Are Investing Bootcamps Worth It?

If you want to learn how to make smarter investments, either for your own personal finances or for use in the professional setting, a range of training options are available. However, you may not be sure whether to enroll in a bootcamp or opt for an entirely different type of training. Bootcamps provide a supportive and engaging learning environment in which students receive hands-on instruction on real-world investment skills that prepare them to make smart financial decisions in the current market. This article will provide a brief overview of how investing bootcamps compare to other forms of investing training so prospective students can decide whether this form of instruction is right for them.

What is Investing?

Investing is a broad term that describes the process of buying an asset at a lower price and selling it for more than this value at a later time. The return made on this investment is known as a capital gain. One way to generate money when investing is to sell an asset for a profit and earn returns on it. The amount the investment gains from when it was bought to the time it is sold is called appreciation. Investing also pertains to when individuals buy and hold assets that are generating income. This type of investing doesn’t have the goal of selling an asset to realize its capital gain; instead, it involves purchasing assets that are expected to generate long-term cash flow and hang onto them for years.

When most people refer to investing, they are speaking about financial markets like the New York Stock Exchange, in which investors come together to buy and sell assets like stocks or bonds. Stocks often pay Investors dividends, which can take the form of cash or stock that’s distributed to shareholders by public companies. Those who focus on income investing want to make compound interest on investments. This takes place when the initial investment starts to earn its own returns. Compound interest plays an integral role in helping many individuals attain their investment goals for education or retirement.

There are many kinds of investments, including stocks, mutual funds, bonds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and certificates of deposit (CDs). Stocks, which are also known as equities or shares, are the most common form of investment. Individuals who buy stock are purchasing ownership stakes in a publicly traded company like Apple or Microsoft. Those who purchase bonds are lending money to an entity like a business or the government. Companies issue corporate bonds, local governments issue municipal bonds, and the US Treasury issues Treasury bonds, bills, and notes that are debt instruments purchased by investors. Mutual funds are pools of money from many Investors. These pools are invested in multiple companies and are passively or actively managed. ETFs are similar to mutual funds in that they are a collection of investments that track a market index. Unlike mutual funds that are purchased through a fund company, ETF shares are bought and sold on stock markets. CDs are a low-risk form of investing in which Investors give the bank a specific amount of money for a set period and receive interest on it.

What Can You Do With Investing Training?

Investing training isn’t just valuable for those who work on Wall Street. Today, learning about investing has both professional and personal applications. Long gone are the days when investments were mostly handled by Stockbrokers and other financial professionals. Nowadays, anyone who has an internet connection can use mobile apps to invest in the market. 

Those who have knowledge of financial principles and know how to make sound investments can pursue a range of career paths in many in-demand fields. Financial Analysts perform tasks like studying financial statements, monitoring market trends, and creating financial models for their organization. Investment Bankers serve as financial advisors for corporations. They issue stocks or bond shares to help their company raise money or merge with other companies. Bankers who have investment knowledge and financial literacy meet individually with clients and help these individuals manage their financial needs. Stockbrokers are licensed professionals who purchase and sell stocks and other securities on behalf of clients. Investing training also comes in handy in FinTech careers. Those who work in this industry often design banking and investing apps or other financial technology.

Non-professionals also rely on investing training to save for upcoming events. Many families work with investments like 529 plans, custodial accounts, savings bonds, or mutual funds to pay for college-related expenses for their offspring. This process often begins early to ensure adequate funds are available down the line. Retirement savings is another popular form of investing. Some people opt for retirement-specific savings accounts like a 401K or IRA, which provide retirement savings incentives and also offer a tax break on savings. Additionally, some employers sponsor retirement plans for their employees in which they match some of the money that’s contributed. Other individuals may not have this sort of workplace investment and will need to contribute to their IRA on their own. Real estate investments are another popular form of investment. Those who invest in real estate can benefit from predictable cash flow, strong returns, diversification, and tax breaks. One popular type of real estate investment is through rental property income.

Why Learn Investing in a Bootcamp?

As you consider different investing training options, it’s important to consider the unique advantages and drawbacks of bootcamps so you can compare these to other types of instruction. While the content taught in bootcamps varies depending on the provider and course focus, these live programs are a great way to gain career-focused training in an accelerated and engaging learning environment. Investing bootcamps are more intensive than shorter skills classes and on-demand coursework and usually require several full days or weeks of study to complete. Many of these programs offer career-focused instruction and provide learners with more than just in-class training; they also include career services and other professional development incentives as part of tuition. 

Bootcamps Compared to College

If you’re looking to decide whether a bootcamp or a college degree is a better training option for learning investing, there are several important factors to consider. The college atmosphere provides students with an immersive educational environment in which they can devote four or more years to their studies. However, while completing classes focused on finance or investing, learners must also take a range of other classes, including general education requirements, many of which aren't directly or even remotely related to investing. This means that in the college atmosphere, a significant portion of the student’s efforts and time are devoted to acquiring skills unrelated to investing or even the field of finance.

Some schools offer majors that are directly related to investing, such as a degree in investments and securities. These programs provide comprehensive training in economics, mathematics, accounting, and finance to ensure graduates have the necessary tools upon graduation to understand how markets function and the various financial instruments used in finance-related careers. Colleges that offer investing-specific majors usually provide students with more than theoretical knowledge; they also offer real-world opportunities like internships so students have the chance to apply the skills they’re acquiring.

While coursework in investing is available at most colleges and universities, it isn’t always available as a major for interested students. In schools where this major doesn’t exist, aspiring Investors will need to select a major that’s related to investing, such as accounting or finance. Some individuals may also opt for majors like statistics, math, or computer science. These degree focuses will still provide students with some of the core skills they’ll need in investing, such as financial literacy, knowledge of Excel spreadsheets, and an understanding of how the stock market works. 

Investing bootcamps, on the other hand, provide learners with a much more focused and condensed approach to their studies. Instead of requiring students to spend four (or more) years studying investing alongside other skills, bootcamps allow participants to fully immerse themselves in their studies during a relatively short period of time, usually several days or weeks. In these classes, students receive career-specific instruction in topics like what stocks and bonds are, how to compare risk and return profiles on different securities, how to calculate rates of returns and apply concepts like diversification and correlation, perform industry analysis, and apply various valuation concepts. Rather than having to wait four years to put this training to use, bootcamp graduates can immediately apply their skills to their current job or use them for a different finance-related career path. Flexible scheduling options, which include weeknight and weekend part-time training, make bootcamps a viable study option for those interested in balancing their studies with full-time work.

In terms of cost, bootcamps are a much more affordable learning option than university study. At some colleges, tuition can cost tens of thousands of dollars per year and leave students with six figures of debt when they graduate. Bootcamps provide a much more cost-effective type of training. Skills-specific bootcamps in finance tools like Excel or topics like financial modeling are available for under $1,000 and can be completed in just a few days. While more robust certificate programs can take longer to complete and cost several thousand dollars, this is only a fraction of the cost of a year of traditional college study. 

One of the main drawbacks of bootcamp investing study compared to college training is that this learning environment typically provides learners with less hands-on training than they would have the chance to gain during college study. This is a result of the duration of the training. Bootcamps provide a much more accelerated learning pace than college, which means that students will have less time to devote to practicing the skills they learn than they would during university study. Those who choose to study investing through a bootcamp will likely need to devote additional time to practicing the investing skills they study outside of the classroom. 

While bootcamps don’t provide the same four years of intensive focus as college study, the bottom line is that they are often a much more affordable and more accelerated learning option for those who can’t devote four years to studying investing.

Bootcamps Compared to Self-Paced Courses

Another popular form of investing training is self-paced coursework. This type of study is available from providers like Udemy and Coursera. These classes combine video content with pre-recorded tutorials, which are placed online for students to complete on their own time and at their own pace. On-demand investing content affords students the power to decide their own study speed; they can pause, rewind, or entirely rewatch lessons as often as necessary to fully master difficult concepts. This type of training is a good choice for individuals who have busy professional or personal schedules and must complete their investing training as time permits.

Another incentive for on-demand investing classes is the cost. This type of training is typically a much more affordable study option than bootcamp programs since no live instruction is included. Some platforms offer investing or finance classes for $100 or less, and others charge a subscription fee for classes. The ideal learner for self-paced classes is someone who’s self-motivated to complete lessons independently without relying on the support of students in their cohort or the oversight of a teacher who’s imposing deadlines. 

One important consideration when opting for self-paced investing coursework is that these classes have the potential to quickly become dated. Since the best practices in investing change fairly quickly and depend largely on market fluctuations, this type of coursework, which is pre-recorded, isn’t always up to date. For this reason, learners are encouraged to research the provider before they enroll in a course with them. Another important factor to weigh with this type of training is that no live instructor is present in these classes. Those enrolled won’t receive feedback on their work or have the chance to ask questions. Instead, they will need to find answers on their own as questions arise. This can be challenging for some individuals, especially those looking to master advanced investing concepts and strategies. Often, students begin learning about investing through on-demand content, then transition into more structured, live coursework like bootcamps or certificates at a later time, where they’ll receive more personalized guidance. 

Bootcamps Compared to Free Online Training Options

If you’re still debating whether an investing bootcamp is right for you, you may wonder how this type of training compares to studying with free online materials. Because of how prevalent investing is in both the professional and personal setting, many free resources are available on investing and finance-related topics. Free online investing simulators are one such free resource. They allow individuals to try their hand at investing without having to risk losing their own money. Some of these simulators use real market values, which are intended to simulate the stock market. 

Additionally, providers like Noble Desktop offer investing tutorials and articles intended to help students get a feel for this subject before pursuing live coursework. Noble’s Stock Market Investing Fundamentals is available for those who want to explore stock market basics, including how to start investing and various investment strategies. This one-hour seminar teaches participants about the capital gains tax, risk-reward principle, stock pricing, bonds, and valuation. Since no monetary commitment is involved with free resources such as these, those who want to explore investing can do so in a low-stakes environment without having to spend hundreds or thousands on formal training.

One drawback to free online training content is that learners who opt to study this way don’t receive hands-on instruction in this format. Since no instructor is present, students must motivate themselves to complete lessons and practice the investing strategies they’re watching. This can make it especially challenging for those who are new to finance or investing to fully grasp more complex concepts or skills.

Learn Investing with Noble Desktop

If you’re ready to get started learning investing or want to take your existing financial knowledge to the next level, Noble Desktop can help. Noble offers in-person instruction in New York City and live online courses for learners at all levels. All Noble courses provide hands-on training and include a free retake option for up to one year. 

Noble’s Stock Market Investing class is available for those interested in exploring stock market basics, such as investing, stock movements, and valuation. This short program teaches learners about the different factors that affect stock prices, how to work with financial statements, and how to perform DCF analysis. Graduates of this course leave with a well-rounded understanding of financial markets.

Learners seeking more detailed instruction can gain hands-on investing training in Noble’s Financial Analyst Training Program. This comprehensive program is designed to take students from spreadsheet basics to intermediate-level Excel skills. Those enrolled explore corporate finance and financial accounting concepts. They also learn core Excel skills, including functions, formulas, shortcuts, and PivotTables. More advanced spreadsheet training is also provided in topics like financial functions, DCF modeling techniques, and cash flow projection tools. This bootcamp is intended to prepare students to pursue a career at a top financial firm. Prior accounting and finance knowledge is helpful but not required to enroll. All students receive a short pre-learning guide a week before class starts, which they can use to brush up on basic concepts.

Noble also offers a Financial Modeling Bootcamp in which students become familiar with essential finance and accounting concepts. This hands-on program teaches students about accounting, finance, and corporate valuation. Participants work with Excel to create a financial DCF model that’s based on a real company. Those interested in enrolling will find it helpful to have prior financial experience. As a prerequisite, participants should have intermediate-level Excel for business training, including knowledge of VLOOKUP, PivotTables, and IF statements.