FINANCE (FIN)
College of Business Administration
Department Chair:
Robert Wolf
404A Wimberly Hall, 608.785.6654
Professors: Colclough, Graham, Wolf;
Associate Professor: Tippins;
Assistant Professors: Van Dalsem, Yang;
Lecturer: Tempski
Students in the College of Business
Administration must also complete the
college core requirements. There are 36 credits in the
common core.
Finance
Major
(College of Business Administration) — 21
credits – FIN 370, 380, 390, 485: select one course from Group
I: FIN 362, 407, 410, 430, 440, 447, 475, 477, 480; select one
course from Group II: FIN 360, 456, 465; ECO 301, 305, 308, 310;
ACC 301, 321, 325, 330; MGT 395 or any course listed in Group I;
select one from Group III: any course numbered 300 or higher
which is offered through the College of Business Administration,
including those listed in Group I and Group II.
Finance Major — Risk, Insurance and
Financial Planning Concentration
(College of Business Administration) — 21
credits – FIN 370, 380, 390; FIN 360, 407; FIN 460 or 485; and
one of the following: FIN 361, 362, 465, 475, ACC 301, ECO 471,
MGT 386, MKT 362.
+ above a course number indicates a
General Education course.
+
FIN
207 Cr. 3
Personal Finance
A survey course covering personal financial
issues; topics include goal setting, budgeting, major purchases,
loan provisions, taxation, insurance coverages, investment
opportunities (including stocks, bonds, and mutual funds) and
retirement planning. Open to students in all colleges. Offered
Fall, Spring.
Note: 300/400 level finance courses are
open only to those students who have been admitted to the
Business Program and students in business related programs for
which such a course is specifically required. Exceptions to this
policy may be made only by the College of Business
Administration Dean. Students will be allowed to register for
FIN 360 without having been admitted to the business program.
FIN
355 Cr. 3
Principles of Financial Management
Introduction to financial management of the
firm. Topics include: relationship of the finance function with
other functional areas of the firm, use of financial statements
as measures of corporate performance and for financial
forecasting, working capital management, time value of money and
its use in the valuation of cash flows, security evaluation,
capital budgeting, capital structure, financial intermediaries
and investment banking, long-term debt, preferred and common
stock, and the effect of these financial decisions on dividend
policies. Prerequisites: ECO 110, 120; ACC 222. Offered Fall,
Winter, Spring, Summer.
FIN
360 Cr. 3
Principles of Insurance
A survey of insurance and risk management
concepts, the insurance industry and common insurance contracts.
Topics include: types of insurers, functions of insurers, legal
principles of insurance, and analysis of property, liability,
life and health contracts. Special emphasis will be placed on
personal insurance for the home, automobile, life and health.
Open to students in all colleges. Prerequisite: ACC 221. Offered
Fall, Spring.
FIN
361 Cr. 3
Life Insurance
A study of life insurance and its relationship
to financial planning. Topics covered are the determination of
financial needs for survivors resulting from premature death of
a family member, concepts of life insurance and annuities
including quantitative foundations, policy provisions,
comparisons of alternate products, and taxation issues.
Prerequisites: FIN 355 and 360. Offered occasionally.
FIN
362 Cr. 3
Commercial Property/ Liability Insurance
and Risk Management
Risk management and insurance for the
corporate entity. Topics include coverages for direct and
indirect property, general liability, workers’ compensation,
fidelity, crime, and boiler and machinery, property valuation,
insurance surveys, and lease analysis. Prerequisites: FIN 355
and 360. Offered occasionally.
FIN
370 Cr. 3
Corporation Finance
Comprehensive study of current theories
concerning the valuation of the firm and its capital structure.
Topics emphasized are risk analysis, capital structure, dividend
theories, cost of capital, capital budgeting and management of
working capital. Prerequisite: FIN 355. Offered Fall, Spring.
FIN
380 Cr. 3
Principles of Investment
The study of investment instruments. Topics
include: valuation of common and preferred stocks, bonds,
options, futures contracts, real estate, and several other
securities and commodities. The risk associated with each form
of investment, construction and management of investment
portfolios, investment databases, and current trends in
investments are studied. Prerequisite: FIN 355. Offered Fall,
Spring.
FIN
390 Cr. 3
Money and Capital Markets
Examination of the factors influencing the
level and structure of interest rates. Includes the processes,
institutions, and public policy implications of markets for
short-term and long-term debt instruments, the stock market, and
current trends in capital markets. Prerequisite: FIN 355.
Offered Fall, Spring.
FIN
400 Cr.
1-3
Finance Forum
Emphasis will be on the examination and study
of current financial issues. Topics will vary by semester.
Prerequisites: junior standing and consent of department.
Repeatable for credit — maximum six. Department option for
Pass/Fail grading. Offered occasionally.
FIN
407 Cr. 3
Advanced Financial Planning
An overview of the financial planning process,
including an introduction to the technical and intuitive aspects
of the primary components in a financial plan. Financial and
personal data are integrated to develop a comprehensive
financial model including a variety of components. The
components may include balance sheet and cash flow statements,
retirement planning, investing strategies, insurance needs,
taxes and estate planning. Prerequisites: FIN 355; senior
standing. Offered Fall.
FIN
410 Cr. 3
Management of Financial Institutions
The management of commercial banks and other
deposit-type financial institutions. Emphasis is placed on the
environment in which financial institutions operate, its
changing nature, and managerial decision making within that
environment. Specific topics include loan and investment
policies, asset/liability management, management of investment
risk, and regulation of financial institutions. Prerequisite:
FIN 390 or ECO 301. Offered Spring.
FIN
426/526 Cr. 3
Real Estate Finance
The contractual nature and legal implications
of the instruments used in financing real estate. The structure
and operation of the primary and secondary mortgage markets;
instruments, techniques, and strategies in financing real
property investments. Prerequisite: FIN 456. Offered
occasionally.
FIN
427 Cr. 3
Real Estate Appraisal
Development of the process of value
determination for real properties in the context of a market
setting. Development of the analytical tools to be used in
implementing the valuation process. Development of the complex
interactions among the site, the neighborhood, the community,
and the region in value determination. Prerequisite: FIN 456.
Offered occasionally.
FIN
430/530 Cr. 3
Financial Planning and Strategy
Long-term planning as it relates to special
problems of acquiring funds and selecting and deploying assets.
Emphasis is placed on forecasting long-term funds requirements,
and the suitability of specific financing vehicles for
particular needs. Prerequisite: FIN 370. Offered occasionally.
FIN
440/540 Cr. 3
Multinational Financial Management
The international financial system and the
application of basic principles of business finance in an
international context. Topics include: the finance function in
the multinational firm, foreign exchange markets, cost of
capital, and capital expenditure analysis in the multinational
firm. International accounting and reporting procedures are
reviewed. Prerequisite: FIN 355. Offered Spring.
FIN
447/547 Cr. 3
Advanced Financial Analysis
Offers the students the opportunity for
advanced study of topics related to (1) business ethics and
professional standards, (2) investment tools, (3) asset
valuation, and (4) portfolio management. Students will learn how
to effectively analyze financial statements, apply statistical
models, and evaluate both international and derivative
securities. Completion of this course will also assist students
in preparing for the Level I exam of the Chartered Financial
Analyst (CFA) program. Prerequisites: FIN 355, 370, 80; finance
major; senior standing; department approval. Department option
for Pass/Fail grading. Offered Spring.
FIN
450 Cr.
1-6
College of Business Administration
Internship
The internship program as conceived and
implemented is designed to provide an opportunity for students
in the College of Business Administration at the University of
Wisconsin-La Crosse to participate in an approved program with
cooperating business, governmental or civic organization for
usually 15 weeks of their undergraduate work. For additional
information, see
internship description. Repeatable for credit.
Pass/Fail grading. Offered Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer.
FIN
456/556 Cr. 3
Real Estate Principles
Survey of real estate principles and
practices, the economic environment and valuation. Topics
include: nature of real property; organization and structure of
real-estate markets; alternative land uses; financing and
valuation of real estate; and the legal environment.
Prerequisite: FIN 355. Offered Spring.
FIN
460 Cr. 3
Seminar in Risk and Insurance
A seminar course focusing on the current
problems and issues of liability, life and health insurance.
Financial and insurance theory are used to assess proposed
solutions. Broad topics include insurance company operations;
problems of ratemaking, underwriting and regulation;
confidentiality of life insurance applications; and problems of
financing health care. Prerequisites: FIN 360, 370; FIN 361 or
362 or 465 or ECO 471. Offered occasionally.
FIN
465/565 Cr. 3
Health Care Financing
A broad micro and macro treatment of the
health care financing from the insurer, consumer and
institutional viewpoints. Topics include: reimbursement
mechanisms, planning, capital allocation and organizational
aspects of health care financing function. Prerequisite: FIN
355. Offered occasionally.
FIN
475/575 Cr. 3
Investment Analysis and Portfolio
Management
An in-depth investigation of modern concepts
of asset ownership, risks and the reduction of risk through
portfolio construction. An efficient markets approach to
contemporary capital market and portfolio theory with
applications to investment management. Prerequisite: FIN 380.
Offered Fall.
FIN
477/577 Cr. 3
International Investments
The international political, economic and
legal environment in which investment decisions are made. An
evaluation of security valuation theory and practice in the
context of international money and capital markets. Topics
include the motives for international investment, exchange risk,
foreign money and capital market instruments and their markets,
and construction and management of portfolios. Prerequisite: FIN
380. Offered occasionally.
FIN
480/580 Cr. 3
Financial Management and Control
Focuses on the roles and responsibilities of
the controller and treasurer in today’s business and economic
environment. From a controller’s/treasurer’s perspective, the
course content includes: functions, organization,
characteristics, standards of ethical conduct, financial
reporting, internal controls/operations analysis, cost
management and professional development. Prerequisites: (for FIN
480) senior status; FIN 370 or ACC 322; ECO 301 or 305; (for FIN
580) BUS 730, 731. Offered occasionally.
FIN
485 Cr. 3
Problems and Cases in Finance
Application of concepts and techniques to the
solution of financial problems in a variety of areas using the
case method and computer simulation games. Topic areas include
corporation finance, security analysis and investment
management, and commercial banking. Prerequisites: FIN 370 and
380. Offered Fall, Spring.
FIN
499 Cr.
1-3
Independent Study
Individual reading or research under the
guidance of a staff member. Open to selected, advanced students
who have excellent records in the department. Registration with
the consent of the student’s regular adviser, the instructor and
the department chairperson. Approval form available in
department office. Form must be completed prior to registration.
Repeatable for credit — maximum six. Pass/Fail grading. Offered
occasionally.