Absolute Beginner Stock Market Research Course

Introduction:

Welcome! I’m Michael Atencio. I’m a former professor of psychology and criminal justice, and recently retired from teaching middle school social studies. Years ago, I lost my savings during the Enron collapse—and I never forgot that lesson. After this paragraph, I'll be using a voice from ElevenLabs.

Using the voice helps me complete the course without retakes. I have taught thousands of students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and created the course for adults and teens with these learning difficulties in mind.

My original goal was simple: I wanted to teach my children and family how to research companies safely—how to make decisions based on facts, not hype, news headlines, or online chatter. In this course, I’ll show you how to find real financial data, use a clear checklist, and evaluate whether a company is strong, weak, or potentially dangerous.

By the end, you’ll understand how to:

Read and interpret the basic financial statements (like the 10-K and 10-Q).

Identify signs of healthy and risky companies.

Use math-free or low-math tools to reach your own investing decisions confidently. When there is math required, I have provided the formula to do the math. You can even use the free version of ChatGPT to do the math if you want. I'm not going to teach you math when there are tools that can do the math for you.  You'll have copy-and-paste formulas to use as a prompt. All you have to do is change the data for whatever company you are researching.

I'll teach you how to spot the “red flags” that companies use to hide information behind polished marketing.

We’ll use plain language, real examples, and our fictional company Nuka Cola to guide you step-by-step through the process.

Main Content: 4 Key Ideas

Why This Course Exists:

After Enron, many ordinary people lost everything because they trusted hype instead of data. This course teaches you how to avoid that by understanding where to find facts and how to read them for yourself.

Who This Course Is For:

This is for complete beginners and learners who might not have a financial background. We use short lessons, visuals, and real-world examples so that everything makes sense the first time you read it.

What You’ll Learn:

How the stock market works in simple terms.

How to gather company data safely from reliable sources (Investor Relations, SEC filings).

How to calculate and interpret key financial ratios without getting lost in math.

How to rate a company Green (safe), Yellow (caution), or Red (avoid).

What You’ll Get:

You’ll receive a downloadable checklist, a financial metrics sheet, and a final project template to evaluate any company you choose.

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Module 1 Overview & Goal

Learn what investing really means, how it differs from spending or gambling, why it matters for your future, and how to take your first safe steps.

Welcome to Module 1!

Investing is simply using your money to make more money later.
When you spend $50 on dinner, it’s gone.
But when you invest $50 in a good company or a fund, that $50 has a chance to grow.

Think of investing like planting a seed. You water it with regular savings, give it sunlight—time—and over months or years it can grow into a tree that gives you fruit: income or profits.

Investing isn’t gambling. Gambling is guessing and hoping. Investing is choosing carefully, using facts, and giving it time.

The reason people invest is simple: we want our money to work for us while we sleep. When you invest early, you use something called compound growth—earning interest on interest. Even small amounts build huge results because time multiplies money.

Let’s keep it real: investing always involves some risk. Prices go up and down. The goal isn’t to avoid all risk, but to match the right level of risk to your timeline. If you need money next month, you keep it safe. If you’re saving for retirement 20 years away, you can take more risk because you have time to recover.

Before investing, build a small emergency fund—three to six months of bills—and pay off high-interest debt. Paying off an 18 percent credit card is like earning an 18 percent return risk-free.

Once you’re stable, start small. Automate monthly contributions, even $25 or $50. You’ll form a habit that grows automatically.

Remember this sentence: Consistency beats intensity. It’s better to invest a small amount regularly than a big amount once in a while.

By the end of this module, you’ll understand that investing is patient, planned, and practical—not scary, not a mystery, and definitely not gambling.”

Comprehension Check

1. Investing is best compared to (planting seeds).

2. What makes gambling different from investing? (random chance vs. informed plan)

3. What’s compound growth? (interest on interest over time)

4. When should you build an emergency fund—before or after investing? (before)

5. Which habit matters most—investing huge amounts once or small amounts regularly? (regularly)

Reflection Activity

List three money goals you have for the next five years. Circle one goal that investing could help you reach faster.

Download and print the investor scorecard and case studies. The book has a lot of pages, so I wouldn't suggest printing it.