Final Exam - Chapters 12 through 19 Plus General Questions On All Semester Topics

The final exam is available! It will be available until Saturday night, December 13^th, at 11:59 p.m. Do not wait until 11 o'clock on Friday night and tell me that your computer crashed, okay? The final is cumulative. However, it will have specific questions on the last few chapters which include options and futures, brokerage accounts, buying on margin, shorting, and have a few questions on the miscellaneous topics (real estate and REITs, regular and retirement account types, precious metals, art, collectibles, etc.). There are no calculations for options, buying on margin, shorting, or real estate. Many of the cumulative questions will be general questions on the most important topics we have covered: mutual funds, stocks, bonds, short-term investments, risk-versus-return, diversification and asset allocation, etc. The questions on the last chapters. after exam #4 are available on the class web site and in the week #16 announcement for you to study before the final exam! 

Why are we making the questions about the last topics and concepts that we covered since exam #4? We are making these questions available before the final exam because 1) it is the end of the semester and everyone is stressed, 2) these topics and concepts are fairly complicated so we want you to focus on the most important issues regarding them, and 3) most of these investments and speculations are almost always dangerous to your financial well-being. Learn to stay far away from them! And help keep your friends and family from getting burned by these. Remember that there are no calculations about options, futures, buying on margin, shorting, or real estate on the final exam.
 
There will be also be an off-line portion of the final with all the familiar calculations -- stock and bond valuation and bond yield problems along with some essay. There is a practice final exam calculations worksheet, answer key, and Zoom recorded session. The worksheet (hint, hint, hint) looks very much like the off-line portion of the final. Make sure you have your stock and bond formula sheets and present value tables. Once again, there will be no calculations on options, buying on margin, selling short, or real estate! Show all your work for the calculations. If you do not show me your work, I can not give you any partial credit if your answer is wrong. If you show me your work, I can at least give you partial credit for the parts of the problem you set up correctly and the parts of the calculations that you did correctly.

Some of you have had problems scanning your documents. You can also type the answers using a word processor and send them to me via PDF format. Or hand write the answers and scan them and send them. You can even take a picture with your phone and upload the graphic files. If you use a word processor, please create a PDF file to submit.

You will have two hours to answer the on-line exam questions although it should take you far less time than that. It will basically look like all the other exams.

Note: Remember that Canvas will "kick you out" of the exam at precisely 11:59 pm on Friday night, December 12^th. Do not wait until late Friday night to take the exam!

Don't forget that you have an opportunity to evalute me in Canvas and on RateMyProfessor.com.

Thank You All For A Great Semester! 

Good Luck, Everyone!

Sincerely,

Frank Paiano

P.S. Oh, yeah, now don't forget: Whatever you do in life, Don't Give Up! Never Give Up!