AFM 321Personal Financial Planning and Taxation
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Arts
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 5 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 4 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
This course helps students develop a do-it-yourself (DIY) individual financial planning and tax mindset. Students will learn how to create and assess a basic financial plan for themselves, centered around the budget, across various life stages. Within each area of planning, saving, spending, and reporting, students will develop appreciation of important financial and tax considerations that will set them up for financial success.
Prerequisites
- Complete all of the following
- Students must be in level 3A or higher
- Complete 1 of the following
- Enrolled in H-Accounting & Financial Management, H-Computing & Financial Management, H-Mathematics/Chartered Professional Accountancy, H-Science & Financial Management, or H-Sustainability & Financial Management
- Enrolled in H-Biotechnology/Chartered Professional Accountancy
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 3323 | 56 / 57 | MW 11:30–12:50 |
| LEC 002 | 3651 | 56 / 57 | MW 13:00–14:20 |
| LEC 003 | 3652 | 57 / 57 | MW 10:00–11:20 |
| LEC 004 | 3653 | 57 / 57 | MW 11:30–12:50 |
| LEC 005 | 8352 | 50 / 57 | MW 14:30–15:50 |
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 3588 | 0 / 53 | MW 11:30–12:50 |
| LEC 002 | 3589 | 0 / 53 | MW 14:30–15:50 |
| LEC 003 | 3814 | 0 / 53 | MW 16:00–17:20 |
| LEC 701 | 1370 | 124 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
Reviewed on UW Flow
40% liked it53% easy57% useful
From 45 ratings and 15 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
the rubric for assignments does not match what they look for... get docked marks randomly. save yourself and not take this course
Feb 2023 · didn’t like it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
This is by far one of the worst courses I've taken so far in my undergrad. Professor Lin and Orzech are both extremely uninspiring in the way that they teach. You must learn the content on your own from Top-Hat modules and the in-class lectures consist of students "fishing" for participation marks (ie. some students saying some really dumb stuff so they can earn participation marks).
There is no exam in this course but students must submit four assignments. The expectations and rubric for the assignments are extremely vague and thus it is near-impossible to meet the standard of the TAs and get good marks. Clearly there is either some real misalignment between the expectations of the…Feb 2023 · didn’t like it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
This course was pretty easy. There is also no prereq for this course, so anyone can take it. However, it's pretty disorganized. It was Prof Brazier's first time teaching it. As a MAcc alumni, she wants to integrate a lot of real-life situations and cases into the course. It is quite useful to have to research and apply to real life situations. But she did not emphasize a lot on textbook use. You can pretty much skip the entire term and still do well on the cases by researching yourself. Thing about cases is that, it cannot cover every possible topic. I feel like I did not get to learn a lot of things that may have been important, but since there were literally no evaluation on them, no one…
Jan 2018 · didn’t like it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Class participation is important.
Sep 2017 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Content is not terribly difficult, but the assignments are ridiculously time consuming and feel like a waste. Feels completely out of place as a mandatory 3rd year course, I would almost rather take commst again.
Nov 2025 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
37 posts and comments in 29 threads mention AFM 321, March 2015 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Winter 2024
Being investigated for policy 71 (again) 22 points, 6 comments
u/Accurate-Couple-6663: “Taking AFM 321 and got my first assignment taken for review as I shared it with my two friends. For the second assignment I did it completely myself and kept it to my self and they are still withholding my grade and investigating it again with the associate dean. …”
Policy 71 AFM 8 points, 9 comments
“I'm being investigated for policy 71, (didn't even cheat just shared my excel template 😞) will this hurt me getting into the masters of accounting program (MAcc)”
u/blue_berry_1007: “Assume it’s for AFM 321 lol”
Fall 2023
AFM 462 Under Review 2 points, 32 comments
“Checked my Quest grade tdy and received a 'UR' for my AFM 462. It will affect my MAcc admission if I don't pass and have no clue about why I was issued for policy 71. Any suggestions?”
u/yowhatsssup: “If it’s your first time getting policy 71 then the worse you get is 0 on final exam. I think you will receive emails from the dean office after the break and they will let you know about the details.”
u/Fit-Introduction6546: “This is the 2nd time. I got one in Jan 2021 for AFM 321 (yea, still the tax course and same prof) and deducted 25% for my final assignment. If I get 0 I probably just ended up with a 55 which can't promise me into a MAcc program.”
Top Hat AFM courses 1 point, 3 comments
“Does anyone know how many courses in AFM use Top Hat? I'm trying to decide which subscription length I should get (1 year or 4 years)”
u/InstantlyNeat: “I've used TopHat for the following AFM courses: AFM 212: Financial Analysis and Planning AFM 273: Financial Instruments and Capital Markets AFM 321: Personal Financial Planning AFM 326: Student Venture Fund I believe I've purchased a TopHat subscription on a per-class basis …”
Spring 2023
AFM 291 and AFM 382 1 point, 4 comments
“Is it hard to take AFM 291 aand AFM 382 in the same semester?”
u/Ok-Valuable-7007: “Depends on you”
u/Live-Orchid-4180: “Do you know if AFM 321 and AFM 341 are hard?”
u/Ok-Valuable-7007: “AFM 321 is fine (depending on how well you usually do in your finance courses) and AFM 341….was okay? It’s fun? Kinda meh???”
Need advice for AFM 3A 1 point, 10 comments
u/Live-Orchid-4180: “Will it be hard to take AFM 291 with other 3A courses like AFM 321, 341 and 382?”
u/Latter_Question7472: “291 is always hard regardless of when you take it since its super duper annoying and new (not that hard if you do practice questions and memorize) don't overthink it 382 is annoying lol so double …”
u/Live-Orchid-4180: “Do you have course syllabus for 382, 321 and 341? Is AFM 321 about writing essays and 341 about blockchains and stuff?”
Winter 2023
Is the Personal Finance Planning course (AFM 321) worth it? 8 points, 2 comments
u/HoopsAndAI: “Looks really useful, but UW Flow says otherwise. Any thoughts on this course?”
Fall 2022
UW AFM Courses - AFM 322,323,321, BET450 5 points, 2 comments
u/businessbaddie1: “Hello Everyone! I am taking the following courses this upcoming term and would like to know if anyone has any insights or study tips. Thanks so much :)”
Spring 2022
FARM vs MATH/CPA 2 points, 7 comments
“Hey everyone, &x200B; I have been fortunate enough to be accepted into both FARM and Math/CPA and have been very grateful for it:) Nevertheless, I am VERY struggling to choose between these two and …”
u/AFMISFULLOFNOOBS: “… Assurance (0.25 units each) AFM 212 Financial Analysis and Planning AFM 291 Intermediate Financial Accounting 1 AFM 311 Connections to Ethical Context AFM 321 Personal Financial Planning AFM 335 Bus. Law for Fin. …”
Winter 2022
enbus 310 1 point, 3 comments
u/TheGreatShort: “I am taking it this semester”
u/TheGreatShort: “… Take phil 215 or REC 280 or take afm 321 much easier than this course. But do not take this as an elective or a core course, there is an easier course to take e.g 407, the prof is like God tier. …”
Fall 2021
Online Bird Courses Winter 2022 22 points, 20 comments
“Looking for online bird courses in Winter 2022. What courses would you all recommend? so far I know of \- HRM 200, AHS 105”
u/TheGreatShort: “phl 215 (business ethics) super easy and AFM 321”
AFM 433 in 3a? 2 points, 2 comments
u/CasualHearthstone: “Currently I have to take afm 321, 373, 341, 382 plus an elective for my winter 2022 3a term. Should I take afm 433 as my fifth course, a different AFM course, or a bird course instead? Which one?”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
- Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official entry
- Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
- Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
- Quest Class SearchWhere you enrol
- Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
- UW FlowStudent ratings and reviews
- WClassesPast sections back to 2004, and who taught them