Personal Finance
BUSI-223

Budgets, borrowing funds, stock ownership, savings, real estate as investments, and related tax matters are among the topics covered.

Personal finance skills are useful throughout one’s life. Everyone is going to encounter financial choices such as: whether to buy, lease, or rent a car; how to file taxes; how much insurance to purchase; and how much to save for retirement. This course will help students to understand how to rationally think through these choices and make wise decisions.

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate financial planning skills.
2. Compare various consumer buying habits.
3. Calculate time, value of money, and interest.
4. Integrate biblical principles within the field of money and finances.

Foundational Skills Learning Outcomes (FSLO): Social and Scientific Inquiry (SSI)

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1.  SSI 2: Demonstrate a biblical understanding of human behavior within various social structures.

2.  SSI 3: Apply solutions for a social and/or scientific question experienced in nature or society.

3.  SSI 4: Describe how social and/or scientific inquiry equips human beings to be participants in God’s redemptive work.

Click on the following link to view the required resource(s) for the term in which you are registered: Liberty University Online Bookstore.

Additional Materials for Learning

1. 1. Computer with Internet access (broadband recommended)
   2. Microsoft Word and Excel
   3. Canvas recommended browsers
   4. Financial Calculator (Texas Instruments BAII Plus is recommended.)
   5. APA formatting information: http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=http://APAStyleCENTRAL.apa.org

After reading the Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview. 

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will complete 4 Discussions throughout this course. These Discussion questions will explore the Christian approach to various financial decisions a person must make. The student will be required to post 1 thread of at least 150 words and post 2 replies of at least 100 words. For each thread, the student must support his/her assertions with at least 1 citation from the Bible in current APA format (CLO D, FSLOs: SSI 2, 3, 4).

Each module will have assigned reading. The student will answer questions that will direct him/her to what information he/she needs to read. The student can keep answering questions and reading until he/she gets them all correct (CLO A, B, C).

The student will complete financial exercises related to the information covered. The student will complete a balance sheet, income statement, budget, and many other exercises that will teach practical personal finance (CLO A, B, C).

The student will do simulations where he/she will follow a persona that goes through the process of making a decision on a financial choice. Topics covered are taxes, buying a vehicle, insurance, and investing (CLO A, B, C).

In the Connect platform, the student will have 40 minutes to complete 8 open-book/open-note quizzes, each consisting of 20 multiple-choice and true/false questions. Each quiz covers the information and financial problems presented in the module/week (CLO A, B, C).

Class Professionalism

The student should demonstrate professionalism throughout the course. Professionalism in the course includes, but is not limited to, promptness in submitting and completing assignments, participation and contribution to discussion board discussions, respect for the instructor and other students, effort, and clarity in communications. The instructor will respond to most emails within 24 hours and will respond to some but not all of the discussion board entries.

Quizzes/Tests/Exams

For timed quizzes/tests/exams, the student is required to complete the quiz/test/exam within the assigned time. For the student who exceeds this time limit, a penalty of 1 point will be deducted for each minute, or part thereof, he/she exceeds the assigned time limit.

Course Assignments, including discussions, exams, and other graded assignments, should be submitted on time.

If the student is unable to complete an assignment on time, then he or she must contact the instructor immediately by email.

Assignments that are submitted after the due date without prior approval from the instructor will receive the following deductions:

1. Late assignments submitted within one week after the due date will receive up to a 10% deduction.
2. Assignments submitted more than one week and less than 2 weeks late will receive up to a 20% deduction.
3. Assignments submitted two weeks late or after the final date of the course will not be accepted outside of special circumstances (e.g. death in the family, significant personal health issues), which will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the instructor.
4. Group projects, including group discussion threads and/or replies, and assignments will not be accepted after the due date outside of special circumstances (e.g. death in the family, significant personal health issues), which will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the instructor.

Students with a disability and those with medical conditions associated with pregnancy may contact Liberty University’s Online Office of Disability Accommodation Support (ODAS) at [email protected] for accommodations.  Such accommodations require appropriate documentation of your condition.   For more information about ODAS and the accommodations process, including how to request an accommodation, please visit https://www.liberty.edu/online/online-disability-accommodation-support/. Requests for accommodations not related to disabilities or pregnancy must be directed to the Registrar’s Office, which generally handles medical needs support.

If you have a complaint related to disability discrimination or an accommodation that was not provided, you may contact ODAS or the Office of Equity and Compliance by phone at (434) 592-4999 or by email at [email protected].  Click to see a full copy of Liberty’s Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct Policy or the Student Disability Grievance Policy and Procedures.

In an effort to comply with U.S. Department of Education policies, attendance is measured by physical class attendance or any submission of a required assignment within the enrollment dates of the course (such as examinations, written papers or projects, any discussion posts, etc.) or initiating any communication with one’s professor regarding an academic subject. More information regarding the attendance policy can be found in the Academic Course Catalogs. Regular attendance in online courses is expected throughout the length of the term. Students who do not attend within the first week of a sub-term by submitting a required academic assignment (such as the Course Requirements Checklist, an examination, written paper or project, discussion post, or other academic activity) will be dropped from the course. Students who wish to re-engage in the course are encouraged to contact Academic Advising to discuss their enrollment options. Students who begin an online course, but at some point in the semester cease attending, and do not provide official notification to withdraw, will be assigned a grade of “FN” (Failure for Non-Attendance). Students wishing to withdraw from courses after the official start date should familiarize themselves with the withdrawal policy.

For courses with a Pass/NP final grade, please refer to the Course Grading section of this syllabus for the assignment requirements and/or point value required to earn a Passing final grade.

The full policy statement and procedures are published in the Policy Directory.

Liberty University comprises a network of students, Alumni, faculty, staff and supporters that together form a Christian community based upon the truth of the Bible. This truth defines our foundational principles, from our Doctrinal Statement to the Code of Honor. These principles irrevocably align Liberty University’s operational procedures with the long tradition of university culture, which remains distinctively Christian, designed to preserve and advance truth. Our desire is to create a safe, comfortable environment within our community of learning, and we extend our academic and spiritual resources to all of our students with the goal of fostering academic maturity, spiritual growth and character development.

Communities are predicated on shared values and goals. The Code of Honor, an expression of the values from which our Doctrinal Statement was born, defines the fundamental principles by which our community exists. At the core of this code lie two essential concepts: a belief in the significance of all individuals, and a reliance on the existence of objective truth.

While we acknowledge that some may disagree with various elements of the Code of Honor, we maintain the expectation that our students will commit to respect and uphold the Code while enrolled at Liberty University.

Adherence to the principles and concepts established within facilitates the success of our students and strengthens the Liberty community.

The Code of Honor can be viewed in its entirety at http://www.liberty.edu/index.cfm?PID=19155.