Overview
Finance 322: Personal Finance I is a three-credit course that examines the knowledge and competencies required to prepare a financial plan. Concepts covered in the course include the five-step financial planning process, goal-based financial planning math, tax minimization strategies, investment fundamentals, risk management (insurance), family law, retirement planning, registered plans, estate planning, consumer credit management, and ethics.
You will learn to analyze and evaluate financial products, planning processes, and strategies, and practice active decision making. As you learn the basic concepts, you will implement them in hypothetical environments. This approach will broaden your general knowledge and improve your professional competence and credibility in the financial services industry.
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to
- explain the concepts relevant to comprehensive personal financial planning.
- describe common products (such as investments, insurance products, credit facilities, and legal documents) available within the financial services industry.
- analyze individual and family financial circumstances and recommend appropriate strategies to achieve goals within a personal finance context.
- enhance current and future client relationships within the financial planning and investment advisory industries.
- differentiate between ethical and unethical practices in the financial services industry.
Notice: Athabasca University is approved by the Financial Planning Standards Council (FPSC) as an Education Provider for FPSC Level 1® Certification in Financial Planning. FNCE 322v6 can be applied to this certification. For more information on FPSC Level 1® Certification in Financial Planning, visit .
Evaluation
To receive credit for Finance 322: Personal Finance I, you must achieve a grade of 50% on the Final Examination and a minimum overall grade of 50% for the entire course. Any unsubmitted work will receive a grade of 0%.
Note: If you are applying this course towards the FPSC Level 1® Certificate offered through the Financial Planning Standards Council, you must achieve a minimum grade of 50% on the Final Examination and an overall grade of at least 65% for the entire course.
The following chart summarizes the evaluation activities in this course.
| Activity | Weight | Complete by |
| Midterm Examination | 20% | After Lesson 6 |
| Assignment 1: Personal Financial Goal Planning | 10% | After Lesson 7 |
| Assignment 2: Case Analysis | 20% | After Lesson 16 |
| Assignment 3: Ethics | 10% | After Lesson 17 |
| Final Examination | 40% | After Lesson 17 |
| Total | 100% | |
The midterm and final examinations for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.
Materials
Digital course materials
Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:
Madura, J. D., & Gill, H. (2022). Personal finance (5th Canadian Ed.). Pearson Canada, Inc. ISBN: 978-0-13-666269-3
Other Resources
All other learning resources will be available online.
Challenge for credit
Overview
The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.
Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Evaluation
To receive credit for the FNCE 322 challenge registration, you must achieve a grade of at least “D” (50 percent) on the examination.
Important Note: Students should contact the Financial Planning Standards Council (FPSC) to determine whether credits earned via the challenge for credit option are accepted as partial fulfillment of the qualifications requirement for FPSC’s Level 1 exam.
Challenge for credit course registration form