Which Investing Training Format Is Right for Me?

Whether preparing for retirement or pursuing a career in investing, you will want to learn ways to successfully allocate your money into assets to see financial gain. To learn these ways, consider training in investing. Everyone learns in a different manner, and choosing the right training format is crucial to your learning experience. When comparing types of investing training, there are several factors to consider. 

Keep reading to learn more about the different formats of investing training, how they compare, and how to designate which is best for you.

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. 

Training Formats for Investing

When learning to invest, you will see that there are many options available to you. You can take free short courses that will fit your schedule when you have the time or watch investing tutorials on YouTube, where you can pause and rewatch as much as you need. Consider a longer course for more in-depth training if you have more flexibility. You can choose to enroll in in-person or live online training for this option. 

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 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. 

Comparison of Investing Training Formats

Choosing which training format works for you can be overwhelming and many students need help knowing where to start. After looking at the different formats available, it may be challenging to know which one is right for you. 

You can enroll in an in-person or live online course for the most engaging and interactive training. Both options provide students with training from expert instructors, immediate feedback, and peer interaction. Each of these two options provides its benefits. In-person training allows networking opportunities and the chance to use labs with up-to-date software. Live online training is more accessible and does not require a commute, as students can tune in from anywhere. 

On-demand courses can be a great alternative for those just starting or with little free time. These self-paced courses are the most affordable options; however, you miss out on all the other benefits of live training and may not receive up-to-date information.

Is it Possible to Teach Yourself Investing?

Investing is a challenging skill to learn, with many moving variables to it. However, you may want to eliminate the need for training courses and teach yourself. Experts agree that it will take the average person one to five years to become proficient at investing; however, that is with training and mentorship. Teaching yourself, while possible, will take longer and cost you more in the long run. 

With thousands of free resources available, you can easily learn the fundamentals of investing. You can even learn the basics of investing for your gain if that is your goal. You may not learn important investing aspects, like conducting research properly or controlling your emotions. For a very fundamental understanding, you can teach yourself. 

To enter the investing industry, you should enroll in a course. Enrolling in a course eliminates many unnecessary stressors that can significantly reduce the learning time. In-person and live online courses utilize experts in their field as instructors. With investing, this is important as you will learn tips and tricks from an expert that you would not learn through free resources. You will also receive the most up-to-date information. These tips can help you become more successful in your career. 

How to Decide the Best Way to Learn Investing

With several different ways to learn to invest, it is smart to consider which learning method would work best for you. When considering which method would be right for you, it is important to understand why you want to learn and what you wish to accomplish through your training. Noble Desktop's Stock Market Investing Fundamentals seminar might be a good place to start if anyone is new to investing and wants to understand the basics before investing. This short prerecorded course provides a basic overview of the stock market and the principles that drive the market. Enrolling in this program is low risk, as you lose nothing if you decide investing is not for you. 

For those interested in learning to invest in helping them grow within their current career path, enrolling in a bootcamp might be a better fit. Noble Desktop offers a Financial Modeling Bootcamp that immerses students in finance, accounting and corporate valuation. Students learn basic and advanced Excel functions to build comprehensive financial models. While this bootcamp does not directly deal with investing, it does teach valuable skills you can use in investing. This option is a bit more expensive, with bootcamps averaging around $1000; however, these classes give you skills to move up within your career. 

If learning investing or finance helps you start a new career or change industries, it may be worth looking into certificate programs. Noble offers a Financial Analyst Training Program that dives into financial valuation and modeling. This course will give students the skills necessary to effectively examine financial information and provide analysis that will lead to better business decisions. Students will master Excel for creating financial models. 

Deciding which method works for you can be stressful at first; however, it can save time and money in the long run. Consider looking for a program that won't strain your budget or leave you with little time for important activities. To be successful, you should not put yourself in a position where you don't retain important information. You can always start small and work your way up or pivot to a different method if you need a different method.

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!