FNPL 101 Personal Financial Planning Principles

This course focuses on the knowledge and skills needed to manage and/or improve your personal financial literacy; that is, how you manage your own finances. Major topics will include concepts such as investing, debt control, tax planning, credit management, insurance, management of critical problems such as bankruptcy and foreclosures, as well as retirement and estate planning. Students will be given several opportunities to apply their knowledge in both individual and small group assignments and activities, and will explore the use of electronic resources that support financial planning activities.

Credits

3

Hours Weekly

3

Course Objectives

1. Use the basic concepts and tools of personal financial planning to determine the nature and extent
   of information needed to create a personal financial plan that summarizes one’s main goals and
   issues.
2. Monitor and control expenses; research relevant information in order to demonstrate knowledge of
   when to file and how to legally minimize taxes paid.
3. Evaluate the appropriate use of credit, establishing one’s own position on the use of credit by
   considering the various perspectives and assumptions of family members and financial institutions.
4. Research, locate, and critically evaluate appropriate resources to help prevent/resolve critical
   problems such as bankruptcy, foreclosure, and identity theft.
5. Assess life, auto, and health insurance needs by effectively and efficiently finding needed
   information, weighing the perspectives and assumptions of others, and establishing one’s own
   position regarding the selection of affordable coverage.
6. Evaluate the risk and benefits of personal loans, both short- and long-term, to establish one’s own
   position to obtain or not obtain such a loan.
7. Develop realistic investment goals by critically evaluating available information and judging the
   relevance and quality of the supporting data and evidence from those resources.
8. Evaluate stock and bond and mutual fund investment alternatives, as part of a personal portfolio,
   then apply that analysis to deciding what and how to invest and/or change in the portfolio.
   
9. Estimate retirement income needs and describe personal retirement savings alternatives; also
   judge the relevance and quality of the supporting data or evidence used to support those estimates.
10. Identify the key elements of an estate plan.

Course Objectives

1. Use the basic concepts and tools of personal financial planning to determine the nature and extent
   of information needed to create a personal financial plan that summarizes one’s main goals and
   issues.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Final Project

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Critical and Creative Thinking Rubric
   • Information Literacy Rubric

   Critical Thinking

   • CT1

   Information Literacy

   • IL1
2. Monitor and control expenses; research relevant information in order to demonstrate knowledge of
   when to file and how to legally minimize taxes paid.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Final Project

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Information Literacy Rubric

   Information Literacy

   • IL4
3. Evaluate the appropriate use of credit, establishing one’s own position on the use of credit by
   considering the various perspectives and assumptions of family members and financial institutions.

   This objective is a course Goal Only

4. Research, locate, and critically evaluate appropriate resources to help prevent/resolve critical
   problems such as bankruptcy, foreclosure, and identity theft.

   This objective is a course Goal Only

5. Assess life, auto, and health insurance needs by effectively and efficiently finding needed
   information, weighing the perspectives and assumptions of others, and establishing one’s own
   position regarding the selection of affordable coverage.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Final Project

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Critical and Creative Thinking Rubric
   • Information Literacy Rubric

   Critical Thinking

   • CT2
   • CT4

   Information Literacy

   • IL2
6. Evaluate the risk and benefits of personal loans, both short- and long-term, to establish one’s own
   position to obtain or not obtain such a loan.

   This objective is a course Goal Only

7. Develop realistic investment goals by critically evaluating available information and judging the
   relevance and quality of the supporting data and evidence from those resources.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Final Project

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Critical and Creative Thinking Rubric
   • Information Literacy Rubric

   Critical Thinking

   • CT3

   Information Literacy

   • IL3
8. Evaluate stock and bond and mutual fund investment alternatives, as part of a personal portfolio,
   then apply that analysis to deciding what and how to invest and/or change in the portfolio.
   

   This objective is a course Goal Only

9. Estimate retirement income needs and describe personal retirement savings alternatives; also
   judge the relevance and quality of the supporting data or evidence used to support those estimates.

   This objective is a course Goal Only

10. Identify the key elements of an estate plan.

    This objective is a course Goal Only