The free investing courses available on Financial Expert are aimed at beginner and amateur investors. What makes our investment training programs unique is our approach to the learning process.
We recognise that key part of the learning about investing is mastering the technical terms and jargon found in fund fact sheets, financial journalism and regulatory guidance.
I’ve brought together all the definition articles which explain these building blocks with zero assumed knowledge.
Investing in companies
My ultimate guide to buying shares remains ever popular with visitors to this site.
But before you can conquer Wall Street, you should understand exactly what you’re putting your money into.
Here are our guides which give an insight into companies, shares, and the stock market indices which help us keep our finger on the pulse of the markets.
What are shares, and why do people invest?
Definition of stocks and shares – is there a difference?
What is a stock market index and why are indices important?
Investing in bonds
My ultimate guide to investing in corporate bonds calls them the ‘humble workhorse’ of most investment portfolios.
Bonds appear to be a very straight forward investment opportunity. You invest money, and receive that money back at some point in the future, with interest. This equation makes them sound very similar to a savings account.
However, bonds aren’t as simple as they seem. Their advertised returns can be misleading. Sometimes it even makes sense to buy a bond that doesn’t pay any interest. It’s all in the detail. Learn more about bonds with these definition articles:
Definition of a corporate bond
Investing in funds
Funds are perhaps the easiest and most efficient way to build an investment portfolio, and you can do so through fund supermarkets, cheap stocks & shares ISAs, or accounts held directly with a fund provider.
However, the wide array of fund types can confuse investors looking for solution.
Funds can have different legal structures and often comply with different sets of rules that restrict what they can and can’t do.
Even a consumer-friendly fund factsheet will not explain these basics. This is where these fund definitions will come in handy:
What is an exchange-traded fund (ETF)?
Definition of an investment trust
Definition of a real estate investment trust (REIT)
Consider the printed word
Beyond the free online investment training courses such as this website, are also many great investing books for beginners which will also take you through definitions and much more. We’ve highlighted our favourites in our investing books article.
If you’re studying finance concepts for the first time, you may be interested in financial literacy books or finance books for non-financial managers to help get you up to speed.