Course Syllabus

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Syllabus

FI 440 Retirement Planning and Employee Benefits (Class #13673)

Fall 2017

 

Class Meetings: Thursday 7:00 pm – 9:45 pm

Classroom: Juniper Hall 2228          

 

 

 

Instructor: Heather Castle CFP®, ChFC®, AIF®

Office Hours: Thursday 4:00pm - 6:00pm

Office: Juniper Hall 4122

Phone: (818) 677- 2927

E-mail: heather.castle@csun.edu

                                                

 

 

Course Description

 

The intent of the retirement planning course is to provide individuals with knowledge of both public and private retirement plans. Public plans include Social Security and Medicare. Private plans include defined benefit and defined contribution plans along with their regulatory provisions. Specifics of the various qualified and non-qualified plans are analyzed.

 

 

Prerequisites: FIN 303

 

 

Learning Objectives

 

This course aims to equip you with an understanding of the evolving nature of retirement planning and employee benefits and how these concepts will continue to impact firms and individuals. By the end of the course, students should be able to:

  • Understand the various forms of employee benefits.
  • Explain important provisions of Social Security and Medicare coverage.
  • Incorporate employee benefits into financial planning recommendations.
  • Understand the importance of retirement planning for the pre-retirement accumulation period and the actual retirement when the funds are used.
  • Determine legal and tax requirements for a retirement plan to be considered qualified for income tax purposes.
  • Explain types of defined contribution and defined benefit qualified retirement plans.
  • Compare employer-sponsored and personal savings plans used in the retirement planning process.
  • Demonstrate your comprehension of the material in this class by constructing a retirement plan.

 

Learning Outcomes

 

Knowledge regarding the advantages of various employee benefits. Risk management concepts behind the design of social insurance programs. How managed care plans are used to efficiently manage health risk; how defined contribution and defined benefit plans compare and contrast in retirement plan design.

 

 

 

Reading Materials

 

Required reading material:

  1. Textbook: Retirement Planning and Employee Benefits for Financial Planners, 13th edition,

Authors: Dalton and Dalton

Publisher: Money Education (ISBN: 978-1-936602-48-3)

 

  1. New articles and additional readings may be posted on Canvas as necessary. Please check often to ensure you are up to date on postings.

 

Supplementary reading material:

  1. The Center for Financial Planning and Investment at CSUN provides a number of links to retirement websites at http://www.cfpionline.org/education/miscellaneous/retirement/.

 

 

Please Note:

 

  1. This class will move quickly due to the schedule. If you do not keep up with the course as we go along, you should not expect to do well on the exams.
  2. If you have commitments that will conflict with our meeting time you should drop this class now. Your attendance is necessary to do well in this class.
  3. You will need to uphold the highest standards of personal responsibility. If you do not understand a concept or need additional help please schedule time with me during office hours.
  4. To be prepared for this class, you will be expected to have read the assigned readings prior to class. Being adequately prepared for this class will contribute significantly to your understanding of the material. Please, remember that you are responsible for all assigned readings, even if the items were not covered directly in class.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Assessment Methods

 

Your final grade consists of scores on quizzes, a presentation, and a final exam. The maximum points for each assessment are as follows.

 

Component of Grade                           Max. Points                              Your Points

Quizes (11)                                          200

Assingment                                          130

Article Presentation                              70

Mid Term 1                                         100

Mid Term 2                                         100

Final Exam                                          100

Bonus Points                                                                                        (+bonus pts)

Total                                                    700

 

 

Your grade just depends on your own effort and performance and is not compared to anybody else’s level of activity. Final letter grades will be determined according to the scale below.

 

Point Range

Percentage

Grade

Point Range

Percentage

Grade

700-644

92%

A

531-490

70%

C+

643-616

88%

A-

489-448

64%

C

615-588

84%

B+

447-420

60%

D

587-560

80%

B+

<419

<59%

F

559-532

76%

B-

 

 

Receiving Your Final Grade

 

Final grades will be posted by The University. If you have a question about your final grade after the grades are posted, email me and we can set up an appointment to discuss your grade at a mutually agreeable time. Please understand that I am unable to answer an individual emails regarding your final exam grade or your final grade for the course.

 

Contesting Grades

 

If you believe that an error was made regarding the grading of your exam, you may contest the grade during office hours. Any evidence and arguments must be presented within 5 business days following the availability of the graded material in question.

 

Please note that your request for a grading correction will subject the entire work for re-evaluation. This may result in an overall lower grade as any other mistakes, oversights or omissions will also be corrected, possibly to the disadvantage of the student.

 

 

 


Exams and Quizzes

 

 

 

Quizzes

 

  1. There will be a series of 11 quizzes throughout the semester. These quizzes could cover any part of the assigned reading for that particular day in class AND anything we have talked about in class since the previous quiz. You will be able to drop your lowest quiz grade. There will be no makeup for quizzes.

 

  1. The quizzes will make up 200 pts for your grade. Each quiz will consist of 10 questions and will be worth 20 The quiz grades will not be averaged.

 

  1. The quizzes will be the first 20 minutes of the class. Late arrivals to class, will not be given extra time to complete the quiz. Since you could have a quiz on any given day, it is important that you have a clear understanding of the exact readings assigned for that day and you also review the concepts we have discussed in class.

 

 

Article Presentation

  1. There will be 4 days through out the semester where Articles will be presented. Articles will be posted on Canvas 3 weeks prior to the presentation to allow for pleanty of time to prepare.
  2. I will post guidelines for the articles
  3. Presentations will be held:
    1. Sep 14th
    2. Sep 28th
    3. Oct. 26th
    4. Nov. 16th

 

Exams

 

  1. Exams: There will be 2 Mid-Term Exams each worth 100pts. Each Mid-Term will cover the material covered during that period of time either since first class or since the last Mid-Term. (Please see class scheudle for the chapters that will be covered.)
  2. Format:
  • The format for the exams consists of multiple choice type questions.
  • Material for the exams will come from assigned readings and problem sets for the covered chapters of the textbook along with the lecture notes.
  • All answers must be put in the Scantron.

 

  1. Final Exam:
  • The exam will be given during the final exam week at the end of the semester as indicated at the university information system.
  • The final exam WILL NOT BE cumulative, that is it will cover material since thebeginning of the semester. I cannot change the date of the final exam.
  • Any final exam scheduling questions should be handled one week before the exam.

 

  1. Your score on each exam will be posted on Canvas within a week after the test day.

 

  1. Please note that there will be NO MAKEUP EXAMS Missing more than 4 quizzes makes you ineligible to take the final in this course. No student can pass this course without taking the final exam at the University’s scheduled time.

 

 


Extra Bonus

 

 

 

Case Study

 

  1. The objective is to expose students to the type of questions they will see on the CFP® Exam as well as to apply their understanding of the material coverd during this class to real world situations.
  2. The case will be posted on Canvas along with questions for the student to complette independently througout the semester.
  3. The case study will be worth upto __25___ Particial Points will be awarded.

 

  1. Deadline and extra bonus points:
    • Deadline: Thursday, November 30. This deadline will not be extended.
    • Your Case Study should be professional and checked for spelling and grammatic errors. I will want to see how you arrived at your answers so you will need to provied suporting documentation as necessary.

 

 

Office Hour Attendance

 

  1. There will be a chance to receive an additional __5__ points of Extra Credit for attending at lease one Scheduled Office Hour meeting.
  2. Office hours can be scheudle in 15min. time slots.
  3. I highly encourage everyone to participate in these bonus points. Espically, if your quiz grades are below 70%.

 

 

I reserve the right to offer extra credit assignments during the semester. These (if any) will be offered to the class as a whole. There will be no individual opportunities for extra credit.


Class Administrative Issues

 

Appointments and Preferred Method of Contact

 

  1. The best way to reach me outside of class is via email. I try to check email twice daily. I am generally able to respond to your request or question within 48 hours.

 

  1. If you cannot come to my office hours, I am also willing to schedule an appointment to meet with you at a mutually agreeable time.

 

  1. Guidelines in your contact with me via email.
  • Each email you send to me should have your full name and class name (i.e., FIN 440 at 7pm). That is, you should have “FIN 440” in the subject line.
  • I will not reply any emails merely asking me about information (e.g., office hours, extra bonus for attendance) given on this syllabus or posted on Canvas.

 

Communication

 

I will use Canvas for all out-of-class communications. Please be sure that you are enrolled in this course. You should look at all relevant folders in the Canvas for contact and other course information. Each student is required to have access to Canvas.

 

Disabilities and Equal Opportunity

 

If you have a disability and need accommodations, please register with the Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) office or the National Center on Deafness (NCOD). The DRES office is located in Bayramian Hall, room 110 and can be reached at (818) 677-2684. NCOD is located on Bertrand Street in Jeanne Chisholm Hall and can be reached at (818) 677-2611. If you would like to discuss your need for accommodations with me, please contact me to set up an appointment.

 

If you are registered with the Office and have special needs requiring accommodation, remind me of your accommodation via email one week prior to each test, so I can send your exam hardcopy there in advance.

 

Lecture Notes and Outlines

 

I will post some notes on Canvas.

 

However, I will be using material not included in the power point slides. Therefore, it is imperative that you arrive on time and take your own lecture notes as well. If you do not attend class and take good notes on a regular basis, it will be extremely difficult to do well in this course. An outline of subjects discussed for each topic is available on Canvas.

 

Student Responsibilities When Absent From Class

 

Any student, who is absent, for any reason, is responsible for any announcements or information concerning this course given during their period of absence. Students absent for any reason are also responsible to complete and hand in (on time) any work assigned during their absence and to find another student or students from whom they can get the notes they missed in class.

 

Registration for This Course

 

If you are not officially registered for this course, you may not stay in the course nor can you sit in on this class. I will not, under any circumstances, sign any student into the course after the first week of the semester. If you are not officially registered for the course, I will not grade any assignments and you will not be permitted to take exams in the course.

 

Classroom Behavior

 

Conversation

I ask that you refrain from speaking while I am lecturing so that I do not have to strain to be heard above you. This does not refer to those lively class discussions that will occur as a result of some of the material we cover. At those times, I would like to hear what all of you have to say. I encourage you to ask questions and add any relevant comments or experiences that will be a value added for the class.

 

Electronic Devices

Please turn all electronic communication devices to a silent mode while in the classroom. Please remove them from your desk. I have ZERO TOLERANCE for students who send and receive text messages during the lecture. If I see that you are doing this, you will be asked to leave immediately.

 

Disrupting Class

Arriving late, disrupting class, and leaving early are not acceptable behavior. I have low tolerance for those students who disrupt class by making unnecessary noises or by leaving class in the middle of the lecture. Any students disrupting class will be politely asked to leave.

 

Sleeping

If you are going to sleep in class, you might find it more comfortable to do so outside of class. Any students sleeping in class will be politely asked to leave.

 

Academic Honesty

This class strictly applies the campus academic honesty policies. Any apparent cheating or academic dishonesty may be punished with immediate failure in the class and being reported to the University’s Dean of Students for further action.

Don’t cheat. Just don't do it. It’s not worth it. Just do your own work and learn finance.

 

 

 

 

 

The CSUN policy on academic dishonesty will be enforced. Anybody found violating the academic dishonesty policy with respect to any aspect of this class will fail not just the assignment/test but also the entire course and will be reported to University authorities. Any plagiarism or turning in the assignment/test that is not your own is not permitted any time. If you wonder if it’s wrong, it likely is. If you think you’re “getting away with something”, it’s probably wrong.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please note this syllabus is subject to changes by the instructor.


Schedule

 

Dates:

Class Schedule

Quiz

Presentations

8/31

Syllabus Review/ Intro/ Ch. 1

9/7

Ch. 2 & Start Ch. 3

Q1 (Ch. 1)

9/14

Ch. 3

Q2 (Ch. 2)

Group 1

9/21

Ch. 4

Q3 (Ch. 3)

9/28

Mid-Term

Mid-Term

Group 2

10/5

Ch. 5

Q4 (Presentations)

10/12

Ch. 6

Q5 (Ch.5)

10/19

Ch. 7 & Ch. 8

Q6 (Ch. 6)

10/26

Mid- Term

Mid-Term

Group 3

11/2

Ch. 9

Q7 (Presentations)

11/9

Ch. 10

Q8 (Ch.9)

11/16

Ch. 11

Q9 (Ch. 10)

Group 4

11/23

No Class

No Class

11/30

Ch. 12

Q10   (Ch. 11)

12/7

Ch. 13 & Ch. 14

Q11 (Ch. 12)

12/14

Final Exam Time: TBD

 

                


Course Summary:

Date Details Due