Introduction to Investments

Bachelors Degree in Finance

FIN 320

Breyer State University

Instructor: Dean Frear, Ph.D., MBA, BA

SYLLABUS

COURSE OVERVIEW: Welcome to Introduction to Investments, a Bachelor Level course in the curriculum for the Degree, Bachelor of Business Administration. I am pleased to instruct you in this course, which is intended to be an upper-level course in Financial Investments.

Investment Management brings together financial techniques that help in the investment decision process. Some of the topics covered in this course will help to familiarize the student with the basic principles, concepts and terminology of Investments. Students will also learn the mathematics and the valuation of the main instruments used in Investments. By learning the investment concepts background knowledge will be built that can be used in the management decision-making process. The student also will develop skills that will assist the student in personal investing.

The course is designed to provide the basic concepts and principles of Investing. As an entry-level course, it serves as a foundation course for investment principles used in both the Financial Management of business as well as personal investing. Topics include Markets and Instruments, Security Trading, Investment Companies, Portfolio Theory, The Capital Asset Pricing Model and Fixed Income Securities.

Although it is a lower-level investment course, as with all finance courses, one must study diligently to make progress. Mastery takes time. Please be sure to allow enough time to adequately cover the material. Once the information is learned, it is invaluable. It can help you in business and personal finances. This course lays the foundation for more advanced investment courses. It is my pleasure to have you in the course.

TIME FRAME: This is a five-semester hour course. This course is allotted 10 weeks of time. You must complete all of the requirements for the course successfully by the end of the 10-week period. The first day of week one will begin the day that you register for the course, or the day which you notify me that your textbooks have arrived and you are ready to begin your studies. Please be cognizant of the time frame. It is rare that extensions of time are permitted, unless you have good justification. Upon successful completion of this course, you will be awarded five semester hours of credit.

TEXTBOOKS: There are two (2) required books for this course. One is the textbook, the other is the companion Student Problems Manual

Book 1: Essentials of Investments 6TH Edition. Bodie, Zvi / Kane, Alex / Marcus, Alan J. Mcgraw-Hill Publishing Company: ISBN # 0-07-322638-6

Book 2: Introduction to Investments - Investments (Student Problems Manual) 6TH Edition Bodie, Zvi/Kane, Alex/Marcus, Alan J. Mcgraw-Hill Publishing Company: ISBN # 72861843.

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EXAMINATIONS: There are two examinations for this course, a mid-term exam and a final exam.

The mid-term examination must be taken by the end of the 5th week in the course Chapters 1-6.

The final examination must be taken by the end of the 10th week in the course Chapters 7,8,9,14 and 15.

Both exams are programmed and are located in the classroom for this course. The examinations are "open book" objective type. You will have one (1) day to complete your exam, once you access it from the classroom. To access the exam, you must send me an email and request to have access to the exam. Upon registration, you will receive your email address. I will then program your access in. You will receive an email back from me telling you that you are now authorized to go ahead and to access your exam. To access, you will come into the classroom, click on testing, and click on the exam you are taking. You will need your User ID and PASS WORD to access the exam. The exam will appear on your screen. Once you access the exam, you have 24 hours to submit your answers. The program provides me the exact date and time that you accessed the exam. The program also notifies me of the exact date and time that you submitted your answers. Thus, the program is timing you. When you are ready, go back into the classroom and click in your responses and then click submit. Shortly, you will receive the exam in your email box with your computed score. You will also know what questions, if any, that you missed, and what the correct answer is. I also receive a copy of your exam and your score.

The midterm exam counts for 50% of your grade. The final exam counts for 50% of your grade. The written weekly assignments, do not count towards your final grade. The answers to the problems are located in the second section of the student manual. It is recommended, but not required , that the student submit all completed problems to the instructor for review and feedback. However, the student may just submit questions regarding areas where the student is having difficulty grasping the material. Please be diligent about getting these to me on time, during the week they are due, so that I can give constructive feedback.

GRADING: The grading scale for this course is as follows:

90-100%    = A
80-89%      = B
70-79%      = C
Below 70% = Fail

COMMUNICATION: You are encouraged to communicate with me. I am available as a teacher, coach, and mentor to assist you in meeting your goals for this course. Primarily, communication is through email. However, I am also available for conversation by telephone if you would like. Our classroom for this course has a "chat" room. I am also very willing to meet with you one-on-one in the chat room at your request. If at any time during this course you change your email address, please be sure to notify me right away.

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS: There are written assignments for this course fom the Student Problem Manual every week. It is important that this is submitted on time so that I can give constructive feedback.

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR: I, Dean Frear, Ph.D., MBA, BA currently teach undergraduate courses at Breyer State University. I hold a Doctor of Philosophy in Organization and Management, with a concentration in Leadership, a Masters in Business Administration, with a concentration in Finance, and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy with a minor in Business. I have taught courses in Finance, Economics, and various Management Courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Another academic specialty involves diversity in the workforce. I am very interested in international banking and finance. I have worked in management, sales management, and investment management. I worked as a stockbroker and held the Series 7 Brokers License, Series 66 Brokers License, Series 31 Managed Futures License, and the Life & Accident & Health Licenses.

COURSE ACCELERATION: It is permissible for you to accelerate in this course. You may chose to take the mid-term examination prior to the 5th week in the course, and/or take the final examination prior to the 10th week in the course. This is acceptable. Just notify me whenever you are ready for an exam, and you will be given access. There is NO mandate to accelerate. This is an individual choice that I will honor.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

1). Understand the breath and scope of Investment Management.
2). Learn methods to value investment instruments.
3). Understand the investment relationships.
4). Learn how to use investment instruments in decision-making.
5). Understand the skills needed to analyse investments.
6). Develop mathematical computation skills.
7). Acquire the expertise in portfolio theory.
8). Learn how to use the CAPM.
9). Understand how mutual funds and investment companies operate.
10). Acquire skills associated with bond valuation.

ASSIGNMENTS: For specific assignments, please click on the link "Assignments"

INFORMATION: If you have any questions regarding this program, you may contact us at adm@breyerstate.com.

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