Investing 101: Stocks, Bonds, and Mutual Funds

$50.00
no certificate

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$75.00
with CEU Certificate*

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Course Description

This course will help you demystify the stock market and start making money! Everyone yes, everyone is sure to find something suitable in the stock market to invest in. It doesn't matter if you are looking for a very safe investment to protect your nest egg or a risky investment with a huge potential to make a killing! Everyone finds themselves along that spectrum and will discover that the stock market has investments for people who want to protect their savings and for people who want to grow their savings.

The stock market can be confusing. Using examples, actual stories from real investment advisers, and lists of great online resources, each lesson builds on the last to give you the clarity needed to understand investments. By the time you're done with this course, you'll have found a few investments you can enjoy and you'll be able to start investing right away with the assurance that you know what you're doing.

Course Requirements

This course will not require you to have previous experience in any particular area but you should have a high school reading level. No books will be required.

Course Goals

This course starts with some foundational instruction about the economy and how the stock market fits into the economy. Then it talks about your financial portfolio and the things you need to know about yourself to help build your portfolio. Between the economy lesson and the portfolio lesson, you'll be on your way to easily answering the question 'what should I buy' and 'when should I sell?'

Then, the course delves even further into the world of investments: each lesson takes you through different types of investments: stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. You'll learn how each one works, how to choose good ones and when to sell them. Finally, you'll learn about additional techniques and investments you can make that will help you to balance and diversify your portfolio.

By the time you're done this course, you'll have found a few investments you can enjoy and you'll be able to start investing right away with the assurance that you know what you're doing.

Course Outline

Lesson 1: General Economic and Market Information
Lesson 2- Building an Investment Portfolio
Lesson 3- Common and Preferred Stocks
Lesson 4- Bond and Other Fixed Income Securities Information
Lesson 5- Mutual Funds
Lesson 6- Other Investments

Course Materials

All course material will be provided in the lessons and netlinks. There are no required materials to purchase before taking the class.

Grading Policy

Each lesson will include a lesson review quiz designed to highlight lesson topics. Students will successfully complete this course by mastering all learning outcomes with 70% or higher overall grade.

Learning Outcomes

By successfully completing this course, students will be able to:

Describe the general economy.
Describe how to build an investment portfolio.
Compare and contrast common and preferred stocks.
Know bond and other fixed income securities information.
Describe the pros and cons of investing in mutual funds.
Describe other, more risky investment options, and
Demonstrate mastery of lesson content at levels of 70% or higher.

Assessment Guide

Assessment	Points
What Mystifies Me...	2
Lesson 1- Introduction to the Economy	25
Lesson 2- Building an Investment Portfolio	25
Lesson 3- Common and Preferred Stocks	55
Lesson 4- Understanding Bonds	30
Lesson 5- Mutual Funds	15
Lesson 6- Other Investments	30
Final Exam	185
Total Points:	367