Course Syllabus

Syllabus Personal Finance

University of Missouri

Welcome

We are pleased that you selected this course to fulfill your unique educational needs.  You are now a member of the Mizzou Academy's global student body.

Course Overview

When you think of finance, you probably think of “money”. In reality, there is a limited supply of money. So, you have to decide how to use your money in order to reach a satisfactory standard of living and establish financial stability. In this course, you will examine how to apply for a job, obtain and record earnings, prepare a budget, analyze financial services, use consumer credit wisely, purchase various types of insurances, examine different types of consumer loans, make wise consumer decisions, and plan for retirement. This course fulfills the personal finance course requirements set by the State of Missouri.

Course Objectives

Upon the conclusion of this course, the students will be able to

  • Use a decision-making process to make decisions.
  • Develop and evaluate a spending/savings plan under a variety of circumstances.
  • Evaluate savings and investment options to meet short- and long-term goals.
  • Evaluate services provided by financial institutions.
  • Analyze factors that affect the choice and cost of using credit.
  • Analyze insurance options available for protection against risk and financial loss.

Pacing

This course can be completed in as few as six weeks or take up to 6 months (180 calendar days). The six weeks are counted from the date of the first lesson submission and not the date of enrollment.

Required Materials

No outside textbook is required for this course.  Speakers or a pair of headphones (headphones preferred) would be beneficial for reviewing videos.

Technical Requirements

The most up-to-date requirements can be found here: 

Additional requirements for the course are below: 

  • audio and video recording capabilities (e.g. smartphone, camera)

Accessibility

If you anticipate barriers related to the format or requirements of this course, please let Mizzou Academy know as soon as possible. If disability-related accommodations are necessary (for example, a scribe, reader, extended time on exams, captioning), please contact Mizzou Academy.

Quizzes & Assignments

You should submit all assigned work in sequence (Lesson 1, then Lesson 2, etc.).  Assignments for the course are listed at the bottom of this syllabus.

Quizzes

Quizzes are taken online.  After you submit them, you’ll quickly receive a report on how you did.  Unlike exams, you may use any assigned readings, your notes, and other course-related materials to complete graded quizzes and assignments. 

NOTE: The graded quizzes cannot be retaken because you will receive immediate feedback for all the items you’ve missed.

Assignments

Assignments may require you to submit your completed work in the form of a file (such as a text document, image, audio or video recording, or multimedia presentation) or a hyperlink for grading. 

READING AND USING FEEDBACK

After your work has been graded, you will receive a report that provides individualized feedback and comments on your work.  Look carefully at what you missed and read any corresponding feedback.  Then study the lesson materials to make certain that you can accomplish the associated learning objectives.

Each lesson provides step-by-step instructions on how to submit your work.  Be sure to check submitted work carefully for errors (e.g. spelling, grammar, and punctuation) as they may result in points being deducted.

Journal Activities 

Throughout this course, you will find Journal Activities that provide an opportunity for reflection. These activities are intended to help you better understand the material, as well as apply the information to your personal life. Although these activities are not for credit, and will not be used to calculate your final grade, you will benefit from completing them.

Grades

Your final grade will be based on the number of points you earn on quizzes, written assignments, and exams. The course points are distributed as follows:

Source for Grade Points
Quizzes 100
Written Assignments 120
Exams 220
Total 440

The following grading scale applies:

Grading Scale
Grade Percentage
A 90–100
B 80–89
C 70–79
D 60–69
F 0–59

After completing the course, you will receive a grade report that gives your percentage and your letter grade for the course.

Canvas and Technical Support

Canvas will be used as the primary platform for accessing course materials and assignments for this class.