Finance - FIN
FIN 201 Introduction to Corporate Finance 3 Credits
An introduction to financial analysis. Topics covered include: financial statements, tools of financial analysis, bond and equity valuation, financial management.
Prerequisites: ACC 201; ECO 101, ECO 102 and ECO 255 (may register concurrently) or MAT 131 or MAT 141 or MAT 352.
Offered: every fall & spring.
FIN 311 Intermediate Corporate Finance 3 Credits
Examination of the procedures and objectives of capital budgeting, the financing of the firm by means of debt and equity, and short-term and long-term financial management.
Prerequisite: FIN 201.
Offered: occasionally.
FIN 312 Investments 3 Credits
Introduction to the institutional features of securities trading, portfolio construction, and the capital asset pricing model. Valuation of equities and bonds and an introduction to various derivative instruments.
Prerequisite: FIN 201 & ECO 256.
Offered: fall & spring
FIN 350 Introduction to Personal Financial Planning 3 Credits
Survey of topics in wealth management and personal financial planning. Review development of the wealth management industry, including the evolution of the high-net-worth investor segment. Various aproaches to asset management, benchmarks for evaluating portfolio performance, risk tolerance, and tax and estate planning issues will be explored.
Prerequisite: FIN 312.
Offered: fall
FIN 351 Estate Planning 3 Credits
A new course that presents various aspects of estate and gift tax planning. The valuation, transfer, administration and taxation of property will be covered along with strategies to efficiently transfer wealth. Other topics include property law, wills, trusts, income, gift, and death taxation. A course required for those interested in pursuing CFP certification.
Prerequisite: FIN 350.
Offered: fall.
FIN 352 Risk Management & Insurance 3 Credits
Globalization, technological advances and their subsequent adaptions by enterprises and economies has led to rapid changes in how risks are evaluated and mitigated. The ability to identify/anticipate, measure, financially and operationally manage, mitigate and communicate risk exposures faced by an organization is essential to its business success. Moreover, the ability to communicate the various impacts and consequences of material risk exposures to executive management and other enterprise stakeholders is becoming a critical management skill. In this course we will discuss processes used by organizations to manage the risks that they face, with an emphasis on the types of risk commonly handled through the commercial insurance market. Coursework will address the costs and benefits of risk management, the goals of the process and the methods available to manage risks. Methods covered include traditional and nontraditional mitigations including retention, commercial insurance, captives, contractual risk transfer, etc. Throughout the semester, students will have the opportunity to learn more about the role of risk managers, insurance underwriters, brokers and other risk stakeholders through case studies, guest lecturers and local risk management events aimed at providing students a holistic picture of the industry. Students will be expected to demonstrate their understanding of current risk- related topics through class discussion, homework assignments, projects, and exams.
Prerequisite: ECO 255 & FIN 201.
Offered: occasionally.
FIN 354 Retirement Planning 3 Credits
Provides an overview of retirement planning including retirement savings need analysis, qualified retirement plan design, Social Security, Medicare, and more. In addition, group life, health, and disability insurance; non-qualified deferred compensation; and other commonly provided employee benefits are examined.
Prerequisite: FIN 312.
Offered: every fall.
FIN 412 Equity Analysis 3 Credits
The analysis and interpretation of financial information and accounting statements in order to assess security risk and return, credit worthiness, financing needs, and the valuation of the firm.
Prerequisite: FIN 312. Concurrent registration with FIN 485.
Offered: fall
FIN 414 Portfolio Analysis 3 Credits
An introduction to modern portfolio theory and management. The strategies underlying portfolio construction and evaluation will be examined. The implications of market efficiency on portfolio management will also be considered. Finance Major Assessment will be performed in this class.
Prerequisite: FIN 312.
Offered: fall & spring
FIN 420 Financial Institutions and Markets 3 Credits
This course examines various financial institutions and the markets in which they operate. The role of the Federal Reserve, commercial banks, thrift institutions, investment banks, insurance companies and pension funds will be examined. Models of interest rate determination including risk structure and term structure will be discussed.
Prerequisite: FIN 201.
Offered: every spring.
FIN 423 Fixed Income Securities 3 Credits
This course discusses the various types of fixed income securities and the markets in which they are traded. Emphasis is placed on contract evaluation, extracting term/risk structure information from pricing, evaluating investment opportunities and interest rate risk management.
Prerequisite: FIN 312.
FIN 425 Advanced Corporate Finance 3 Credits
This course provides a more in-depth treatment of corporate financial management. Topics from the introductory course (FIN 311) are developed in greater detail with emphasis on the underlying theories and more extensive applications to financial decision making.
Prerequisite: FIN 311.
Offered: occasionally.
FIN 455 Financial Modeling with Excel 3 Credits
Programming in EXCEL via construction of custom functions and macros using Visual Basic. These techniques are applied to a variety of financial models.
Prerequisite: FIN 311 or FIN 312.
Offered: Fall
FIN 458 Financial Modeling with SAS 3 Credits
Building financial models for forecasting and analyzing investment and financial products using the SAS programming language. Models in the areas of corporate finance, equities, bonds, portfolio management and derivative securities will be explored.
Prerequisite: FIN 312, ECO 256.
Offered: every fall & spring.
FIN 460 International Finance 3 Credits
Examination of the international monetary system, exchange rate determination, capital flows and various exchange rate regimes. Open economy macroeconomic policies will be discussed.
Prerequisites: ECO 101-102, FIN 201.
Offered: occasionally.
FIN 480 Derivative Securities/Options 3 Credits
Analysis of derivative instruments such as options, futures, swaps, warrants, and convertibles. Emphasis on valuation and use of derivative instruments in hedging risk.
Prerequisite: FIN 312.
Offered: spring
FIN 485 Golden Griffin Fund I 3 Credits
This is the first course in a two-semester sequence in which students become equity analysts and portfolio managers for a real money portfolio of common equity securities (the Golden Griffin Fund, "GGF"). Students screen companies in the fall semester and perform detailed financial statement and valuation analyses in the spring semester. Current macroeconomic and financial market developments are discussed weekly. Monthly written reports regarding current GGF portfolio positions are produced by the student managers beginning in the summer. Students taking FIN 485 are expected to continue into the spring semester in FIN 486. NOTE: GGF students are selected during an application process during the student's junior year.
Prerequisite: FIN 312; concurernt registration with FIN 412
Offered: fall
FIN 486 Golden Griffin Fund II 3 Credits
This is the second course in a two-semester sequence in which students become equity analysts and portfolio managers for a real money portfolio of common equity securities (the Golden Griffin Fund, "GGF"). Students screen companies in the fall semester and perform detailed financial statement and valuation analyses in the spring semester. Current macroeconomic and financial market developments are discussed weekly. Monthly written reports regarding current GGF portfolio positions are produced by the student managers beginning in the summer. process during the student's junior year.
Prerequisite: FIN 485
Offered: Spring
FIN 496 Finance Internship 1-4 Credits
Internships require an application and approval by the associate dean.
Prerequisite: student must complete a WSB Internship Application and obtain permission of a faculty supervisor, department chair, & the associate dean.
Offered: every fall & spring.
FIN 499 Independent Research 3 Credits
Study and work with a faculty supervisor. Project to be determined by faculty agreement. Independent studies require an application and approval by the associate dean.
Prerequisite: student must complete a WSB Independent Study Application Form & obtain the approval of a faculty supervisor, department chair & the associate dean.
