Course Outline (see the course syllabus or calendar for specific dates)

• Introduction to course
• Class syllabus, book and web sites
• A link to the Business Department Student Orientation where you can explore how becoming a Business major may benefit you. http://bit.ly/mcbusinessorientation

• Chapter 1: Personal Financial Planning

  • Individual or "Micro" Factors That Affect Financial Thinking
  • Systemic or "Macro" Factors That Affect Financial Thinking
  • The Planning Process
  • Financial Planning Professionals

• Chapter 2: Basic Ideas of Finance

  • Income and Expenses
  • Assets
  • Income and Risk

• Chapter 3: Financial Statements

  • Accounting and Financial Statements
  • Comparing and Analyzing Financial Statements
  • Accounting Software: An Overview

• Chapter 4: Evaluating Choices: Time, Risk and Value

  • The Time Value of Money
  • Calculating the Relationship of Time and Value
  • Valuing a Series of Cash Flows
  • Using Financial Statements to Evaluate Financial Choices
  • Evaluating Risk

• Chapter 5: Financial Plans: Budgets

  • The Budget Process
  • Creating the Comprehensive Budget
  • The Cash Budget and Other Specialized Budgets
  • Budget Variances
  • Budgets, Financial Statements, and Financial Decisions

• Chapter 6: Taxes and Tax Planning

  • Sources of Taxation and Kinds of Taxes
  • The U.S. Federal Income Tax Process
  • Record Keeping, Preparation, and Filing
  • Taxes and Financial Planning

• Chapter 7: Financial Management

  • Your Own Money: Cash
  • Your Own Money: Savings
  • Other People's Money: Credit
  • Other People's Money: An Introduction to Debt

• Chapter 8: Consumer Strategies

  • Consumer Purchases
  • A Major Purchase: Buying a Car

• Chapter 9: Buying a Home

  • Identify the Product and the Market
  • Identify the Financing
  • Purchasing and Owning Your Home

• Chapter 10: Personal Risk Management: Insurance

  • Insuring Your Property
  • Insuring Your Health
  • Insuring Your Income

• Chapter 11: Personal Risk: Retirement and Estate Planning

  • Retirement Planning: Projecting Needs
  • Retirement Planning: Ways to Save
  • Estate Planning

• Chapter 12: Investing

  • Investments and Markets: A Brief Overview
  • Investment Planning
  • Measuring Return and Risk
  • Diversification: Return with Less Risk

• Chapter 13: Behavioral FInance and Market Behavior

  • Investor Behavior
  • Market Behavior
  • Extreme Market Behavior
  • Behavioral Finance and Investment Strategies

• Chapter 14: The Practice of Investment

  • Investment Information
  • Investing and Trading
  • Ethics and Regulation
  • Investing Internationally: Risks and Regulations

• Chapter 15: Owning Stocks

  • Stocks and Stock Markets
  • Stock Value
  • Common Measures of Value
  • Equity Strategies

• Chapter 16: Owning Bonds

  • Bonds and Bond Markets
  • Bond Value
  • Bond Strategies

• Chapter 17: Investing in Mutual Funds, Commodities, Real Estate and Collectibles

  • Mutual Funds
  • Real Estate Investments
  • Commodities and Collectibles