Finance 350 George Li

George Li's Finance 350 course is likely an introductory finance course aimed at undergraduate students. While the specific curriculum can vary depending on the institution and professor, Finance 350 courses typically cover foundational principles necessary for understanding financial decision-making in both personal and corporate contexts.

Key topics generally explored in such a course include:

• Time Value of Money: This fundamental concept teaches students how to calculate the present and future value of money, considering the impact of interest rates and compounding. Understanding time value is crucial for evaluating investments, loans, and other financial opportunities. Students learn to apply formulas and use financial calculators to solve time value problems.
• Financial Statement Analysis: Students learn to interpret and analyze key financial statements like the balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement. This involves understanding the relationships between different financial ratios and using these ratios to assess a company's profitability, liquidity, solvency, and efficiency.
• Risk and Return: The course delves into the concept of risk, its measurement, and its relationship to investment returns. Students are introduced to different types of risk, such as market risk, credit risk, and operational risk. They learn how to quantify risk using statistical measures like standard deviation and beta, and how to incorporate risk into investment decisions.
• Capital Budgeting: This area focuses on the process of evaluating and selecting long-term investment projects. Students learn various capital budgeting techniques, including net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), and payback period. They analyze the cash flows associated with different projects and make decisions based on their financial viability.
• Cost of Capital: Understanding the cost of capital is essential for making sound investment decisions. Students learn how to calculate a company's cost of equity, cost of debt, and weighted average cost of capital (WACC). The WACC is then used as a discount rate in capital budgeting analyses.
• Working Capital Management: This involves managing a company's short-term assets and liabilities, such as cash, accounts receivable, and inventory. Students learn techniques for optimizing working capital levels to ensure the company has sufficient liquidity while minimizing financing costs.
• Basics of Corporate Finance: The course often touches upon basic corporate finance principles, including capital structure decisions (debt vs. equity financing), dividend policy, and mergers and acquisitions.

Given that George Li is the instructor, his specific expertise and research interests might subtly influence the course content or emphasize certain areas more than others. For example, if Professor Li's research focuses on behavioral finance, the course might incorporate discussions about psychological biases that affect financial decision-making. If his expertise lies in investment management, the course might dedicate more time to portfolio construction and asset allocation.

Ultimately, Finance 350 under George Li aims to equip students with a fundamental understanding of financial principles, analytical tools, and decision-making frameworks, preparing them for more advanced finance courses or careers in the finance industry.