Free

An app that helps beginner investors increase their investing knowledge in a non-intimidating atmosphere.

For people new to or just starting out with investing, it can be overwhelming in the beginning. Various websites and books all claim to have the “secret sauce” for investing success, but they tend to use terms that can be hard to decipher. Where can a newbie investor go to get good basic investing knowledge without an agenda? Enter the world of Web education.

Udemy Guide to Investing

 

 

 

Web education has taken off, with such websites as Coursera offering numerous courses. You can watch endless tutorials on any subject you wish. In fact, watching YouTube videos is how I learned to change the battery in my motorcycle. As the sector expands its offerings, it is looking for new ways to reach potential students. One way is through the development of apps, such as one recently launched in the Google Play store by Udemy, an online free education website. The app is a guide to investing for beginners. Udemy offers investors of all levels multiple classes to learn and master various investment topics.

The Guide to Investing course is about helping students create a basic framework for investing to reach their goals. It talks about goal setting and taking into account where you are starting from in order to set reasonable expectations. Students also learn about the various asset classes and the risk associated with each. Unfamiliar terms are defined throughout the course. Finally, students will learn the basics of do-it-yourself investing and ultimately how to create a portfolio that they can invest in.

The course is conducted through video lectures and Power Point presentations, with suggestions of online resources and other books. Udemy says it should only take about two hours to watch all the lectures, but users should also consider time spent doing supporting work that reinforces what was discussed in the video lectures. The company says that another five to 10 hours should be sufficient to design a budget and allocate your own portfolio.

There are more than 30 lectures in this app. The 10,000 participants are able to help one another through a discussion forum within the app that allows easy interaction. All materials necessary for the class are available within the app, and an announcements section keeps students apprised of any changes in the course. The course is self-directed, so you can proceed with the course materials as fast or slow as you desire.

The app even allows students to view lectures in offline mode. The course can be also be taken from the more general Udemy app in the Google Play store. The course and app are free.

Topics range from compounding savings to options and futures. The Guide to Investing course was launched in March 2015 and is available now for download in the Google Play store. You can receive a certificate of completion after finishing the course. The course is taught by Alissa Douglas, who is an experienced investment professional.

Udemy Guide to Investing

Free