Personal Finance

Course aim

To introduce students to personal financial planning, including the ideas and best-practice methods associated with financial decision-making for individuals.

Course content

Financial decision-making, planning, and control for individuals. Personal financial statements, budgeting, and the control of personal finances. Complications: income taxes and personal insurance. Evaluation of borrowing alternatives: using credit and other forms of consumer loans; comparing interest rates, and adjusting for fees; application to the evaluation of housing and personal loans; budgetary considerations and "affordability". Evaluation of personal investment alternatives: investment planning; conceptualising risk and return; investing in financial assets; application to investments in shares and other selected assets; borrowing and its effect on risk; introduction to alternative investments; and overview of products and their pitfalls in the financial planning industry.

Textbook(s)

Billingsly, R, Gitman, LJ, Joehnk, MD 2020, PFIN, 7th edn, Cengage Learning/4LTR Press, Boston

Prerequisite(s)

Nil

Corequisite(s)

Nil

Teaching method

Note: These components may or may not be scheduled in every study period. Please refer to the timetable for further details.

Assessment

Personal Financial Plan, Problem solving exercise

Fees

EFTSL*: 0.125
Commonwealth Supported program (Band 3)
To determine the fee for this course as part of a Commonwealth Supported program, go to:
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Fee-paying program for domestic and international students
International students and students undertaking this course as part of a postgraduate fee paying program must refer to the relevant program home page to determine the cost for undertaking this course.

Non-award enrolment
Non-award tuition fees are set by the university. To determine the cost of this course, go to:
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Not all courses are available on all of the above bases, and students must check to ensure that they are permitted to enrol in a particular course.

* Equivalent Full Time Study Load. Please note: all EFTSL values are published and calculated at ten decimal places. Values are displayed to three decimal places for ease of interpretation.