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University of New Orleans - Introduction to Investments - FINANCE 2302,
Fall, Syllabus, 2011 |
OFFICE HOURS:
Before class and by appointment. I am an adjunct faculty
member
(part-time), I go to work right after class and do not have a
university office. I generally arrive at school around 30 minutes
before class, see me then or email me at
mark@markrosa.com for the
quickest response.
I will communicate with the class by
email through the Blackboard system at UNO; it is your
responsibility to periodically check and clear your email boxes.
TEXT: The Wall Street Journal. Go to
www.WSJstudent.com to
subscribe. Select the 15 week semester option. The subscription will include
password access to www.wsj.com, the
online version of the Journal, and a print version that will be
delivered to the address that you provide them. Since
January, 2007, the Journal, like many publications, has turned
to the internet to provide much of their content. The
tables and articles that we will need in this class and many of the
assignments for the course, will come from the internet.
Assignment
rules are listed toward the end of this syllabus.
COURSE OBJECTIVE: To give the student an understanding of
investments and their valuations, knowledge of financial markets,
and financial mathematics sufficient to manage their own
portfolio. The course will also give the student a look into
the financial aspect of business.
Each semester classes
vary and we tend to move through information slightly
differently than a previous semester, it is for that reason that
I do not assign specific dates to the subjects. The
"weeks" are approximations. When exams approach, we will
discuss an exam date in class that serves the majority at the
time. Exam dates will allow plenty of time between
completing the material that will be tested and the exam itself.
I do not offer make-up exams, take the test on the decided date.
 | Week 1 - Introduction to Investing. |
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Week 2 - Time Value of Money. |
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Week 3 - Time Value (Cont.) |
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Week 4 - Measuring Risk & Return. |
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Week 5 - Mutual Funds
(Cont.). EXAM 1 will be sometime after Mutual Funds and will cover all
material from the first class up to and including Mutual Funds. There
are NO makeup exams. |
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Week 6 - Fixed Income & Leveraged Securities. |
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Week 7 - Fixed Income &
Leveraged Securities, cont. |
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Week 8 - Term Structure of Interest Rates & The Federal
Reserve. |
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Week 9 - EXAM 2 will cover
all material after Mutual Funds up to and including The Federal Reserve. There are NO makeup exams. |
| Week 9 - Analysis & Valuation of Equity Securities
(Stocks). |
| Week 10 - Stocks, Securities
Business, Averages & Indexes. |
| Week 11 - Brokerage Accounts. EXAM 3.
There are NO Makeup exams. |
| Week 12 - Derivative Securities - Stock Options. |
| Week 13 - Stock Options (Cont.),
Index Options |
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FINAL EXAM: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2011.
SAME ROOM. 7:30am-9:30am |
This course will be fast moving. For those who are non-business
majors, this course will give you plenty of real-world, real-life,
hands-on investment knowledge. Business majors will find many of
the topics in this course used in more advanced finance courses.
MISSED CLASS: Make arrangements with a classmate to get notes that
you missed.
You dont have to notify me if you are unable to attend class.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL and ASSIGNMENTS: The Journal is an integral part of the
course. Many of the assignments due during the semester are from
the Journal or the www.wsj.com
website. I take attendance and measure class participation
with these assignments. I will curve this homework assignments by counting,
for example, 12 of the 15 that I may ask for during the semester.
Therefore, you will have 3 occasions in that example to
"miss" the assignment and maintain a 100% for that
part of the semester grade. This was an example, actual numbers
may vary.
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Not in a million years will I accept a late assignment. |
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assignments in the very first few minutes of class; they will be
considered late if they are printed during the class period.
As mentioned on the assignment page, print one for yourself,
another to turn in. You will want one for your notes as
you will probably write on the assignment pages as they are
explained. |
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If you are having subscription problems call 1-800-JOURNAL |
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Do not take the assignments lightly. The points are
significant to your final grade. This assignment is as easy as it
can be JUST BRING IT IN! There are no other
"extra-credit" assignments to improve your grade.
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| THE POINT OF AN ASSIGNMENT IS
TO STUDY THE MATERIAL AS WE ARE COVERING IT. AN ASSIGNMENT BROUGHT IN
AFTER WE HAVE COVERED THE MATERIAL HAS LOST ITS VALUE. I ABSOLUTELY DO
NOT ACCEPT A LATE ASSIGNMENT. YOU WILL NEED TO HAVE THEM READY FOR
DISCUSSION WHEN WE APPROACH THE MATERIAL. FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN WE ARE
DISCUSSING BONDS, THE BOND ASSIGNMENTS SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE AND READY TO
USE IN CLASS. My advice to all is to do the assignments in the beginning of
the semester, all of them, they are then ready to hand in. |
| Sadly, every semester has a few
students that miss the majority or all of the assignments, as
the end of the semester approaches, I receive emails from them
asking "is there anything that I can do to make up the
assignments?" There is only one thing to do here, bring
them to class when they are needed. |
| Those participating in sports
for or not for the University, those getting married during the
semester, taking trips during the semester, having a baby, or
any other of life's challenges, rules written on this syllabus
apply as stated. |
| An assignment page is on
this website:
Assignments for the Semester |
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I have placed two copies of a book, that I
think compliment my notes very well, on reserve in the
library. Ask the circulation librarian to use one of
the texts' for Finance 2302. |
EXAMS: Exams are listed on this syllabus and will cover material
indicated. Exams contain multiple choice questions. The final exam
is selectively comprehensive. Terms for each exam
including the final exam are on this website. You are required to bring a
SCANTRON (Blue OR Green) form (available at the bookstore) to record your answers
on each exam. I will have each exam graded immediately after all
are collected and post the scores on this website by special code.
A Wall Street Journal or other assignment is NOT picked up on exam days.
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On the SCANTRON form: |
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1. Print your name in the spaces provided and
"bubble-in" the corresponding letters on the form. |
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2. Print in a number in the "Special Code" area of the
form and "bubble-in" the corresponding numbers on the
form. It is illegal to post grades by social security number or by
name, your grade will be posted by special code so that you and
only you know your score. Your special code is what ever you want
it to be. Make one up. |
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You will lose five (5) points on the
exam if the scantron form is not properly completed or if the
scanton is too damaged to be read by the computer. Bring the completed
scantron to class, save your exam time for taking the exam, insure that the
form is in good condition. |
| The final is
comprehensive; you may "drop" your lowest exam grade. You may
not drop the final. You may not be exempt from the final.
You may not
"make-up" a missed exam, use the missed exam as the "drop."
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Accommodation for Students with Disabilities: It is University policy to
provide, on a flexible and individualized basis, reasonable
accommodations to students who have disabilities that may
affect their ability to participate in course activities or
to meet course requirements. Students with disabilities
should contact the Office of Disability Services as well as
their instructors to discuss their individual needs for
accommodations.
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Academic
integrity:
Students are expected to conduct
themselves according to the principles of academic integrity
as defined in the statement on Academic Dishonesty in the
UNO Judicial Code. Any student or group found to have
committed an act of academic dishonesty shall have their
case turned over to Judicial Affairs for disciplinary action
which may result in penalties as severe as indefinite
suspension from the University. Academic dishonesty
includes, but is not limited to: cheating, plagiarism,
fabrication, or misrepresentation, and being an accessory to
an act of academic dishonesty.
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Grading:
90 100% = A
80 89 = B
70 79 = C
60 69 = D
0 59 = F |
EXAM VALUES:
Exam 1 = 25%
Exam 2 = 25%
Exam 3 = 25%
Homework = Wall Street Journal and other assignments - 20%
Final Exam = 30%I do not
"curve" individual exams. |
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I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE COURSE |
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