Finance Department (FIN)

+FIN 207 Cr.3

Personal Finance

A survey course covering personal financial issues; topics include goal setting, budgeting, major purchases, loan provisions, taxation, insurance coverage, investment opportunities (including stocks, bonds, and mutual funds) and retirement planning. Open to students in all colleges. Offered Occasionally.

FIN 250 Cr.1-3

Finance Internship

This finance internship provides an opportunity for declared finance majors to earn academic credit for experiential learning when working for cooperating business, government, or civic organizations. Credits earned will not count toward finance major requirements. Repeatable for credit - maximum six. Prerequisite: finance major. Consent of department. Pass/Fail grading. Offered Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer.

FIN/MGT/MKT 323 Cr.3

Integrated Core Business Consulting and Professional Communication

In this course, students build knowledge and skills needed to integrate and apply material across the functional areas of business to solve complex business problems. Knowledge areas and skill sets that are specifically targeted include decision making and critical thinking, communication, teamwork, and time management. Students develop in these areas while building a foundation in effective business consulting. Students work in teams to complete applied business consulting projects, while also engaging in smaller written assignments and exercises throughout the course. Prerequisite: students must take this course concurrently with integrated core sections of MGT 308, MKT 309, and FIN 355. (Cross-listed with FIN/MGT/MKT; may only earn credit in one department.) Consent of instructor. Offered Fall.

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. Prerequisite: ECO 110, ECO 120; ACC 222; admission to business. Offered Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer.

FIN 360 Cr.3

Principles of Insurance and Risk Management

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. 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. Prerequisite: FIN 355; admission to business. Offered Annually.

FIN 363 Cr.3

Insurance Planning

This course covers insurance planning concepts, tools, and strategies related to property and casualty insurance, health insurance, life insurance, long-term care insurance, and disability insurance. The course also covers the evaluation of risk exposure, insurance needs, insurance products, and insurance companies. This course is part of the Certified Financial Planner Board Registered academic program. Prerequisite: FIN 355. Offered Fall, Spring.

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; admission to business. Offered Fall, Spring.

FIN 380 Cr.3

Principles of Investment

This course provides a foundational understanding of the investment process encompassing an exploration of the potential risks and rewards inherent in engaging with financial assets. This course explores various investment instruments and trading mechanisms prevalent in financial markets, risk assessment and its interplay with security returns, the application of analytical methodologies for evaluating financial assets, and strategic allocation of resources to construct portfolios aligned with diverse investment objectives. Prerequisite: FIN 355. Offered Fall, Spring, Summer.

FIN 390 Cr.3

Financial Markets and Institutions

This course examines the various types of financial institutions and their functions in the financial markets and includes a discussion of the processes, current trends, and regulations in money and capital markets. Financial risks are also discussed in addition to risk measurement and management methods. 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. Repeatable for credit - maximum six. Prerequisite: junior standing; admission to business. 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. Prerequisite: FIN 355; senior standing. Offered Annually.

FIN 408 Cr.3

Retirement Planning

The course analyzes various aspects of retirement planning spanning individuals, businesses, and tax authorities/regulators. The topics include planning for Social Security and Medicare, eldercare, and special needs, identifying various types of retirement plans - qualified and non-qualified, rules governing the distribution of retirement income and taxes, and succession planning for individually held businesses. Prerequisite: FIN 355. Offered Fall, Spring.

FIN 409 Cr.3

Estate Planning

This course provides students with in-depth applications of personal and family money management principles. An emphasis is placed on the estate planning process including the legal, tax, financial, and non-financial aspects of this process, covering topics such as property, wills, trusts, advanced directives, charitable giving, wealth transfers and related taxes, and the Certified Financial Planner Board's Professional Conduct and Fiduciary Responsibilities. This course is part of the Certified Financial Planner Board Registered academic program. Prerequisite: FIN 355. Offered Fall, Spring.

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; admission to business. Offered Occasionally.

FIN 437 Cr.3

Financial Modeling

Application of financial theories and models using spreadsheets to make financial decisions. Focus on utilizing existing and creating new financial spreadsheet functions, sensitivity analysis, and scenario analysis. Prerequisite: FIN 355; admission to business. Offered Fall, Spring.

FIN 440 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; junior standing; admission to business. 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 in the College of Business Administration catalog section. Repeatable for credit - maximum 15. Prerequisite: FIN 355. Consent of department. Pass/Fail grading. Offered Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer.

FIN 456 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; junior standing; admission to business. Offered Occasionally.

FIN 460 Cr.3

Case Studies in Financial Planning

In this course students integrate insurance planning, tax planning, investment planning, estate planning, and retirement planning. Students demonstrate their ability to analyze and apply knowledge of financial planning sub-disciplines through integrative cases. Additionally, this course covers the psychological and behavioral elements of personal financial planning. This course is part of the Certified Financial Planner Board Registered academic program. Prerequisite: FIN 363, FIN 380; FIN 408; senior standing. Offered Fall, Spring.

FIN 475 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; junior standing: admission to business. Offered Fall, Spring.

FIN 485 Cr.3

Problems and Cases in Finance

This course provides students with the opportunity to practice financial decision-making by developing solutions to case problems while requiring them to apply knowledge from previous finance courses, use and develop oral and written communication skills, critical thinking and analytical skills, creativity, and judgment. This course assumes the viewpoint of a financial manager confronted with a variety of decisions on how to best raise, procure, and manage capital. Course topics focus on the typical concerns of a financial manager, including short- and long-term investment and financing decisions, dividend policy, and the costs and characteristics of various sources of capital, etc. Prerequisite: FIN 370; admission to business. 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. Prerequisite: admission to business. Consent of instructor. Pass/Fail grading. Offered Occasionally.