Managing Your Personal Investments

Learn how to invest your money and make it work harder for you. In this course, investment advisor Jane Barratt dispels the myth that investing is just for retirement. In fact, intelligent investing is critical to long-term financial well-being—and pays higher dividends than simply saving money alone.

Jane shares her investment strategies with you. She breaks down the market into its five basic building blocks—cash and equivalents, stocks, bonds, funds, and insurance products—and the different vehicles where you can invest these building blocks. She also covers topics such as the importance of a balanced portfolio, understanding and managing your risk, identifying value in the market, and building your "money muscles" over time. Plus, learn how to calculate the rate of return of a portfolio vs. general market performance. Last, Jane outlines the options for DIY investing, when it makes sense to work with an advisor, and how to avoid costly investment fees.

Learning objectives
Examine the concept of time value of money.
Determine the most appropriate vehicle for investors in different financial positions.
Explain what is meant by the risk premium with bonds.
Distinguish types of risk, and how an investor can protect investments against the various risk types.
Apply the appropriate measure to identify an investment’s market value.
Predict the outcome of investment decisions in which capital gains are included.