Investing Classes for High School Students in Los Angeles

About Investing Classes for High School Students in Los Angeles

Building long-term financial stability and generating equity is a vital skill that, unfortunately, many younger students don’t feel comfortable with (or were never taught in the first place). Learning how to invest and manage your finances is essential if you want to find economic stability. It is important to keep track of your finances if you are hoping to avoid falling through the cracks and building up too much debt. A dedicated investing class is a great way to learn the practical and theoretical skills needed to build your nest egg and make your money work for you. In these classes, high school students can spend the summer learning the basics of investing and portfolio management, and they can prepare themselves for managing their own finances or for a career in the financial sector.

Why Should High School Students Learn Investing?

Learning investment strategies and financial management are vital skills for anyone looking to build long-term financial security and ensure they are insulated from financial stress and crises. Many High School Students are thrust into the professional world without a lot of money management knowledge, which is a recipe for finding oneself in a hole. Learning how to keep financial records, invest in assets, budget with savings in mind and put your money in safe places is a useful life skill for virtually anyone, and enrolling in a dedicated program can make high school students feel more comfortable as they start to build their financial futures.

In addition, many students may want to build a future in market management careers or in the financial industry. In a city like Los Angeles, there are a lot of start-up businesses trying to get off the ground and promises of venture capital and investment brokerage can be very appealing. However, building a career in the financial sector isn’t really about getting lucky once, it is about making a lot of small decisions and investments over a long period of time. Thus, you will need to learn foundational skills and understand the complexities of asset markets to succeed. In classes like these, you’ll be able to get started on your training early and be prepared for more advanced training as you pursue a career as an Investment Manager, Stockbroker or Financial Analyst.

In-Person Investing Classes in Los Angeles

Students looking to learn financial management and investing in Los Angeles have quite a few options available to them. As with most major cities, there is a wide range of pre-college courses offered by public and private universities, and the city has undertaken a range of initiatives to help high school students become more comfortable with their finances. 

The University of California Los Angeles offers a three-week immersive summer program in their Introduction to Investments Summer Institute. In this course, students will learn the foundations of financial markets, what they do and why they exist. In addition, students will learn how the government interacts with financial markets, how the FEC operates and how the Federal Reserve impacts and shapes markets. Then, students will learn how to analyze and evaluate potential stocks, where they can put their money, how different kinds of funds differ from one another and alternative options for investment. Finally, students will learn about potential careers in finance and investment and the various higher education pathways they can take to qualify for these careers (including those offered in the UC system).

Virtual Investing Classes

If the thought of taking an in-person class seems daunting or impossible, you may want to consider enrolling in an online investment course. With recent developments in online education, it is easier than ever to attend an online class taught by a live instructor who is present to help provide students with assistance and feedback that is personalized and immediate. These courses are an excellent alternative to in-person classes who are looking to learn from home without sacrificing the quality of instruction offered.

NextGen Bootcamp offers an Excel, Finance, & Investing Summer Program that will introduce students to the foundational principles of financial management and investment. Students will start by learning the basics of using Microsoft Excel to record and analyze their own financial information, create budgets and forecast their earnings and savings over a set period of time. Then, students will learn both the practical and theoretical aspects of building an investment portfolio. This includes answers to questions like “How do I buy stocks” and more complex questions like “How do I determine when to buy and sell” or “How do I judge whether or not a stock is a good investment.” Through practical, hands-on exercises, students will learn how to analyze publicly available financial data and make smart investments that can generate long-term value.

Students can also enroll in a course like Teach Me Wall Street’s immersive Wall Street Bootcamp. This course introduces students to the fundamentals of investing in the stock market and how it compares to other long-term investment strategies. In this course, students will spend the first half of the course learning the basics of investing, including the language of the stock market, the process of reading financial statements and earning reports and practical matters like buying and selling stocks. The second half of the course will see students putting these new skills into practice in hands-on exercises that will see them analyzing and selecting stocks, tracking long-term valuations and even participating in a live, simulated trading exercise. 

How to Choose an Investing Class

Students should consider a few factors when considering a summer investing program. In addition to normal concerns (such as cost and accessibility), students will want to consider what kinds of financial skills they hope to learn and whether or not they are looking for a career-focused investment course or a general life skills course.

Good summer investing programs can cost upwards of a thousand dollars, making the cost something students and parents want to consider. While these prices may seem steep, the advantage of learning from a professional instructor in real-time is difficult to pass up. This is especially true when discussing subjects like finance, so while cost may be a factor, it is far better to ensure that you receive top-quality instruction from real instructors focused on helping students succeed. Students will also want to consider how accessible their class will be and how much time and energy will add to the process. While many colleges and schools offer classes in LA, it is a very large city, and commuting can be difficult and time-consuming, which may lead students to prioritize closer schools or online classes.

When choosing an investing class, students will also want to consider what skills they hope to learn and where they plan on applying their financial training. For example, some students may seek an investment course to help build their financial literacy and improve their financial management skills. These students will want to look for classes that prioritize lessons in things like Excel or determining the best mutual fund to invest with capital in the long term. They are less likely to need to learn the minutiae of the stock market and how to track the moment-by-moment valuations of a company or of the future. Students who do want to make investment banking or financial management a key part of their future careers will want to enroll in a course that offers practical and theoretical training on how to navigate complex market systems and are going to be less interested in a class that teaches students how to use Excel to monitor the status of their car payments. Both of these kinds of classes can be beneficial, but students should still consider their long-term goals when looking for a summer investing and financial training program.