AAII's Essential Investing (EI) Course
A comprehensive online investing course featuring 12 hours of premium video content from top financial experts and resources, cutting-edge investing tools, step-by-step guides, interactive tests and so much more. AAII Certificates are awarded to successful certificate-seekers.
What Is the Essential Investing (EI) Course?
The Essential Investing (EI) Course is AAII's flagship educational program designed to help individuals build investor confidence from investing education. With over 12 hours of premium video content, downloadable resources and flexible learning options, the EI Course equips you with the knowledge and tools to make smarter investment decisions at any stage of your financial journey.
Why Purchase the Essential Investing (EI) Course?
It's a type of virtual investing course that is a comprehensive education experience focused on the area of learning the essential elements of wise investing. It is a vast and interactive educational program that is perfect for investors at all levels.
AAII's Essential Investing EI Course opens transforming the way you understand how to build and manage a balanced investment portfolio. Whether you have no knowledge or are going to use the course for the quality of its educational-grade content, this course was designed for you.
Benefit from video learning videos, tools, quizzes, full comprehensive and professional video segments and so much more, that make learning investing effortless and effective.
Plus, you'll have instant access to valuable resources, exclusive benefits and expert-led instruction delivered in the AAII format.
Topics Covered in the Essential Investing (EI) Course
The EI Course offers comprehensive, expert-led units on key investing topics, including:
- Core wealth-building and asset allocation
- Stock investing fundamentals
- Stock screening strategies
- Dividend investing
- Fundamental company and investment analysis
- Technical analysis for executions and risk management
- Mutual funds and ETFs
- Index fund/passive investing
- Active portfolio management
- How to use data to invest wisely
The topics covered in this course are designed to equip you with the knowledge and tools to make smarter investment decisions at any stage of your financial journey.
The Essential Investing (EI) Course Curriculum
The Essential Investing Course is built to guide you through key investing concepts, from the basics to advanced strategies, with real-world examples, easy-to-follow videos and hands-on tools, so that you can build confidence in your investing skills and learn to manage wealth with confidence.
Explore EI Course ContentThe EI Course's Expert-Led Instructors
The EI Course features expert-led video content, downloadable resources and real-world investing applications. Get access to insights from seasoned professionals in the financial industry from sectors like:
Ken Fisher
Founder, Executive Chairman & Co-CIO of Fisher Investments; NYT bestselling author, longtime Forbes columnist; pioneer of the price-to-sales (P/S) ratio.
Bruce Johnstone
Former Fidelity Equity-Income Fund manager; delivered 1,100% return (1972–1990), nearly double S&P 500; ranked #1 nationally; Money Magazine's Best Income Investor.
Christine Benz
Morningstar Director of Personal Finance; leading retirement expert, author, and podcast host; Barron's 100 Most Influential Women in Finance; frequent national media voice.
Paul Merriman
Founder of Merriman Financial Education Foundation; nationally recognized authority on index investing, asset allocation, and retirement strategies for individual investors.
Denise Chisholm
Fidelity Director of Quantitative Market Strategy; expert in factors, sectors, and portfolio construction; LinkedIn Top Voice and frequent national media contributor.
Ben Johnson, CFA
Morningstar Director of Global ETF Research; leading authority on ETFs; former equity analyst; recognized Rising Star; frequent industry speaker and commentator.
NAAIM
National Association of Active Investment Managers; nonprofit of RIAs managing ~$30B, focused on active strategies and delivering superior risk-adjusted returns.
Raymond A. Rondeau
AAII Investment Strategist & Director of Active Investing; creator of proprietary indicators; 20+ year trader, educator, and national speaker on strategy and markets.
Charles Rotblut, CFA
AAII Vice President & Editor of AAII Journal; creator of VMQ Stocks; CNBC and WSJ contributor; veteran analyst covering public and private companies.
Derek J. Hageman
Former AAII financial analyst and Dividend Investing editor; experience in equity research, private equity, and long/short strategies; former Peace Corps volunteer.
Wayne A. Thorp, CFA
Former AAII VP & head of research; expert in fundamental and technical analysis; led Stock Superstars Report, A+ Investor, and screening platforms.
Featured Classes in the Essential Investing Course
Explore a lineup of high-impact classes taught by respected industry voices. Each session contains real-world insight and practical strategies, helping you invest smarter. Here are a few classes to choose from:
The Essential Investing (EI) Course
Presented by Raymond Rondeau
Access over 12 hours of premium video content and resources from top financial experts. With your purchase, you get both course formats: the EI Structured Course for certification and benefits, and the EI FlexiLearn Course to learn at your own pace without assessments. Enhance your investing skills with expert-led instruction and discover smarter strategies. Now Only $239! Use code: EIVIPRate at checkout.
The Ultimate Buy & Hold Strategy
Presented by Paul Merriman
In this AAII VES Class, Paul Merriman discusses a variety of long-term investing strategies, including coverage of his popular 4-Fund Strategy . This is a guest speaker segment with testing and credits.
50 Years of Investing Wisdom
Presented by Ken Fisher
In this AAII VES Class, legendary investor Ken Fisher shares some of the most important investments lessons that he has learned over the last 50 years. This is a guest speaker segment with testing and credits.
How to Create a Portfolio for Retirement
Presented by Christine Benz
In this AAII VES Class, Morningstar's Director of Personal Finance and Retirement Planning, Christine Benz discusses the key elements relating to the creation, monitoring and redemption of a retirement portfolios assets. This comprehensive educational guest segment includes a number of educational enhancements including definitions, slides and several additional research articles.
Choose Your Learning Path
No matter the format of courses taken, everyone that purchases an EI Course comes with the same goal of furthering their portfolio and setting advanced investing in progress. The Essential Investing EI Course has two learning paths:
EI Structured Course
A guided, step-by-step curriculum designed for certification seekers. Includes comprehensive assessments, testing, credits and support to earn your EI Course Certificate.
EI FlexiLearn Course
A self-paced format designed with all the same great content – but without assessments. Learn what you want, when you want, at whatever schedule fits your lifestyle.
Certification and Member Benefits
Completing the EI Course doesn't just enhance your investing knowledge – it opens doors to exclusive opportunities. Earn your formal certification and enjoy the following benefits:
- Official EI Course Certificate from the American Association of Individual Investors (AAII)
- A course certificate that you can list on your LinkedIn and other profiles
- Benefits accessed only to those in the AAII system
- Be a member of the elite class of investing knowledge creators
- Graduate Invites: attend live or factory natural conferences and special investor interest discussions
- VES classes, extra credit education and graduation bonuses
- Recognition access to help others learning about investing, the AAII way, and the craft of trading
Meet Your Lead Instructor
Raymond A. Rondeau, AAII Investment Strategist
An investment strategist and head of AAII's Active Investing, Rondeau has delivered more than 200 academic, professional and retail investment lectures nationwide. He is the creator of the EI Course and the developer of multiple investment indicators and tools — including Rondeau's Reversion — featured on leading brokerage and trading platforms.
Essential Investing (EI) Course Testimonials
"This course is by far the absolute best home-to-investment training out there and has more than any investing course I have seen. I love the quality and easy-to-understand format of the instructors and the great speakers to go with each class."
"I just finished the Class 2 Module of the investing class that was the topic of an investing review class for stock screening fundamentals. I'm already looking forward to understanding why some stocks flourish."
"I want to thank you for putting the Essential Investing Course together. It's a great course for my wife and I and has begun an entirely new way to approach our own financial path. We will see the impact for years to come."
How Do I Purchase the Essential Investing Course?
Getting started is easy. You can enroll in the Essential Investing (EI) Course online in just a few clicks. Your one-time payment of $239 regularly $399 includes one-year full access to both course formats, Structured and FlexiLearn, plus 12+ hours of expert-led video content, downloadable resources and a certificate upon completion.
Includes a full 60-day money back guarantee.