2.8
Quality3.4
Difficulty67%
Would Retake171
Reviews67%
Would Retake
171
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
32
4
39
3
25
2
34
1
41
What Students Say
“He does not do the best job teaching the material so the most important thing to do in this class are the practice problems”
FIN301 - 4.0 rating“Honestly I don't understand how people struggle so hard in this class”
FIN301 - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
26%
Textbook Required
68%
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A-
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FIN401
5.0
(1)FINAN301
3.4
(5)FIN301
3.2
(77)FINOPMGT301
3.0
(2)FMGT301
3.0
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FINANCE30
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5.0
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4.5
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Reviews (171)
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Very Good Prof. !!
very tough (i.e. on tests) but very clear and extremeley helpful
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Excellent Professor. His tests arent very hard at all, just study his practice exams. His course packet is better than any book in finance I have seen.
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Great professor. Very informative and helpful!
Not helpful at all! Very boaring and unclear! Don't take this class unless you have to!
One of the best professors. For all of you who did bad its your own fault. He makes everything clear as possible
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Go to class and you will do fine in it. He presents the material very clearly.
didnt like the guy so i never went after the first day of class. did readings and work form book myself and ended up with a C.
Great textbook, perfect for this class. He's a nice guy and a decent professor.
Cool guy
if you want to watch him trade his stocks on yahoo all day it's a good class, if you actually wanted to learn anything you need to teach yourself
BORING, BORING, BORING. His Grading policy sucks, the game is over if you screw up on either one of the exam!
I think the problem students have with Lacey is that he actually expects students to learn, not just memorize. He is extremely organized, gives great examples, and actually makes class interesting more often that not (which is hard in this subject).
All he did in class is show you how to open up an account to trade stocks. When you go and seek some help he makes you look like a fool.
Great guy but does not know how to teach.
I don't find finance interesting. Hes not a bad teacher but seems to have this chip on his shoulder. If you go to class and study then you will do fine.
Extremely boring subject matter. He doesn't really make any attempt to make it easier to understand. Difficult exams and he purposely puts the wrong answers you might think are correct if you calculate incorrectly as multiple choice choices.
Nice Guy. Class wasnt bad. Tests were not really difficult
Professor Lacey is not a professor. He likes to think he is... His class is for people who already know everything having to do with finance. If you actually want to learn about corporate finance, you should not take his course. He assumes you know everything already! Terrible class... Boooo~
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I agree that he does try to make the class interesting, and he does succeed in this to some extent. I also agree with everyone else that Lacey does not teach very well. I ended up teaching myself 90% of the material the day of the test, since Lacey had done a poor job of teaching in class.
Pretty easy class, as long as you have a good grasp of math. Lots of repetition helps, just go to all the lectures and you don't really need the book.
PROS: Extremely straight-foward. NO NEED TO BUY BOOK (unless for backup), and just print out his syllabus notes and that is all you need. Really. Exams are all mult. choice. Lacey has nice stuff here and there, and is light with humor during lecture. Scales tests usually. CONS: Boring, attendance highly recommended (PRS is bonus), and boring.
To pass the class you need to go to class and pay attention as well as do the owls. But good luck, since his class is horrifically boring. He tries to throw in jokes here and there, but you probably will sleep through them.
If you want to get an A in Fin301, Lacey is your best bet. That is, if you do all the owls and make damn sure you understand how the equations work. He also gives 20 extra points from PRS which inflates your grade by so much! You shouldnt be getting a grade below a B
He's a good teacher. He is very knowledgable on the subject and speaks very clearly. Not easy, not hard, going to class is a must. PRS is a big bonus...Good background for finance
Great guy. He is very clear in the way he talks. Information is difficult to grasp at first bc it is new material, but he explains it well. The class isn't hard, you just need to go to get the PRS extra points and make sure you read the book to help you better understand. Isn't as tough as stats.
It's a huge lecture hall class so attendence is not required unless you want to get extra points through PRS questions. The class is not that hard if you prepare for it. There are owls quizes and 3 exams. The only proble I found with this class is that prof. Lacey talks about random things in class for the most part.
Go to class and you'll understand everything. I'm not good at math and this class was a breeze. I think he makes the subject matter interesting. The one downside is he has absolutely no sympathy if you come to him with a problem, so don't bother. This class is way easier than stats with Amir.
did these other reviewers take the same class i did? this class will put you to sleep. he spent 1 class telling us what peanut butter is. he spent 1 class telling us what magic eye is (hello 1993). he couldn't explain the directions out of a paper bag. he has no sypathy and never answers a question. nice guy, bad professor.
This class is boring. For those of you who are required to take it.. be warned, the exams are much more difficult than the practice test and going to class is a necessary evil
Take class with one of the assistants.
If you fail this class it is your fault. It is a lot of work but there is help available and he gives practice exams, allows students to shift weight off a bad exam, etc..
he hates helping you
If you're planning on majoring in finance, this class better be a joke for you, because it's the most superficial finance course possible. Otherwise, it may be difficult. Professor Lacey has a great mustache as well.
Not too bad of a professor. Lectures are very boring. He's kind of unenergetic and monotonous. The class is pretty easy though. Very generous with PRS points. It can boost you up a grade and a half. Doing quizzes and practice exams will put you in good shape for the exam. Use the calculator tutorial on his website. It saves a lot of time.
Horrible guy. Very self-absorbed and an extremely boring teacher. He does not know how to present material in an interesting way. Terrible.
He may not be the worst professor in UMass, but he's teaching style is. He goes on and on about useless stuff in class like investopedia and stuff on yahoo finance. Then he'll only present one or two examples per class which will not be much like the exam questions. If he concentrated on preparing us for the test maybe more people would do better
He should not be allowed to teach. I dont know why he bothers to have lectures, he does not explain anything useful, nor does he teach. He wastes class time playing Adam Sandler songs,on investopedia, or on google finance when instead he can perhaps start using class time to TEACH so that people would have an idea of what to expect on his tests
Awful. Just awful. Class is boring and useless, his examples are base and not even close to what he asks on the test. This guy thinks he's the man, and makes sure you know he thinks so. He wrote the book, so its essentially the bible to him. Ugh awful. I've never seen a class of less interested people.
Horrible class. I'm getting a better grade in Amir's class. At least Amir let's you know what you'll be up against in the exams by providing actual examples. Lacey does not. Class examples are horrible and practice quizzes suck. Avoid him at all cost. Shoulda taken this class with another professor.
Absolutely horrible. Online MBA Finance class, in which we were left to teach ourselves with only his textbook (full or errors) to navigate by. Prof. was completely uninvolved. Students are left to fend for themselves with only the charitable students in the class who had finance backgrounds to help out. Worst I've ever had. I want my money back.
Personally, I did not mind this class however I am a Finance major and enjoy the subject matter. Lacey however, is an awful teacher. He explains things well and knows what he is talking about - but the exams are completely different and will be hard even if you study for hours.
I got a 65 on the first exam and ended with an overall grade of 98. If you start out poorly, there r obviously ways to improve your grade. Tests are scaled and there are extra credit PRS points. Reading the text book definitely helped, as well as doing owls and practice exams. This was a great class and I thought Lacey was a really good teacher!
He thought he was superior to us. Class time was not used effectively at all, waste of time!
This class is awful, like everyone says, but all you have to do is know how to take his tests and you'll be able to do alright. Go to class- you'll need the PRS points, trust me. If you know how to do his practice test (which is real hard- just go over it several times) and KNOW THE TERMS you'll be in good shape!! Terms are half the tests!!
Worst class ever. Worst experience at UMass. His lectures are very boring and have nothing to do with the exam. If you read the book that HE wrote, it is just as confusing. If you want to pass at all, you have to see Min the TA..she's great!
He's not a bad teacher at all. He tries to keep the class interesting and if you go and listen it really pays off with the exams. If you know how to use your calc for the formulas, and memorize the terms in the chapters, there's no reason you should do bad on the exams. Plus PRS and OWLS basically guarentee you an A. He's funny, good guy.
Absolutely terrible. He really loves to hear himself talk, and he could probably teach everything in about half the time if he cut out all of his stupid little anecdotes and stories. Fails miserably at explaining any kind of concept.
Most aggrevating class ever. I'm offended that this guy has a job as a college professor. He shoudln't even be allowed to teach the first grade, nevermind finance. He, and whoever hired him should be fired.
Worst. Class. Ever. I certainly hope he is no longer teaching. Isenberg should have dumped him years ago.
Worst class ever....no longer scales tests because 5 out of 500 people get a 100 while the rest of the class gets below 70s on exams. Classes are useless and exams are way different from practice exams. MISERABLEEEE. Do not take this class
worst class ever. he wastes his class time going over pointless stuff that is not even relevant to the questions on the exam. his practice exams are from the year before and the real exam is nothing like the practice exam. they just keep getting harder and harder. terrible teacher. take 301 with someone else if you can.
Worst class Ive had in Isenberg yet... almost unbearable. Try to take it with another semester or else you will be miserable. The test are tough because the pratice exams he gives out look easy compared to the real thing.
Hardly ever went to this class. He wrote the book! Most kids say he shouldn't be teaching the class, he should be on wall street and they're right. Hand off you PRS to someone else, then stay at home and just read the book! Way better use of your time and effort. Trust me, skip class... read the book! You'll do fine!
Horrible professor, no way around it. To do well, go to class for the PRS, you'll need it, and try and get as many OWL points as you can, they really help. Tests are impossible cuz he goes out of his way to trick you... good luck
OK, I'm not usually that guy, but Lacey is absolutely horrible. I'm not a book worm, but I've managed to get A's and B's in everything so far. not this class. His classes were useless, he's dismissive and tends to not understand/ answer peoples questions. He doesn't cover the material that's on the tests clearly and your left with only the book....
Horrible Prof. Can't connect with students, do all the OWLs, PRS and go to the TAs to do well. Lacey is a smart guy, but he belongs doing research or anywhere else BUT in a classroom. Good luck.
just got out of the exam and feel like i got punched in the face. nothing like practice exams, or material reviewed in class. nice guy but evidently, exams are evil and ridiculous.
Not sure what all the other people are complaining about, guess they are all SOM majors... I am a math major, did not study for the first exam and got an A. All I did was read course notes and some chapters from the book. You have to do some extra thinking on your own but not impossible...
Lacey is a nice guy, difficult course but not bad if you go to class and make use of extra points and online quizzes.
DONT take this unless it is a requirement .. lacey gives you a 100 page packet on day one with problems that he does every class... class itsnt mandatory unless you want prs extra credit points whihc half the day he cant figure out how to use ... tests are impossible...owls are time consuming.. wouldnt recommend
Went to one class. Got a B-. However if you go you can get PRS points. He recently changed his grading system and it makes it harder to get an A. His exams from the last semester, that he gives to you as review, are not similar to the test you get.
Let's be fair. Can he accommodate all of his 300+ students' needs? No one can. To make matter worse, his undergraduate TAs aren't as friendly as Lacey. Given that he offers office hours every Saturday morning to mend this ridiculous student-fac. ratio, Lacey doesn't deserve the most of the sad face rubbish here. 8 AM is bad, but he's a good prof.
Worst teacher in the world.Arrogant and has no right to be.Doesn't like helping students.3 exams, get the PRS points, do all the owls.He's 10-yeared and doesn't give a crap about your grades.Try going to TA office hours for help.Studied very hard for all exams,got a Ct.Good luck,try and take it elsewhere with someone other than him.
"Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup?!"
WORST PROFESSOR EVER!!! Take with someone else. Very nice guy. should be a consultant on wall street. But horrible professor. Treats you as if you already know finance, even if your not a finance major. Exams are confusing. PRS is extra credit but doesnt scale exams or final grades. If you can, avoid him at all costs
I dunno what everyone else is talking about, i liked the guy. Great teacher teaching a bland subject. Its definitely ace-able. Just stay for class, do the problems, and go to his self-taught exam review and you're all set. Books not necessary and there were scales on 2 of the 3 exams one of 2% and another of 6%... Just need to put in the effort ...
I enjoyed him. Good class. I didnt attend many of the classes but wish I had- as it would have been easier for me. I read and studied the book for the exams and did well. Read the book! I heard (and experienced) it is easier on you that way.
I liked Lacey and the class. He wrote the textbook so it's helpful to read if you get confused. He was very fair with the grading. He gave us extra credit PRS questions and scaled the final 6%.
WORST PROFESSOR EVER. I went to every class, studied for 3 days for each exam, did all the work, and barely got a C. practice exams, homework problems and owls all have nothing to do with the questions on the exams, so good luck. avoid taking 301 with him at all costs, he doesn't care about helping his students whatsoever.
I went to class everyday, paid attention, read the book, did the OWLs and studied for each exam 3 days ahead of time. I even went to the TA office hours where they couldn't help me beacuse they either barely spoke English or didn't know what they were talking about. Lacey is a nice guy but he's a TERRIBLE teacher.
He spends the majority of class time talking about irrelevant material that is never even on the test. The exams are not that hard, and PRS/OWLS give you a bunch of extra points
20 points for showing up to 20 classes for extra credit and 5 more for signing up for his game. Multiple choice tests, recorded lectures, and all of the course notes are printable by him. Gives you the tests from the previous semester to study. Problems on the test DO follow the notes and lectures and you can use a calc.this guy hooks it up
Good teacher. Owls, PRS. Print up the class note packets and follow him as he works through it in class and you'll be golden. Didn't bother buying the book and I still got an A, just go over the packets before the test. There are some concept questions from the book that he doesn't go over that will be on the test, so you may want to invest in book
Nelson Lacey is one of the worst professors I have had at Umass. Every semester his tests get harder making the practice exams useless. He also believes that if even one person gets a perfect score the test was fine and there should be no curve. The class average on all the tests was around a D. STAY AWAY if possible.
His exams are ridiculous. Overall I thought he spent way too much time in class going over the simple stuff and not nearly enough time doing actual problems. Every exam and OWL assignment had stuff on it that I had never seen before. If this class hadn't been mandatory, I wouldn't have taken it.
The stuff he teaches is never on the exam. He doesn't teach how to solve the problems you get on the exam. Practice tests are always much easier than the real ones. TA's don't speak English. Terrible experience overall.
Didn't have a prob with him personally but class kind of sucks, ta's aren't that helpful and exams are kind of hard no matter how hard you study but prs DOES help in the end so going to class is essential. Book not used but does help clarify some stuff he is vague about in class.
The tests are tough because he will cover, say, 10 different subjects, and ask you 5 questions on 4 of the subjects on the test. You need to know the problems as well as the text information. With that said, there is a ton of extra credit in PRS and other ways.
Nice guy- take advantage of all the extra credit - it raised me from a B+ to an A for my final grade overall! Tests are tough, first one is the easiest so learn to use your calc for time value of money helps SO much! owls are easy points, worth half a test! investopedia is fun too!
Not sure why everyone ripped big nelly here. Guys the man and plays great music before class. Not that hard if you pay attention. Holds review sessions and gives you practice exams that are very helpful. Going to class is extra credit.
I don't understand why his overall rating is low--he is an awesome professor who seems to really care about his 450+ students. I really liked his class. Sure it wasn't easy, but it's a 300 level class.
Don't really understand how people can stand this guy. Thinks he is ridiculously smart. He thinks he does everyone a favor when really, all he does is say, "here is how you shouldn't solve it." He says he doesn't want to trick you but that's all he tries to do on his tests. One positive, lots of extra credit.
Nelson Lacey is the man. his lectures were very clear, material was clear. his exams are just like the practice exam. go over his course packet and practice exam and you should be golden. clicker questions help. investopedia was boring and confusing, but does help overall grade.
The guys a terrible teacher however the material isn't too bad. All it is is really complex word problems with easy math. Attendance not mandatory however iclickers are extra credit
I really like this professor and the way he teaches. It is not a hard class and very interesting. Grades on a curve and extra credits provided.
Awful teacher!! Went to meet with him about the class and needed help he referred me to his course website. He is not helpful and does not explain the material.
Laceys class was an unpleasant experience. The first and second test were much harder then the practice tests and we did not cover all the material on the tests. Also there was simply not enough time for the final because of the long problems. He does not teach very well and makes you do it on your own with no knowledge
Nelson Lacey is really a very pompous professor who cares more about showing how much he knows than sparking interest in the subject and helping students learn. Tests are not reflective of the practice tests and are extremely tricky and difficult. Take this course online or with another professor if possible.
AWFUL teacher. Spends all his time discussing who did not register their iClicker and who's doing well in the stock competition rather than doing any problems close to test complexity. HW is useless and less than half the class finished the final, and no one had time to review their answers
IClickers are extra credit as well as investopedia so it will boost your grade to go to class. You can get an A on OWL quizzes if you do the practice owl exams as well as the ones in the notes and thoroughly understand them. Tests are a lot harder than practice exams so beware, however, they are open note and book. Final was very difficult.
Extra credit to go to class so do. HW is on OWL and is useless but you can easily get 100 on that. Investopedia is all he cares about and spends too much time on but do it for extra credit. Only midterm and final. Final was impossible and way harder than any practice problems or practice exam. I would avoid if possible.
One of my least favorite classes at Isenberg so far. iClicker questions and the Investopedia challenge are extra credit, but I'd treat them as if they were mandatory. Online homework was absolutely irrelevant to exams. The only reason i passed the class was because i taught myself to use the financial calculator. Midterm & Final were agonizing.
If there is any way you can avoid this class, do so. Lacey's midterm and final exams (which are worth a huge percent of your grade) are BRUTAL. Plus, he changes the class structure each year from online exams, to exams with a binder, to closed note exams... Impossible either way. If you must take FIN 301, pay reallyyyy close attention in class.
Just try to avoid taking this class with him. If you can, if not make sure you attend lecture and study a lot. Exams are hard and there are 2 online quizzes that are pretty hard too.
The only good thing about Nelson Lacey is his subtle racism and full head of hair, not to mention he plays Billie Joel before every class. His exams are super duper hard and the things he teaches in class are in no way shape or form on his exams.
During the first class, Nelson teaches you how to use an iClicker. Everything just gets worse from there. He moves really slowly on easy material and then flies through difficult material. Also the exams are very difficult. Avoid this man at all costs.
Pro. Lacey makes his class examples very easy but when you get to his exams or quizzes they get substantially difficult. he never exposes students to difficult problems in class so you can somewhat be familiar or at least know what to expect. By doing this more than anything he sets everyone to fail not succeed.
I had him in Fall 2012. I thought the class was super easy, but only because I learned how to use the financial app on my TI-83. I can't imagine how difficult the exams would be if I had to remember which formula to use where. Class was in Mahar at 8 a.m. Can't really get to know a prof in that setting.
Class was hard, especially given the size. Quizzes were OK but exams were very hard. many of his questions seem like he is trying to trick you or complicate the question. Rather than asking a question the way he taught it, he always throws in something else to confuse you. The only good thing is the extra credit, take advantage of it!
Lacey is a pretty good teacher, he's very straight forward. The information is incredibly dull though. If you do the OWL assignments on time and study the past exams you'll do fine.
His exams are very confusing and difficult. He doesn't even bother to scale the grades. I felt he set us up to fail.
I worked extremely hard in this course to only receive an A-. If you do not do the extra credit then you will most likely fail. Grade consists of 2 exams, 2 quizzes, I-clicker, and owl questions. I strongly suggest taking this course with another professor.
I've never receieved below a B+ in my entire academic career at UMass. I got a D in Lacey's class. He is, by far, one of the worst professors I have ever had. He doesn't want to help students, and deliberately tries to trick people with his exams and quizzes. TAKE IT WITH A DIFFERENT PROFESSOR!
Boring class. Attend class for extra credit ARS, you´ll need it, seriously. Attend review sessions as they help. Questions from practice tests are relevant but there are questions you've never even seen before in the real one. Hunt extra credit, ace quizzes and TRs, drink coffee.
Nelson is a horrible professor he is confusing and condescending. He expects you to know what he is talking about and doesn't do out the calculator work.
Take this class some where else. Worst professor Ive had in college.
Reads off of his lecture notes and barely does any examples out. Doesn't give any of the tough examples he puts on the exams. I studied very hard for quizzes and exams and did not do well on them, specifically because there was no partial credit when there should be on questions with multiple parts. I felt that he did not set us up to succeed.
Honestly I don't understand how people struggle so hard in this class. If you buy the $8 set of notes and pay attention during class you will receive a satisfactory grade. He's very good at explaining concepts and I consider him one of the better professors in ISOM. Simple math, concepts get a little bit challenging when learning about options.
In class he makes things seem much easier than they are. He offers 26 pts worth of extra credit (huge help in the end). Weekly owl homework assignments that you can guess on with a friend and get a 100. Tests are easy for the first 15 questions then you spend about 45 min guessing on the last 5. Dont bother buying the book its useless.
Take advantage of all the extra credit (iClickers and stock simulation) because the material can be tough. There are two exams and two quizzes, but he lets you retake your lower quiz. He can be condescending at times but if you actually listen and go to class then the material and his expectations are very clear.
Throws underhand during class then throws straight fastball and curveballs. His notes are exactly what he does in class, so they are a must get, but he doesnt do a good job of identifying what variable are which when i comes to formulas. Best advice would be to look at the book before each class and atleast read the examples. ARS POINTS ARE KEY!!!
He had a lot of experience teaching this course - and it shows. As long as you pay attention and attend class, extra credit will help a lot. Material is fairly straightforward, but it does require you to work hard and practice. Do the quizzes with a friend. This class really isnt as hard as people seem to make it. Look through the OWLS for tests.
I don't understand why he has such bad reviews. If you put in a decent effort you can get a good grade. Make sure you know how to do all problems on the practice quizzes and you should get 100 on both. Exams aren't bad - multiple choice and some problems are very similar to practice exam. Can earn up to 26 extra credit points too. Not bad at all.
This Professor was by far the worst teacher I have ever had at school. Not only does he not care if you learn... he gives lectures at an extremely unhealthy rate (rapid fire)... making sure his students forget the information he teaches. Quite frankly, find a new teacher because you will FAIL with this one based on his syllabus! I WARNED YOU!
Lacey is the most condescending adult ever. He talks like students are stupid and explains the most mundane things. With that being said he has clear expectations and will not bend any grading rule for you, as he reminds you over and over again. DONT buy the book but DO buy the course pack. Make sure to go to class and get every extra credit point.
Awful teacher. Boring and finds Joy in explaining the least important aspects of the class. Could not pick a more boring, frustrating class. Pretty much learning everything on my own from the class notes. Homework is irrelevant for the most part. His lectures seem to be redundant and all over the place. Listening to him explain things is painful.
Very condescending in his teaching style, but for 10 dollars you can purchase a course packet which is the most helpful thing I have ever had in college, ever. It has all class problems in a binder for you, plus need to know terms and equations. Tests are difficult, but reasonable if you review your course packet.
This class seems tough at first but if you pay attention you should be able to get an A. As a finance major, this class was ok but if you have to take this class for another major you may struggle. There is so much extra credit with i-clickers and the stock market game that it really boosts your grade & can retake one quiz. Cheat sheets allowed!
Nelson Lacey was a very nice teacher. Was able to involve the class with his lectures even though it was a class of 300. He is very clear about what students are required to do and offers a lot of extra credit opportunities. As long as you read the course notes and learn how to use the finance functions on your calculator you should get an A.
Class was super hard. He is pretty boring and not good at explaining the material. Do all of the extra credit opportunities and hope to pass.
Definitely attend class so you can follow along with examples he gives.
I don't know why he has so many negative reviews on here, probably all from kids who did poorly. I was worried about the class based on what I read here but if you study your notes and learn to use the calculator you'll do fine. Easy extra credit opportunities, and he's a great lecturer. Keep doing your thing man!
I was really scared for this class because everyone said it was really hard. To me, it wasn't that hard. Vast majority of your grade is tests and quizzes. Make sure you pay attention in class and do the practice exams and quizzes. You don't really need to book, but it was helpful for the topic reviews
Fairly easy class, Lacey is super nice and helpful. He gives extra credit opportunities and cheat sheets on his exams. The course packet was super helpful and only 10 bucks!
Honestly hated this class. Lacey isn't the greatest lecturer so he ends up losing 80% of the class within the 1st 10 minutes of class. Everyone's zoned out. Doesn't explain problems well, I ended up basically trying to teach myself everything. Only a midterm and the final so if you don't do well you're screwed. Gonna retake, probably online though.
"Snelson" as we call him was an excellent professor. Yeah his class was not the easy peasy isenberg classes we are used to (talking to you OIM 301), but it was definitely a relatively a gimme A class. Lacey gives you extra credit for a stock market game and being at class, so you only need Bs on the exams which have a cheat sheet. Take it.
Slow and boring classes. Wish he covered more material that is actually tested in class.
Nelson is a good professor. Very fair and expectations are clear cut. Coursenote book is a must. If you pay attention in class, do the homework/extra credit, and do the practice exams, an A is fairly easy to get. I mean, you get a two sided cheat sheet for crying out loud. Really confuses me why people whine about this class so much.
People complain about this class but it takes no effort. The homeworks take maybe 5 minutes. Quizzes and exams are exactly like the practice ones posted. Dont buy his calculator, use a ti83/84. Go to class for iclicker but you dont have to pay attention. Do not buy the book. if you arent an idiot youll do well
This class really isnt that big of a deal. Before I signed up for it people were warning me that it would be so tough, but honestly it is very straightforward. If you do the 5 minute homework, do practice exams/quizzes, and study a bit, its pretty easy to get an A. Lacey is no help at all, but the material is easy and his course book is useful.
Stay on top of the material, lectures are long and boring and theres only 2 quizzes and 2 exams so its pretty easy to slack off but its almost impossible to catch up. Do the extra credit.
If you follow along using the course packet during lectures, you'll do fine. He records lectures so you can always go back to it if you get lost. Extra credit opportunities are available. Do the practice quizzes and exams, very helpful. Quizzes are timed, online, not in class. Cheat sheets allowed for exams.
My greatest tip: go to the optional review sessions with TAs. They will actually teach you the material. Lacey himself does not do well with this task. You will need the course workbook he makes, and the textbook to get an A. It is not impossible, the textbook is not terrible- honestly don't need to go to lectures though (extra credit is given)
This class wasn't so bad. Not the best at actually teaching but the extra credit is a big help and the HW takes like 5 minutes. He likes throwing curveballs during quizzes/tests though. But quizzes are online and you get a 2 sided cheat sheet for the exams. No reason you shouldn't do well. Don't buy his book but buy his course notes.
Lacey is an okay teacher, sometimes I feel lectures could be finished in 30 mins instead of 1hr15. Finance is definitely math based, which is why I liked it. The 2 exams (all MC) were pretty easy except for a couple of questions, same with the 2 online quizzes. To get extra credit go to class and participate in the online stock competition.
Lacey is a good guy. Class has easy homework and a good amount of EC opportunities. 2 quizzes and 2 exams (all MC) will decide your grade. You bring a cheat sheet to the exams. If you can pull off a B+ average on the exams and quizzes, the EC should get you an A.
This is a tough class, but Professor Lacey isn't terrible. With it being taught in such a large lecture hall it can be pretty easy to tune him out since he is so soft-spoken. The tests are tough, but doable if you work for it.
He claims to have over 50 publications in the field of Finance but his formulas are derived from thin air. His insufferable pessimistic view of the stock market clearly indicates that he has lost lots of money in his field. Almost turned me off of Finance entirely. AVOID.
Most interesting class I have this semester but I'm a finance major so I may be biased. It can be challenging and details are important but its overall fair.
He is an extremely caring guy that knows that the majority of the class is non-finance majors so he tries to teach the big pictures. He teaches all the math problems in lecture (with extra credit clickers) and the conceptual things are left for you to teach via the useless OWLS and textbook. Nice person, mediocre-at-best professor.
Lacey has a great understanding of the subject but often goes off on tangents for things that we won't get tested on. Offers a lot of extra credit so even if you're not great at taking tests, you can still get an A. Exams can be tricky and harder than what we do in lecture but if you study you will be fine. Cheat sheet for exams is a lifesaver!
Lacey seems to take pleasure in going on tangents about nothing and explaining the most basic, derivative finance topics in the most arduous, complex manner possible. He's so easy to tune out, and if you get lost, it's hard to find your footing. Loads of extra credit opportunities make the class bearable, and the exams aren't the worst.
Mr. Lacey has been one of my favorite teachers in Isenberg because he cares so much about his students learning. He creates his own notes booklet that is very in depth which is super helpful to follow along in class. He gives extra credit that will boost your grade by a lot. Unless you're lazy, its hard to not do well in his class.
Nelson is the MAN!! He puts in a lot of effort for his students to succeed as he creates awesome in-depth notes and gives a lot of feedback on quizzes. He wants you to do well and actually learn. Plus you get a cheat sheet which is super helpful on exams. It's not a bad class at all if you just put in some effort!
Lacey's class is very interesting and hes a pretty good lecturer. Easy exams (cheat sheet allowed), retake opportunities and ridiculous amounts of extra credit make it an easy A if you put in some effort.
Easy class to pass with the extra credit opportunities. Homework are automatic As and the tests aren't that bad as you have a cheat sheet. Lacey is a nice guy but not the best professor.
Lacey is so genuinely caring for all of his students. Online quizzes are reasonable; not difficult at all if you study in which I suppose everyone should. He offers extra credit plus participation points through iClicker (highly recommended everyone to participate). Available during office hours; generally, a great guy.
Great guy overall.
So very bland. Lacey does not even attempt to make this course interesting. if you aren't a finance major, this course is something you just have to suffer through. Exams are tricky but there are tons of extra credit opportunities. Overall, this is just a course you have to suck up and take. No real takeaways from this.
He does not do the best job teaching the material so the most important thing to do in this class are the practice problems. The exams are pretty tough. Make sure you know how use the finance apps on your calc. Also on the back of your cheat sheat make a spread sheet of all the vocab terms. Overall pretty easy class if you do all the ec
Lacey tries his best to engage students but the material is not that exciting or interesting. I found the quizzes more difficult than exams. Do the stock challenge early, go to class for iclicker-you can get so much extra credit that it won't matter. Cheat sheet for exams, similar to practice exams. Overall nice guy. No need to buy textbook or calc
Pretty civ. tons of extra credit so as long as you sauce your iclicker to someone youre gonna get an A.
Sooo much extra credit. Nelson really tries to make finance fun and have everyone do well.
I think he was an awesome prof for 301! Finance is hard no matter how you cut it.. He was clear and understanding. Very smart, nice guy. Yes the tests can be hard, but only if you dont put the effort in (im an HTM major afraid of finance and I did fine... just study!) Anyone on here saying it was too hard prob didnt study
Tons of extra credit! You can skip 3-4 classes and be okay but attendance counts toward ec points. If you have an A by finals you don't have to take a final exam. I'm not strong with math but doing the practice problems and studying for exams still left me with an A and I didnt need the final to bring it up. Lectures are boring but not a bad class!
Excellent professor. People that are complaining will not make it in the real world. Get you thinking conceptually about finance with real world examples. Made me want to major in Finance. Put in the time and you will be fine in this class
I actually really enjoyed this professor and class, even though it gets a lot of hate. At the beginning of the class I recommend getting a hard copy of the course notes because everything we learn is inside. He has so much extra credit, even showing up to class gives you bonus points. Super easy if you put in a little effort.
Finance is a hard subject for a lot of people including myself. Lacey cares about his students a lot and he WANTS you to do well. Use your TAs and library tutoring. Practice exams are VERY similar to the real exam and you can use a cheat sheet on them. You will have to put in work to understand it but I found that reading the textbook helped a lot.
Stuck up and cold guy. The female professor for this class Samantha something I believe is a better option.
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Attendance Mandatory
26%
Textbook Required
68%
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