Whether you’re looking to invest as a key source of income, a side hustle, or simply planning ahead, we’re confident these online investment courses will give you the headstart you need.
Investments have become a hot topic of discussion over the past decade, especially with the rise of Cryptocurrency, NFTs and more. It is easy to confuse investment with trading, but both are vastly different. While investing takes a long-term approach to the markets, trading involves short-term strategies to maximise returns — whether daily, monthly, or quarterly. In this article, we’ll be deep-diving into the former, and providing you with the necessary tools you need to begin your investment journey. Scroll on for some of the best online investment courses for beginners!
💜 Five main investment types:
👉🏻 Bonds: A fixed-income instrument that represents a loan made by an investor to a borrower (typically corporate or governmental).
👉🏻 Cryptocurrency: A digital or virtual currency that is secured by cryptography, which makes it nearly impossible to counterfeit or double-spend.
👉🏻 Stocks: A security that represents the ownership of a fraction of a corporation.
👉🏻 Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT): A company that owns, operates, or finances income-generating real estate.
👉🏻 Shares: Units of equity ownership in a corporation.
💰 Best Online Investment Courses: At A Glance
| Institution | Best For | Duration | Cost | Certification? | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stocks, Bonds, and Investing: Oh, My! | University of Central Florida | A detailed understanding of key concepts in the investment world | ⏱ Instructor-led: 6 weeks ⏱ Self-paced: 3 months | US$129 (~S$174) | Yes |
| Introduction to Investments | Indian Institute of Management Bangalore | Learning about market efficiency and valuation | ⏱ 5 weeks, 3-5 hours per week | US$50 (~S$67.40) | Yes |
| Beginner’s Guide to Investing | – | Young professionals seeking a headstart in investing | ⏱ 12 sessions, 1h 37min in total | Single class: US$5 (~S$6.70) Subscription: from US$13 (~S$17.50) | No |
| Sustainable Finance and Investment | Yale School of Management | Integrating ESG into your investment decisions | ⏱ 5–8 hours per week | Contact the school to find out | Yes |
| ESG Investing: Building and Managing a Sustainable Global Portfolio | Columbia Business School | Experience in corporate finance and investment management | ⏱ 7 weeks, 4-6 hours per week | US$2,275 (~S$3,068.60) | Yes |
| Understanding Financial Markets | University of Geneva | Learning about main financial markets and their characteristics | ⏱ 11 hours | US$49/month (~S$66.10) | Yes |
1. Stocks, Bonds, and Investing: Oh, My!
Learn the basics of stocks, bonds, and investing so you can be independent and confident about your financial decisions. This class will teach you how to prepare for retirement, manage your finances, and pay for college without the need for hiring a broker or financial advisor. Each lesson explains key concepts in detail, so you understand how and why things work in the investment world, and provide yourself with the independence and confidence you will need to make your own investment decisions.
Institution: University of Central Florida
Duration: 6 weeks instructor-led (selected start dates); 3 months self-paced (start anytime)
Cost: US$129 each for instructor-led/self-paced options (SGD$174)
Certificate: Yes
Prerequisites: None
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2. Introduction to Investments
This course allows students to examine qualitative concepts such as market efficiency and valuation, enabling them to build valuation models for common stocks. Through this process, students will also learn how professional financial analysts should evaluate companies. This course is suitable for those seeking eventual employment with a brokerage company, investment company or financial services company with responsibilities in evaluating and selecting equity securities for investment portfolios.
Institution: Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
Duration: 5 weeks, 3-5 hours per week
Cost: US$50 (~S$67.40)
Certificate: Yes
Prerequisites: While an introductory course, this course requires prior knowledge in algebra (high school level) and introductory corporate finance
Sign up for these online investment courses with your YouTrip multi-currency card here.
3. Beginner’s Guide to Investing
Helmed by author and financial expert Erin Lowry (a.k.a Broke Millennial), this course is for the young professionals out there who want to start investing, but have no idea where to begin. Learn the basics of investment terminology, the stock market, common misunderstandings, set your financial goals, and take strategic steps no matter your starting amount, saving for retirement, and everything you need to feel confident to start growing your wealth.
Content: 12 sessions, 1h 37min in total
Cost: US$5 (~S$6.70) for a single class, from USD$13 (~S$17.50) for a subscription
Certificate: No
Prerequisites: None
Sign up for these online investment courses with your YouTrip multi-currency card here.
4. Sustainable Finance and Investment
Curious to learn more about achieving that long-term growth by integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into your investment decision-making? Then this course which places focus on sustainability as a big picture is for you! Look forward to modules that uncover how key organisations interact to affect ESG investing, as well as others that explore the state of ESG data, associated analytic tools and applications, plus more!
Institution: Yale School of Management
Duration: 5–8 hours per week, self-paced learning online
Cost: Contact the school to find out
Certificate: Yes
Prerequisites: None.
Sign up for these online investment courses with your YouTrip multi-currency card here.
5. ESG Investing: Building and Managing a Sustainable Global Portfolio
In just six modules, you will cover finance and sustainability as integrated subjects — beginning with an introduction to financial and investment principles and ending with financial analysis, financing, and valuation. Through the duration of the course, you’ll not only get to partake in peer learning and feedback, but you’ll also be able to access all learnings on a mobile app, attend live webinars and interact with the faculty live, as well as work on weekly assignments.
Institution: Columbia Business School
Duration: 7 weeks, online, 4-6 hours per week
Cost: US$2,275 (~S$3,068.60)
Certificate: Yes
Prerequisites: None
Sign up for these online investment courses with your YouTrip multi-currency card here.
6. Understanding Financial Markets
In this course, you will learn what the main financial markets and their characteristics are as well as how they are linked to the economy. Areas of learning include: how the price of stocks and bonds are computed and why they move; the notion of risk and why it matters when measuring an investment’s performance; knowledge on the less popular markets such as gold, emerging markets, real estate, hedge funds and private markets, and more!
Institution: University of Geneva
Duration: 11 hours (flexible schedule)
Cost: US$49/month (~S$66.10)
Certificate: Yes
Prerequisites: None
Sign up for these online investment courses with your YouTrip multi-currency card here.
BONUS: Free Online Investment Courses
| Institution | Best For | Duration | Cost | Certificate? | |
| An Immersive Curriculum | TD Ameritrade | Exploring different concepts of investment and trading | ⏱ Flexible | Free | No |
| Financial Markets and Investment Strategy Specialization | Indian School of Business | A serious venture into the stock market | ⏱ 6 months | Free | No |
| Let’s Invest: A Beginner’s Guide | eLearnMarkets | Introduction to the field of personal finance | ⏱ Flexible (enrollment is valid for 3 years) | Free | No |
1. An Immersive Curriculum
For those looking to explore retirement planning, the course Simple Steps to a Retirement Portfolio offers an introduction to retirement planning, with step-by-step instructions on how to build a retirement-focused portfolio. You could also consider Income Investing, which trains on ways to create a portfolio that seeks to generate a regular, predictable stream of income while preserving capital.
Institution: TD Ameritrade
Duration: Flexible
Cost: Free
Certificate: No
Prerequisites: You need to create a TD Ameritrade account to access some content.
Check out the free online investment courses here.
2. Financial Markets and Investment Strategy Specialization
This one is for those of you who are serious about exploring the market, and are willing to invest (no pun intended) more time and effort into mastering the different strategies and concepts. It comprises five courses — Introduction to Financial Markets, Portfolio and Risk Management, Behavioral Investing, Investment Strategy, and Financial Markets and Investment Strategy Capstone — and you can choose to complete one, a few, or all. You’ll also have readings, graded quizzes with feedback, and assignments.
Institution: Indian School of Business
Duration: Self-paced, approximately 6 months
Cost: Free (Without certification)
Prerequisites: None
Check out the free online investment courses here.
3. Let’s Invest: A Beginner’s Guide
Let’s Invest, is an online course on investing for beginners in the form of a series of 10 short and informative videos, launched for those seeking an introduction to the field of personal finance. Covering topics such as investment plans, risk profile basics, and more, this course is perfect for those keen on starting a career in banks, commercial and retail finance, fund management, and even students, investors, homemakers, and those willing to make an investment in the stock market
Institution: eLearnMarkets
Duration: Self-paced, flexible (enrollment is valid for 3 years)
Cost: Free
Certificate: No
Prerequisites: None
Check out the free online investment courses here.
Invest In Yourself With YouTrip Today!
Now that you have the rundown, it’s time to get serious and pick the one that’ll best suit what you’re looking for.
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All currency conversion rates are accurate to the nearest 10 cents on 16 Feb 2022 SGT 11.05PM. Bank card prices are calculated based on 3.25% foreign currency transaction fee.
