How to Learn Investing

Investing can be a good way to generate wealth by dedicating money to purchasing assets that are supposed to increase over time. Taking the time to learn to invest can help one prepare for the future, whether short-term goals like a down payment on a house or longer-term goals like retirement. With various options to learn to invest, it may appear overwhelming at first. There are various books, videos, classes, and more to choose from to learn investing; how you learn depends on your learning style and personal preferences. 

Here we will dive into the various learning methods so you can make a well-informed decision about how to start your learning journey.

What is Investing?

Investing is dedicating money to purchasing assets that increase in value over time. The main function of investing is to generate returns from invested assets. Investors can invest in several kinds of investments, including stocks, bonds, funds, trusts, private equity, and real estate. Investing in almost any industry can help build capital for businesses. 

Investing puts money to work. On the surface, investing can appear like saving money; however, saving money sits in an account, gaining little per year, as saving accounts have an average of 0.7% growth per year. Investors can choose to actively invest, which means they manage their portfolio or passively invest, which means they take a less involved approach to investing. They can also choose to invest in high-growth companies with higher Price-earnings (P/E) or invest in companies that have lower P/E but have higher dividend yields. Both approaches can pay large sums; it depends on how much risk they want to include in their investment portfolios. 

Read more about what investing is and why you should learn it.

What Can You Do with Investing?

When you think of investing, the image that comes to mind is Stock Brokers frantically calling in trades as they watch the numbers scroll by on the screen. Stock Brokers are a large part of the investing world. They deal with the stock market every single day. They help keep the economy moving. However, there is more to investing than just stock brokers. 

With the internet, anyone can invest in the market using mobile apps. You can also invest to save for retirement or various other reasons. When starting with investing, you want to start an investment portfolio. Often, these portfolios include bonds, stocks, mutual funds, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), real estate, and cash equivalents. However, some people choose to invest their money in more unusual ways. One of the key parts of investing is choosing assets that will increase in value over time. Investments can be physical assets as well. One good way to invest is to buy a vacation or rental property that you can rent out. This option allows the money you used to purchase the property to bring more money back to you. Others invest in other items like cars, handbags, or even watches. Each of these items needs a lot of research to ensure they are worth purchasing and if they will bring in more money if sold later. 

In-Person Investing Training

When choosing to start learning a new skill, in-person is a suitable option. In-person training has many appeals, from meeting and learning with like-minded classmates to a system that holds you accountable throughout the learning process. Students who choose this method can also receive direct feedback and guidance from their instructor. With the allure of in-person training, there are still some drawbacks. In-person training is great for holding oneself accountable throughout the course; however, students must arrive on time and actively participate to get the most out of it. Students will also need to factor in the extra time it will take to and from the course. This commute can be challenging for those who live in more rural areas and have to travel to nearby cities to receive training. 

If, after weighing the benefits and drawbacks of in-person training, you still feel like it is the right fit for you, check out Noble Desktop's in-person investing and finance courses. These courses range in duration from a few hours to several weeks and accommodate every skill level. A campus in New York City and proximity to various public transportation options make it convenient for students in surrounding areas like New Jersey or Philadelphia. If you live outside the New York area and still want to attend in-person training, you can use Noble Desktop's Classes Near Me tool to locate in-person investing or finance classes. The tool allows you to filter by length and cost and find the course that fits your budget and schedule. If you are still looking for courses near you, you can check with local colleges or community colleges to see if they offer any bootcamps.

Live Online Investing Training

Over the years, virtual learning has increased in popularity as an alternative to in-person training. Enrolling in a virtual training course provides students the flexibility they need if they live in remote areas or don't have the time for lengthy commutes to classes. Some students may prefer and excel while learning in a comfortable environment. However, this can be a large drawback for some as it becomes harder to hold themselves accountable with various distractions at home. It may also become difficult to see a clear separation between work and home. Students who are extroverted and enjoy interacting with their classmates may struggle with staying engaged since it is not an environment they thrive in. 

Noble Desktop provides several live online investing and finance courses for students pursuing live online learning. When first hearing about online learning, one might assume these courses are self-paced; however, all of these courses are taught live over teleconferencing platforms. Students can interact with their classmates and instructors in real-time to receive instant feedback or answers to questions. In many ways, live online learning is similar to in-person learning, just in a virtual classroom instead. 

Some virtual training options are available through providers like NYIM Training and NYC CareerCenters. These providers offer various investing courses that cover beginner to advanced topics. You can check out other live online investing courses using the Classes Near Me tool.

Free Online Courses & Tutorials

Are you not ready to commit to a full course but still want an overview of investing? You can start learning for free online! Check out Noble Desktop's free Stock Market Investing Fundamentals course. In this course, viewers learn the basics of stock market investing and gain an understanding of different investing strategies. You will learn what moves the stock market and the fundamental principles that control the market. 

Other providers also offer free investing classes. Udemy offers several courses that cover the basics of investing, with some courses covering topics like cryptocurrency. You can also find some free classes on Coursera. You even have the option to audit their longer investing courses for free. You can find hundreds of investing videos on YouTube to help you get started with becoming investing and financially literate. You can check out Noble Desktop's YouTube channel for investing videos that cover various topics. 

Read about more free investing videos and online tutorials.

On-Demand Investing Classes

If you are currently balancing multiple personal and professional responsibilities, you may not have the time to commit to a class for learning a new skill. A great alternative for learning a new skill without adding too much to your already busy schedule is a self-paced investing course. These courses can be accessed on-demand whenever you can complete them. 

Several of these courses are designed for beginners just starting with investing; however, you can find courses for more advanced skills. You may find a few free options through these providers, although several courses require a small fee or a software subscription. This option can be more budget-friendly for those just starting to learn a new skill. 

On-demand courses may require more discipline on the student's behalf than a regular course. While they provide the most flexibility, those with super busy schedules may forget about the course. You will also not have an instructor or classmates to help motivate you through the course, making it hard to keep up. However, this is an excellent alternative if you need more flexibility regarding your schedule and budget. 

Which Learning Method is Right for Me?

The great part about taking control of your learning is deciding which method and tools you would like to use. With all the various resources available to help beginners learn to invest, you may not know which is the right one for you. You can learn to invest in various ways; your approach may differ from someone else's. There is not one size fits all. Everyone has their techniques and methodologies to succeed in the stock market; over time, you will develop your own.

When choosing how to learn investing, you must consider your schedule before selecting a learning method. If you have a full schedule that includes a full-time job or family commitments, you may not have the time to devote to a structured course that requires a set time commitment. In this situation, an on-demand class or video tutorials may seem better, as you can access them when your schedule permits. Although, if you have a more flexible schedule, you may prefer a structured course offered in-person or live online. 

Why Learn Investing?

Every day we go to work to bring money home. When we get paid, that money either goes to pay bills or gets put into a savings account for a rainy day. Learning to invest allows your money to grow instead of sitting idle in your account. For those who have never paid much attention to the stock market, the idea of where to begin might seem daunting. But even the most profitable and respected investors had to start at the beginning. 

When first starting with investing, you might be afraid to make your first move because you do not want to lose all of your hard-earned money. However, taking the time to learn the ins and outs of finance, investing, and the stock market can help you mitigate some of the risks of losing your money. You will learn how to make informed decisions that can lead to success in the stock market. 

In addition to understanding the stock market and learning to invest, you can outpace inflation and build wealth over time. However, investing can do more than just that. You can learn ways to become financially independent and retire early. No matter what your career goals are, learning to invest can open up several career opportunities, including working at investment firms, banks, and other large corporations. 

Read more about why you should learn to invest.

Level of Difficulty, Prerequisites, & Cost 

Investors have to keep track of several moving variables to be successful. Oftentimes they are making split-second decisions without all of the information. Because of this, investing is a challenging skill to learn and master. However, there are many ways to invest, and some are easier than others. 

Before investing, beginners should develop some versatile skills that will help them with their learning. Beginners should understand how to set goals and ways to make those goals achievable. It would also be helpful if they spent time watching the market and researching companies they would be interested in investing in. A large part of investing is understanding financial concepts. Taking the time to familiarize yourself with some financial concepts can help you throughout your learning process. 

To start investing, you can download one of the free investing apps or open a free brokerage account. From there, you can invest the amount you feel comfortable with. Stocks held for over a year before being sold will be subject to capital gains tax. 

Read about how difficult it is to learn to invest.

Learn Investing with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop provides an array of Investing and Financial classes that meet various scheduling requirements and learning styles. No matter how you enroll in these courses, students will learn from expert instructors in small classes. Students may attend in-person training at Noble's Manhattan campus or remotely from anywhere. In addition to the courses, all students can retake the course within one year of completing it for no extra charge, giving them more time to hone their skills. 

For those interested in beginning their investment journey, Noble offers a short introduction course, Stock Market Investing, teaching students the fundamentals of the stock market and how to invest. Students will learn what moves the stock market and how investors value stocks. Students will understand P/E ratios and DCF analysis as they dive into different financial statements. While this course does not provide enough information to start your investing career, it does provide vital information that will help you out in your career and get you on the right path. 

Students may consider the Financial Analysts Training Program to jump-start a career in the financial sector or with investing. In the program, students work with financial modeling and valuation. As students learn basic and advanced features of Microsoft Excel, they learn to utilize the program for long-term planning, financial functions, and cash flow projection. Those interested in becoming Financial Analysts may also consider the Python for Finance Bootcamp. This course teaches how to use the Python programming language’s financial libraries to gather and manipulate financial data. Both of these courses can jump-start your career in investing!

Key Insights

• Investing can generate wealth quickly and over time.
• You can invest in more than just stocks.
• There are various ways in which to receive investing training. 
• The learning format you choose will depend on your schedule, budget, and learning style.
• Investing is a challenging skill, but it is worth it in the long run. 
• You can receive comprehensive investing training through an in-person or live online course with Noble Desktop.