Begin your journey to financial literacy with free resources and tutorials available online. Discover the different facets of finance including personal, corporate and public finance, and how they can influence your career trajectory.

Best Free Finance Resources and Tutorials

When training can cost several thousands of dollars, it can feel overwhelming to start learning finance. Many professionals are eager to learn finance but hesitate because of the perceived up-front costs. There are, however, a surprising number of free resources available to help beginners get started. 

Read on to learn more about the free resources and tutorials available to help you learn finance. 

What is Finance?

In its most basic definition, finance is the management of money. Finance includes investing, lending, budgeting, borrowing, saving, forecasting, and studying money. There are multiple areas of finance, including personal, corporate, and public finance. 

Personal finance deals with keeping your debt down, budgeting, growing your assets, and increasing cash flow, among others. The three main types of corporate finance are capital budgeting, capital structure, and dividend policy. Among the significant concerns of public finance are the budgeting process and an entity’s revenue source. 

Read more about what finance is and why you should learn it. 

What Can You Do with Finance?

At its root, finance deals with managing money. This includes investing, saving, budgeting, forecasting, borrowing, and lending. Here are three solid career paths to follow with a firm understanding of finance.

• Accountant - This lucrative field is ideal for anyone with a love of numbers, though it is not necessary to be successful. Within a company, an accountant often creates, interprets, and analyzes a wide range of financial statements. Company accountants and management come together as partners to create budgets. Finally, accountants handle the tax matters of a company, including filing returns and planning out tax liabilities.

• Business Development Officer - Companies hire Business Development Officers to develop and execute strategies that lead to increased sales and higher profits. These officers also seek out business opportunities and secure the best business deals. They are responsible for negotiating deals and meeting with potential investors.

• Financial Data Analyst - These professionals analyze data to assist financial institutions in making better business decisions. Among their numerous responsibilities is compiling information from different divisions of a company. These analysts also look for ways to improve the company's current methods of data collection.

Financial Podcasts

One great way to learn about finance is to listen to financial podcasts in your spare time. Listening to podcasts can allow you to passively learn about different financial skills without having to enroll in a training course. You can listen to these podcasts while working or commuting to and from work. Depending on your area of interest, you can find a podcast that will give you the information you need to learn the fundamentals. Podcasts also provide a backlog of information that you can learn from. You can choose which episodes to listen to depending on what topics you want to learn.

Even if you want to learn finance to benefit your personal finances, several podcasts are available to help you become more financially independent. You can find podcasts on any music streaming site that offers free memberships. While these podcasts do not necessarily cover the other skills you may need for your finance career, they will give you a better understanding of finance and the financial industry. You will gain more than just financial literacy by listening to these podcasts. You will start to learn the ins and outs of the financial sector.

Noble Desktop provides YouTube videos on various finance topics. Searching for finance tutorials on YouTube will result in thousands of results. These videos are an excellent resource when you are just getting started because they are free. The videos can be watched as often as necessary until you are comfortable with the concepts. Be sure to watch recent uploads as information changes over time, and you want the most up-to-date information. 

Read more about other ways to learn to finance online.

Key Takeaways

• You can start learning financial concepts online for free.
• The majority of the cost of finance comes from training. 
• It is free to get started with finance.
• You can listen to different financial podcasts to learn various financial concepts.
• YouTube offers thousands of free finance videos to watch.

Learn Finance with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

Some believe the only way to learn finance, whether for a career or personal benefit, is through a lengthy, time-consuming degree program. Luckily, there are many alternatives. Many people feel the bootcamp or certificate training model is the superior path.

As a premier provider of online education, Noble Desktop provides multiple ways to learn finance. They offer numerous thoughtful educational options to expand your finance skill set quickly, whether you're new to the field, already working in finance, or in a position that requires a deep understanding of it. Here are some of Noble Desktop's most popular programs.

• FinTech Bootcamp - Taught by expert instructors, this extensive FinTech bootcamp is intended for beginners. You can complete this course in four weeks full-time or four months part-time. Among the topics covered are the fundamentals of Python, data structures, and how to use SQL to query databases.

• Python for Finance Bootcamp - This 18-hour detailed Python for Finance Bootcamp is designed for Risk Managers, Financial Analysts, Portfolio Managers, and those seeking a career in finance technology and data analysis. Students will learn the major Python financial libraries, how to analyze financial statements from the SEC website, and how to apply statistical measures.
  
  
• Financial Analyst Training Program - While some knowledge of accounting and finance is helpful for this seven-day Financial Analyst Training Program, it is not necessary nor required. If you're looking to carve out a career path at a top financial firm, this bootcamp is the most effective and affordable course to learn these skills.

Other Noble Desktop courses to consider are the Premiere Pro Bootcamp, Video Editing Certificate, and Premiere Pro classes and bootcamps.