Many of us consider the ways in which we can best make our money work for us. In looking into this further, we inevitably come across investing. However, investment is a huge area and all of the information available can make your head spin.
There’s also the issue that if you dive in without knowing anything about investing, there’s a good chance you’ll lose a lot if not all, of your money.
If you’re going to invest then you need to learn to do right. The best way to do this is to study an online investment course. You can do this at your own pace and focus on the areas that you’re most interested in.
To help you with this, we’ve compiled the following list of free online investment courses for you to get through. Take a read through and start expanding your investment knowledge today!
Morningstar.com’s Investing Classroom
These courses cover everything you need to know, from the basics to advanced techniques.
Stocks Investment Classes
- 101: Stocks Versus Other Investments
- 102: The Magic of Compounding
- 103: Investing for the Long Run
- 104: What Matters and What Doesn’t
- 105: The Purpose of a Company
- 106: Gathering Relevant Information
- 107: Introduction to Financial Statements
- 108: Learn the Lingo–Basic Ratios
- 201: Stocks and Taxes
- 202: Using Financial Services Wisely
- 203: Understanding the News
- 204: Start Thinking Like an Analyst
- 205: Economic Moats
- 206: More on Competitive Positioning
- 207: Weighing Management Quality
- 301: The Income Statement
- 302: The Balance Sheet
- 303: The Statement of Cash Flows
- 304: Interpreting the Numbers
- 305: Quantifying Competitive Advantages
- 401: Understanding Value
- 402: Using Ratios and Multiples
- 403: Introduction to Discounted Cash Flow
- 404: Putting DCF into Action
- 405: The Fat-Pitch Strategy
- 406: Using Morningstar’s Rating for Stocks
- 407: Psychology and Investing
- 408: The Case for Dividends
- 409: The Dividend Drill
- 501: Constructing a Portfolio
- 502: Introduction to Options
- 503: Unconventional Equities
- 504: Great Investors: Benjamin Graham
- 505: Great Investors: Philip Fisher
- 506: Great Investors: Warren Buffett
- 507: Great Investors: Peter Lynch
- 508: Great Investors: Others in the Hall of Fame
- 509: 20 Stock-Investing Tips
Funds Investment Classes
- 101: What a Mutual Fund Is
- 102: What NAV Is
- 103: Finding a Fund’s Total Return
- 104: Mutual Funds and Taxes
- 105: How to Purchase a Fund
- 106: Methods for Investing in Mutual Funds
- 107: Fund Costs
- 108: Important Fund Documents, Part 1
- 109: Important Fund Documents, Part 2
- 201: Five Questions to Ask Before Buying a Fund
- 202: How to Benchmark Fund Returns
- 203: Looking at Historical Risk, Part 1
- 204: Looking at Historical Risk, Part 2
- 205: Gauging Risk and Return Together, Part 1
- 206: Gauging Risk and Return Together, Part 2
- 207: Examining a Stock Fund’s Portfolio, Part 1
- 208: Examining a Stock Fund’s Portfolio, Part 2
- 209: Why Knowing Your Manager Matters
- 210: Your First Fund’s Qualities
- 211: Good First–and Maybe Only–Funds
- 301: Why Diversify?
- 302: Building Your Mutual-Fund Portfolio
- 303: Choosing an Index Fund
- 304: Choosing Socially Responsible Funds
- 305: Choosing an International Fund, Part 1
- 306: Choosing an International Fund, Part 2
- 307: Examining a Bond Fund’s Portfolio, Part 1
- 308: Examining a Bond Fund’s Portfolio, Part 2
- 309: Choosing a Municipal-Bond Fund
- 401: Shades of Value
- 402: Shades of Growth
- 403: Using Focused Funds
- 404: Style-Box-Specific versus Flexible Funds
- 405: Mid-Cap Funds: The Small-Cap Substitute?
- 406: Sector-Fund Investing
- 407: Using Quirky Bond Funds
- 408: Bear-Proofing Your Portfolio
- 409: The Plight of the Fickle Investor
- 410: Chasing Closing Funds
- 411: Buying the Unloved
- 412: Buying Rookie Funds
- 501: Avoiding Portfolio Overlap
- 502: Fund Warning Signs
- 503: Where and Why Asset Size Matters
- 504: When to Sell a Fund
- 505: Rebalancing Your Portfolio
- 506: Calculating Your Personal Rate of Return
- 507: Calculating Your Cost Basis
- 508: Is Your Retirement Portfolio on Track?
- 509: Refining Your Portfolio
Portfolio Investment Classes
- 101: Steps to a Suitable Portfolio
- 102: Determining Your Goals and What They’ll Cost
- 103: How Much Risk Can You Tolerate?
- 104: Building Your Emergency Fund
- 105: Determining Your Asset Mix
- 106: Core vs. Noncore Investments
- 107: A Simple Portfolio
- 108: Creating Your Investment Policy Statement
- 109: How Many Investments Should You Have?
- 110: Avoiding Overlap When Building a Portfolio
- 201: How to Juggle Different Investment Goals
- 202: 401(k) Plans
- 203: 403(b) Plans
- 204: Individual Retirement Accounts
- 205: The Best Investments for Tax-Deferred Accounts
- 206: The Best Investments for Taxable Accounts
- 207: Investing in Your Company’s Stock
- 208: How to Invest for Short-Term Goals
- 209: How to Invest for Intermediate-Term Goals
- 210: How to Invest for College
- 301: How to Monitor Your Portfolio, Part 1
- 302: How to Monitor Your Portfolio, Part 2
- 303: When to Sell an Investment
- 304: Strategies for Selling
- 305: Rebalancing Your Portfolio
- 306: Getting More Aggressive
- 307: Getting More Conservative
- 308: Adding Mutual Funds to a Stock Portfolio
- 309: Adding Stocks to a Fund Portfolio
- 310: How to Withdraw from Your Portfolio in Retirement
- 401: Variable Annuities
- 402: Closed-End Funds, Hedge Funds, and UITs
- 403: Exchange-Traded Funds
- 404: Using Sector Funds in a Portfolio
- 405: Investing in IPOs
- 406: Gold’s Role in a Portfolio
- 407: Real Estate’s Role in a Portfolio
- 408: Futures and Options
- 409: Short Selling
- 410: Income Alternatives for Retirees
- 501: Why Bother with Investment Theory?
- 502: Efficient Market Theory
- 503: Modern Portfolio Theory
- 504: Asset Allocation Is “It”
- 505: Can Foreign Stocks Really Diversify a Portfolio?
- 506: Value: The “Better” Approach?
- 507: Measuring Mutual-Fund Manager Skill
- 508: The Small-Company Advantage: Fact or Fiction?
- 509: The Demise of Dividends
- 510: Behavioral Finance
Bonds Investment Classes
- 101: Bond Market Interest Rates
- 102: Bond Duration
- 103: Buying Bonds
- 104: Immunization
- 105: The Process of Issuing Bonds
- 106: The Role of Collateral
- 107: Secured and Unsecured Bonds
- 108: Introduction to Government Bonds
- 109: U.S. Government Agency Bonds
- 110: U.S. Savings Bonds
- 201: Junk Bonds
- 202: Callable Bonds
- 203: Collateralized Mortgage Obligations
- 204: Zero-Coupon Securities
- 205: TIGRs, CATS, and LIONs
- 206: STRIPS
- 207: Treasury Inflation-Adjusted Securities
- 208: General Obligation Bonds
- 209: Revenue Bonds
- 210: Municipal Bond Insurance
Other Courses from Around the Web:
TD Ameritrade Online Investing and Trading Courses – From stock trading to retirement planning, these online courses will help you learn how to develop a financial plan that fits your needs. Here’s three you need to check out:
BUS123 – Introduction to Investments – Introduction to Investments by Frank Paiano, School of Social Sciences, Business, and Humanities.
Investing for Your Future – A Cooperative Extension System Basic Investing Home Study Course
Introduction to Stocks and Short Selling Course – Khan Academy
Investopedia University – A huge range of courses here from one of the leading authorities on investment knowledge
Introduction to Valuation and Investing Course – Khan Academy
Introduction to Investment and Taxation Course – Khan Academy
Investments – This MIT course teaches you how to make sound investment decisions through in-depth knowledge of the financial markets, rigorous analytical thinking and precise mathematical derivation
howthemarketworks.com – This website provides a FREE stock market game to practice trading in Real-Time!
Bonus:
Here’s a really useful video on investment strategy from investing wizard Warren Buffet!