How to Invest in Stocks, Mutual Funds & ETFs for Beginners
What you'll learn
- Research and select stocks for a personal investment portfolio.
- Enter market and limit orders to control the price you pay for stocks.
- Understand financial services companies, funds and fund families.
- Make informed choices about how to use dividend payments; cash or reinvestment?
- Understand the benefits and risks of lump sum investing vs dollar cost averaging.
- Read a candlestick chart.
- Enter a trailing stop order to protect your profits.
- Meet The Fearless Girl and The Charging Bull.
Requirements
- Have at least some understanding of the stock market and related terminology.
- Recommend Completion of Level One, Novice Investors Guide to the Stock Market
- Set up an individually-managed brokerage account where you can buy and sell shares of stock.
- Or have a paper trading account where you can practice buying and selling.
Description
Are you ready to take charge of your own investment accounts? Make informed decisions about how to manage your money and let it work for you.
Know what questions to ask and learn basic research skills to understand the companies in which you are considering investing. Feel more confident choosing stocks, mutual funds and ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds).
Understand bulls, bears and corrections and why a correction can be a great time to buy. Protect your investments with diversification, by wisely selecting your own investments or by buying diversified funds.
Know which stocks pay a dividend and the importance of dividend dates, including declaration, ex-dividend and payment dates. Decide whether you will take your dividends in cash or use them to re-invest in shares of the company that pays them.
Use your knowledge to decide not only what to buy, but when to buy. Read a stock chart, look at trends, and decide whether lump sum investing or dollar cost averaging is right for you. Enjoy several case studies with examples of investors who are making the kinds of decisions you will be making.
See the relationships between investment companies, fund managers and brokerage services. Sometimes the names seem the same when the services are not!
Finish this course as a stronger, more knowledgeable investor. Then, after you gain some investing experience, I hope you will join our Novice Options Traders program and safely take your investing to the next level.
Who this course is for:
- Novice investors who are ready to invest.
- Investors wanting to make more informed choices about their stock market purchases.
- Investors who want to speak confidently with a financial advisor.
Instructor
- 4.6 Instructor Rating
- 51 Reviews
- 458 Students
- 5 Courses
Patricia Saylor is the founder of Saylor Financial Fundamentals, and author of The Novice Investor's Guide to Stocks, Funds and Options. making stock market investing accessible for novice investors. She is also the Head of School at Solterra Way Cottage School, providing educational assessments and academic support to private students.
Patricia is a lifetime educator. After her retirement from a 30-year career as a public school teacher and administrator, she grew both of her small businesses from side hustles to main gigs.
She has an MA in Linguistics from Gallaudet University and a BA in Spanish and Education from UNC-Chapel Hill. She is conversant in Spanish and fluent in American Sign Language.
From Patricia:
Unlike most financial educators, I was a teacher before I became an investor. I measure my own success by the achievements of my students, and I'm highly invested in their success!
I spent much of my career in public education in North Carolina, while running Solterra Way Cottage School on the side. I raised two Deaf children adopted as preschoolers, as well as a home-grown son and a stepson. I was the kind of mom who learned to sew so I could make my own cloth diapers.
In 2010, to boost my retirement savings, I began a self-teaching journey about stock market investing. Every article I read assumed background knowledge I didn’t have, and was full of words I didn’t understand. I taught myself what I needed to know, but it took me a long time to filter the relevant information. I knew I could make this process easier for other novice investors.
In 2016 I taught myself to trade stock options. Options can be very risky when used recklessly, and I prefer conservative strategies to boost my returns. I set up an account with a promo code and three months of commission-free trades. My goal was to get an education and earn $300 from my $5000 investment before the trading commissions kicked in. I spent about 100 hours reading and trading, and at the end of 3 months, I had earned $297! It's only gotten better since then.
Since I like to teach other people what I know, developing The Novice Investors program, including online classes and an ebook, was a natural next step after I retired. I really love hearing how my content has benefitted my students, so I hope you'll let me know what you think after you check it out.