Course Syllabus

Summer 2025 | BUS-2140-VO01 - Personal Finance

Online Class

Online courses take place 100% online via Canvas, without required in-person or Zoom meetings.

Faculty

Zach Gervais
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement
Hiring Coordinator for this course: Nick Molander

Course Description

A study of the tools used in personal financial planning. The student is introduced to the process used by professional planners and shown how this can be helpful in planning their own financial futures.

Essential Objectives

1. Devise a strategy for managing their total liquid asset portfolio; cash management – checking accounts, savings accounts, interest bearing short term investments.
2. Demonstrate how to prepare and interpret their own personal financial statements.
3. Understand the relationship between their personal financial position and their life goals.
4. Understand and apply the concept of time value of money to personal financial decisions.
5. Discuss the various types and methods of acquiring personal debt with an emphasis on cost and tax implications.
6. Develop the knowledge of various types of insurance and how to determine a need for that product.
7. Understand and demonstrate the relationship between risk and reward, return and tax risks.
8. Understand the basic elements of investing in financial instruments such as stocks, bonds, and mutual funds and their tax implications.
9. Understand the basic elements of retirement planning and investment strategies such as 401K plans, IRA's, defined contribution plans, and other financial tools.
10. Discuss the ethical and legal issues associated with personal financial planning.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV computer recommendations Support page.

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

This course uses one or more textbooks/books/simulations.

Summer 2025 textbook details will be available on 2024-12-06. On that date a link will be available below that will take you to eCampus, CCV's bookstore. The information provided there will be specific to this class. Please see this page for more information regarding the purchase of textbooks/books.

BUS-2140-VO01 Link to Textbooks for this course in eCampus.

The last day to use a Financial Aid Advance to purchase textbooks/books is the 3rd Tuesday of the semester. See your financial aid counselor at your academic center if you have any questions.

Artificial Intelligence(AI) Policy Statement

CCV recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI tools are widely available and becoming embedded in many online writing and creative applications.

Prohibited: The use of generative AI is not allowed in this course, with the exception of spellcheck, grammar check and similar tools. This course rests in the value of students engaging in the learning process without relying on AI-generated content. Students will develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills independently, owning their learning journey from start to finish. If you use these tools, your actions would be considered academically dishonest and a violation of CCV's Academic Integrity Policy.

Methods

· Class Discussion via Discussion Forums

· Textbook Assignments

· Games and simulations

· Scheduled Quizzes

· Mid-Term and Final Exams

Evaluation Criteria

Mid-Term Exam 20%

Final Exam 20%

Scheduled Quizzes 20%

Personal Finance Project/Presentation 10%

Homework Assignments 15%

Canvas Discussion Participation 15%

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Participation Expectations

Participation Expectations:

1. Read the assigned material and demonstrate an understanding of those resources in your assignments and posts.
2. Post an original response to the weekly prompt(s) before the end of the week Monday at midnight (11:59 PM). You are welcome to post early and/or more frequently.
3. Posts should be substantive and demonstrate college-level solutions in a well thought out mathematical presentation.

Missing & Late Work Policy

Late Policy: Assignments are due by the due date. All assignments for a particular week will be posted by Sunday (start of the week). You will have until the following Monday night to complete the assignments. All assignments will be locked at Midnight on Monday. In the event that an assignment needs to be re-opened, then a penalty of 10 points per day will be applied to the late assignment. If you experience an extenuating circumstance that prevents you from meeting a due date, please contact me.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity

Apply Now for this semester.