Investing Basics Study Guide
A practical undergraduate course on investing fundamentals: financial markets and instruments, stocks (valuation, analysis, trading), bonds (pricing, yield, duration), mutual funds and ETFs, portfolio construction and diversification, risk management, behavioral finance, retirement accounts, and evaluating investment performance. Complements Personal Finance with deeper market knowledge.
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12 Topics Covered
Financial Markets Overview
Covers market structure, participants, exchanges, regulation, and indices—foundational knowledge for understanding all investment topics.
Understanding Stocks
Examines stock types, shareholder rights, price determination, and reading quotes—essential for equity analysis questions.
Stock Valuation Methods
Teaches dividend discount model, P/E, PEG, and price-to-book ratios—calculation-heavy exam section requiring practice.
Understanding Bonds
Covers bond types, pricing, yield to maturity, and credit ratings—critical for fixed-income calculations on exams.
Bond Pricing and Interest Rate Risk
Explores price-yield relationship, duration, and yield curves—frequently tested concepts requiring mathematical application.
Mutual Funds and ETFs
Compares fund structures, fees, NAV, and selection criteria—practical knowledge tested through scenario-based questions.
Portfolio Theory and Diversification
Introduces Markowitz theory, efficient frontier, correlation, and asset allocation—theoretical foundation for portfolio questions.
Investment Risk Management
Identifies risk types, tolerance assessment, and hedging strategies—essential for risk-return tradeoff analysis questions.
Investment Analysis Techniques
Covers fundamental and technical analysis, financial ratios, and economic indicators—applied in stock selection problems.
Behavioral Finance
Examines cognitive biases, prospect theory, and market bubbles—tested through bias identification and scenario questions.
Retirement and Tax-Advantaged Accounts
Details 401k, IRA, Roth accounts, and tax treatment—practical exam questions on contribution limits and strategies.
Evaluating Investment Performance
Teaches Sharpe ratio, alpha, beta, and benchmarking—capstone calculations integrating concepts from entire course.
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