in various tasks throughout the semester. The final plan and the various tasks will equal 65% of your grade. Details will be provided throughout the semester. 2Financial Plan Grade BreakdownPhase I: Goals, budgets, and balance sheets (10%)Phase II: FICA taxes, Federal Income Taxes, time value adjustments (10%)Phase III: Liquid funds, debt, home ownership (5%)Phase IV: Insurance (10%)Phase V: Investments and retirement planning (10%)Phase VI: Final Plan (20%) Attendance Policy: You are allowed two unexcused absences. An excused absence will be based on my judgment. My judgment will be based on whether a “typical” employer would view yourreason for the absence to be acceptable. Generally, for an absence to be excused, I must be contacted (e.g., e-mail, voice mail) before the class period you miss. Clearly, in rare situations (e.g., automobile accident), an excused absence may be allowed when I am notified after the class period you miss.Computer Usage Policy:During the class, the computer is to be used for BUA 234: Personal Financial Planning purposes only. If you violate this policy, your first violation will result in a warning. For each subsequent violation, there will be a one percentage point reduction to your final grade. Disclaimer: Because much of the discussion and work in this class may be related to personal financial information, I recommend that you do not discuss or present in any format any personal information that you do not want your colleagues or other people to know. It will be assumed that all financial information is hypothetical. Because of time limitations, some of the content discussed may not be in-depth enough toallow for an individual to make a sound financial decision. The complexity of topics and the complexity of individuals' financial situations make it difficult to cover every topic adequately for every class member. Academic Services Center: - Students who need classroom accommodations due to a diagnosed disability should contact Dr. Kelly Norton, Director of the Academic Services Center, as soon as possible:841-9037 or [email protected] - Students with diagnosed disabilities should contact Dr. Kelly Norton, Director of the Academic Services Center, 841-9037. Accommodation arrangements should be made at the beginning of the semester. Accommodations are not retroactive.3Important Notes: 1. Work is due at the beginning of the class unless otherwise stated. The highest grade for late work is a 75. Work that is over seven (3) days late will not be accepted. Missing a class (excused or unexcused) is not a valid excuse for late work. 2. All work must be typed or word processed. All text must be double-spaced. 3. All work is expected to include correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Tentative Topics: Overview of a Financial Plan Planning with Personal Financial Statements Applying Time Value Concepts Using Tax Concepts for Planning Banking and Interest RatesManaging Your Money Managing Your Credit Personal Loans Purchasing and Financing a HomeLife Insurance Personal Investing