Ensure your future financial security with a comprehensive course on how to invest in today’s diverse markets. Get the knowledge you need to make your best financial decisions. Today, financial stability and security is more dependent than ever on the investment decisions that individuals make. At the same time, making these choices and identifying opportunities is becoming increasingly difficult.
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With traditional and new investment options making markets more complex, and global events like the COVID-19 pandemic having a significant effect on stocks, deciding how to invest is often very confusing. This four-week course from the Auckland University of Technology (AUT) will give you the knowledge you need to do that with confidence.
Get familiar with important investing fundamentals
The course starts with an introduction to modern and traditional investment opportunities, and basic investment concepts. You’ll learn how to apply these concepts when deciding where to put your money, and will see how different financial assets (from cryptocurrencies to stocks and bonds) suit different types of investors.
Apply your knowledge and make smart financial decisions
As the course progresses you’ll get to explore new financial technologies and innovations, find out how to avoid costly mistakes, compare investment opportunities, and several other essential topics. The theory will give you the know-how you need to identify the investment options that are right for you.
Learn how to invest with AUT’s world-class experts
AUT is the ideal institution to teach you about making sound financial decisions. Its internationally-ranked department is staffed by published academics with experience in old-school investments and insight into emerging options. With their blend of theory and real-world situations, you’ll soon be investing with confidence.
What topics will you cover?
- Introduction to investing – core concepts to avoid costly mistakes Introducing essential concepts that are often not well understood, including: what is a portfolio, what is diversification and why do we diversify, how to determine an appropriate asset allocation based on your personal characteristics.
- Is old school still the best school? Cash, bond and stock investments An introduction to the characteristics of each of these investments with a focus on how each generates returns, the risks involved with each asset class, and the practicalities of investing in them.
- Property and funds An introduction to property investing considering the risks and returns of different types of property investments including direct and indirect investments. Also, a discussion on managed funds and ETFs focusing on the pros and cons of outsourcing your investments, and issues to consider when selecting a fund manager.
- New kids on the block – the rise of Fintech and its impact on global markets
A discussion of how fintechs are changing the face of investments. We will consider how fintech is changing access to financial markets via neobanks and low cost trading platforms, high frequency trading, roboadvice and cryptcurrencies.
Learning on this course
You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Understand the basic characteristics of different types of investments
- Apply basic investing concepts to make sound financial decisions
- Consider the suitability of different financial assets for different types of investors
- Discuss the impact that new innovations in financial technologies will have on individuals investments
Who is the course for?
This course is designed for anyone interested in learning how to invest today, developing a deeper understanding, and making the kind of financial decisions that ensure a bright future.
