BUSI 489 is Liberty's capstone in financial planning. Its written work is six weekly Targeted Financial Plan sections on a textbook case client, six short mini-case assignments, two forums (a 300-word thread and two 200-word replies), a client-ready PowerPoint, and the Comprehensive Financial Plan that brings every section together in Week 8.
Liberty's catalog lists the course as BUSI 489 Capstone in Financial Planning, 3 credit hours; Canvas and the course guide file print it as BUSI489.
What BUSI 489 covers
The catalog description: This course will allow the student to create a written financial plan using the knowledge acquired from previous course work in the financial planning classes. The student will use a software package to incorporate all the elements of a successful financial plan for a case study client.
Students create a written financial plan using the knowledge from earlier financial planning courses, using a software package to bring together all the elements of a successful plan for a case study client. The texts are Grable, Klock and Lytton, The Case Approach to Financial Planning, and Lytton, Grable and Klock, The Process of Financial Planning.
There are no quizzes or exams. The Targeted Financial Plans carry 600 of the course's 1,010 points, and they become the Comprehensive Financial Plan, so each week's section matters twice.
Textbook named in the published guide: Grable et al., The Case Approach to Financial Planning (2012). Lytton et al., The Process of Financial Planning (2012). Check the current edition in your Canvas section.
BUSI 489 assignments, week by week
Every graded written assignment in the published guide has its own how-to guide below. Quizzes, exams, checklists and class introductions are left out because there is nothing to write.
| Week | Assignment | Points | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mini-Case Assignment 1 | 25 | Not set in the guide; follow the mini-case |
| 1 | Targeted Financial Plan 1 | 100 | Set in the section instructions |
| 2 | Mini-Case Assignment 2 | 25 | Not set in the guide; follow the mini-case |
| 2 | Targeted Financial Plan 2 | 100 | Set in the section instructions |
| 3 | Mini-Case Assignment 3 | 25 | Not set in the guide; follow the mini-case |
| 3 | Targeted Financial Plan 3 | 100 | Set in the section instructions |
| 4 | Discussion Board Forum 1 | 50 | Thread at least 300 words; replies at least 200 words |
| 4 | Targeted Financial Plan 4 | 100 | Set in the section instructions |
| 5 | Mini-Case Assignment 4 | 25 | Not set in the guide; follow the mini-case |
| 5 | Targeted Financial Plan 5 | 100 | Set in the section instructions |
| 6 | Mini-Case Assignment 5 | 25 | Not set in the guide; follow the mini-case |
| 6 | Targeted Financial Plan 6 | 100 | Set in the section instructions |
| 7 | Discussion Board Forum 2 | 50 | Thread at least 300 words; replies at least 200 words |
| 7 | Mini-Case Assignment 6 | 25 | Not set in the guide; follow the mini-case |
| 8 | Financial Plan Presentation | 50 | Not set in the guide |
| 8 | Comprehensive Financial Plan | 100 | Set in the plan instructions |
Week 1: Mini-Case Assignment 1
A short textbook mini-case on a financial planning content area, answered with the week's reading. How to write BUSI 489 Week 1 Mini-Case Assignment 1.
Week 1: Targeted Financial Plan 1
The first section of the financial plan for the textbook's case client. How to write BUSI 489 Week 1 Targeted Financial Plan 1.
Week 2: Mini-Case Assignment 2
The second short textbook mini-case. How to write BUSI 489 Week 2 Mini-Case Assignment 2.
Week 2: Targeted Financial Plan 2
The second financial plan section for the case client. How to write BUSI 489 Week 2 Targeted Financial Plan 2.
Week 3: Mini-Case Assignment 3
The third short textbook mini-case. How to write BUSI 489 Week 3 Mini-Case Assignment 3.
Week 3: Targeted Financial Plan 3
The third financial plan section for the case client. How to write BUSI 489 Week 3 Targeted Financial Plan 3.
Week 4: Discussion Board Forum 1
A 300-word thread drawing on experience and course material, then two 200-word replies. How to write BUSI 489 Week 4 Discussion Board Forum 1.
Week 4: Targeted Financial Plan 4
The fourth financial plan section for the case client. How to write BUSI 489 Week 4 Targeted Financial Plan 4.
Week 5: Mini-Case Assignment 4
The fourth short textbook mini-case. How to write BUSI 489 Week 5 Mini-Case Assignment 4.
Week 5: Targeted Financial Plan 5
The fifth financial plan section for the case client. How to write BUSI 489 Week 5 Targeted Financial Plan 5.
Week 6: Mini-Case Assignment 5
The fifth short textbook mini-case. How to write BUSI 489 Week 6 Mini-Case Assignment 5.
Week 6: Targeted Financial Plan 6
The sixth financial plan section for the case client. How to write BUSI 489 Week 6 Targeted Financial Plan 6.
Week 7: Discussion Board Forum 2
A 300-word thread drawing on experience and course material, then two 200-word replies. How to write BUSI 489 Week 7 Discussion Board Forum 2.
Week 7: Mini-Case Assignment 6
The sixth short textbook mini-case. How to write BUSI 489 Week 7 Mini-Case Assignment 6.
Week 8: Financial Plan Presentation
A professional PowerPoint presenting the Comprehensive Financial Plan to the client in terms the client can easily understand. How to write BUSI 489 Week 8 Financial Plan Presentation.
Week 8: Comprehensive Financial Plan
The complete financial plan for the textbook's case client, built from the six Targeted Financial Plans plus additional information. How to write BUSI 489 Week 8 Comprehensive Financial Plan.
How BUSI 489 is graded
The published guide totals 1,010 points. The six Targeted Financial Plans are 100 each (600), the six mini-cases 25 each (150), the two forums 50 each (100), the presentation 50, the Comprehensive Financial Plan 100 and the checklist 10.
| Graded item | Points |
|---|---|
| Targeted Financial Plans (6) | 600 |
| Mini-Case Assignments (6) | 150 |
| Discussion Board Forums (2) | 100 |
| Financial Plan Presentation | 50 |
| Comprehensive Financial Plan | 100 |
| Course Requirements Checklist | 10 |
The published scale puts an A at 900 to 1010 points.
Week timing in the published guide: Each course module/week (except Module/Week 1) begins on Tuesday morning at 12:00 a.m. (ET) and ends on Monday night at 11:59 p.m. (ET). The final module/week ends at 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Friday.
How to approach BUSI 489
Read the textbook's hypothetical case client in Week 1 until you know the household's goals, cash flow and balance sheet well; every Targeted Financial Plan uses the same client.
Revise each section from feedback the week you get it, because the Comprehensive Financial Plan in Week 8 is built from all six.
Questions students ask
What are the BUSI 489 Targeted Financial Plans?
Six sections of a financial plan for a hypothetical case client from the textbook, due in Weeks 1 to 6, each covering one or more financial planning content areas, later combined into the Comprehensive Financial Plan.
What do the BUSI 489 mini-cases cover?
Six short textbook assignments across ethics, financial situation analysis, taxes, insurance, investments, retirement and estate planning, worth 25 points each.
Working through BUSI 489 now?
Tell us the week and the assignment. A tutor who knows the course replies with a plan for the draft.