Are Investing Classes Worth It?

If you want to learn investing strategies, you may wonder if it’s worth the cost and time you’ll devote to this endeavor. Investing classes come in many forms, including short skills classes that require only a day or so of time and cost several hundred dollars, as well as more robust programs like certificates in finance-related fields that take weeks or months to complete and can cost thousands to attend. Before enrolling in a class, it’s important to consider if this is a sound investment based on your educational needs and professional aspirations. 

Investing coursework provides students with hands-on training in many skills that have applications for both professional and personal use, including financial statements, valuation, and stock investing. Coursework provides students with a structured, supportive learning environment and provides learners with a range of skills that can be used in a professional setting. For this reason, most individuals who want to pursue a finance-related career will find these classes a worthwhile investment because they can help them advance in their current career or embark on an entirely new career path in investment banking or a similar field. Read on to learn more about the core factors to consider if you’re trying to decide whether it’s worth it to enroll in investing classes.

Consider the Costs 

Training options in investing vary significantly, depending on the course’s length, its depth of focus, and the provider who offers it. Shorter skills classes and bootcamps that focus on one or more investing skills are the shortest and most affordable way to learn investing. These programs usually take between one and three full days to complete and provide students with training in specific investing tools or strategies, including stock market investing, finance, and investment management, or how Python is used in the finance world to collect and manipulate financial data. In terms of cost, short investing classes are usually the least expensive way to study this skill set in the live environment. The price to attend ranges from $100 to $1,300, with shorter courses costing less than those that require a week or more to complete.

Those who want to study investing in a longer format can do so through certificate study. These intensive programs usually require several weeks or months of training and provide learners with a comprehensive overview of investing strategies and their use within the larger framework of the field of finance. These live classes are available in person and online and tend to cost significantly more than bootcamps or skills classes (usually $5,000 or more). Along with this added investment come perks like professional development or 1-on-1 mentoring. 

If cost is a prohibitive factor in acquiring investing training, there are also less expensive study options available, such as on-demand coursework and free online tutorials. However, it’s important to keep in mind that these types of instruction have their own limitations. Each student must weigh the costs and benefits of the different types of investing training to decide which type of coursework is best for them.

Advantages of an Investing Class

Even though enrolling in an investing class can be expensive and time-consuming, there are many great reasons to opt for live instruction when studying this subject.

General Benefits

In addition to specific benefits and learning outcomes that investing classes provide students, there are also general benefits to live training in general that are important to consider. Whether you wish to study investing through in-person training or in the live online format using Zoom or a similar teleconferencing platform, this type of training ensures you’ll learn from an expert instructor with real-world investment training. This interactive study format provides real-time support and guidance as you learn investing. As you complete coursework in the small group environment, the instructor will be there to provide immediate clarification and answers to questions. This personalized support and feedback makes it much easier for learners to master complicated investing concepts and strategies, such as deciding when is the best time to sell stocks or understanding the reactionary market. 

The hands-on training provided through live investing coursework provides students with a focused and supportive learning environment in which they can focus entirely on investing without any other distractions getting in the way. No matter if you opt for a short skills class on using Microsoft Excel in finance or choose a rigorous financial analytics certificate that takes months to complete, the benefit of having a live instructor and supportive cohort of students there alongside your studies can provide a sense of community that can help you retain the material you’re learning and grasp complex investing concepts.

Well-Rounded Education

If you enroll in an investing bootcamp or certificate program, or a class that teaches investing alongside other finance-related skills, you’ll receive a well-rounded education that has applications in a range of finance careers. Skills like how to create a personal investment portfolio, interpret financial statements, and work with Excel and Python for financial-related tasks won’t only help you manage your own finances more effectively but are essential to any career path in finance. Although course content varies depending on the scope of instruction and the program’s focus, most investing classes teach students the basics they’ll need to understand the stock market, work with stocks and bonds, and understand core financial literacy concepts like retirement planning, budgeting, and debt management. Many investing classes provide real-world examples so that students become familiar with how investing works in settings they may one day encounter at work or on their own. Noble Desktop’s Financial Analyst Training Program, for example, walks students through the process of building a valuation model for a public company. Additionally, its Stock Market Investing class provides participants with the opportunity to develop a sound understanding of how financial markets function instead of providing superficial, get-rich-quick trading tips. These skills are in line with those of value investors like Benjamin Graham and Warren Buffet.

Real-World Training

Like any skill, learning investing is valuable when it’s applied to real-world information. Additionally, it’s often easier for learners to remember what they learn when it has practical implications, either for themself or their organization. Because of how prevalent investing is in the professional world as well as for individuals, it’s common in investing classes for students to explore real-world numbers from actual companies, including Google or Amazon. The true benefit of financial knowledge pertains to its applications in the stock market and other real-life trading platforms and how it can lead to tangible monetary results.

Personalized Feedback

Live investing classes aren’t only a great way to connect with other students studying finance, but they also provide a learning environment in which you can gain training from an expert instructor with real-world investing experience. Instructors who lead these courses share their investing knowledge through practical, in-class exercises and step-by-step lessons that provide a “learning by doing” approach to training. When enrolled in a bootcamp or certificate program, chances are you will encounter challenging concepts that won’t be simple to master. This is when the instructor is essential. They are there in real-time to provide in-the-moment clarification and support. Even students who attend training online using Zoom can opt to share their screen with the instructor (with permission) for additional assistance. This type of training provides a great way to learn how to avoid making common investing mistakes and ensure you’re on the right path from the start of your investing studies.

Considerations When Deciding on an Investing Class

Most learners will find that enrolling in an investing class benefits them greatly. However, these programs aren’t for everyone. In the following sections, some essential factors will be presented that you should consider as you decide whether to enroll in investing training classes.

General Considerations

Regardless of the field of focus, live coursework requires that students commit to a set schedule of classes and that they satisfy any other requirements as well, including homework or out-of-class work. Those who opt for this type of training will need to commute to and from class, which can add additional costs for gas, parking, and tolls, as well as additional time for the commute to and from a designated training facility. On the other hand, those who prefer to complete their investing studies remotely through live online training can avoid traffic and study from the comfort of their own home. However, these individuals must find a quiet place to study and have a strong internet connection to complete their training. This may make live investing study challenging for those who have full-time work schedules or family commitments outside of work hours. Live training that takes weeks or months to complete may also present challenges for those who need to learn investing strategies relatively quickly and use them for a current work project. 

Another important consideration with live study is that the instructor dictates the speed at which lessons are taught and the course moves. Some individuals, especially those who are new to finance or investing, may require additional assistance to stay up to speed with lessons. Other students who already come from a finance-heavy background may find they wish lessons to progress faster since they already know investing basics.

Balancing Theory and Practical Skills

Those interested in taking an investing class will also need to consider how balanced the course is in terms of the pedagogical approach it provides between practical training and theory. Longer courses, including certificates and bootcamps in investing or finance, typically provide students with more of a theoretical approach to investing, one that situates it in the larger context of the field of finance. These programs offer hands-on training designed to be used in real-world settings, such as investment banks. These rigorous classes often begin with an overview of the field of corporate finance, current best practices, and an explanation of how the stock market works. Shorter courses, like skills classes that focus on one particular topic, such as stock market investing, are much shorter and usually take only a day or so to finish. This means coursework often jumps into specific uses and applications of investing skills and tools rather than into the theory behind them since there is less time and space to provide a theoretical context for training. You, as the learner, must decide if you’re more interested in acquiring broader training in investing and finance or if you’d find it more useful to study one particular skill and immediately put this training to use.

What Skills Are Essential to Learn?

Most individuals who sign up for investing classes do so to acquire training in one or more skills they need at their current job or to pursue an entirely new professional path. This is why it’s essential for the individual to know the kinds of skills they’ll need and find coursework that teaches them. Because investing requires knowledge of several related financial concepts, terms, and practices, it’s essential to decide which skills will be most useful for your current professional needs and aspirations, as well as which ones aren’t as vital. For example, those pursuing a career path in financial analytics will need to have a solid understanding of a range of finance-related tools and skills, including advanced Excel spreadsheet training. Stockbrokers, on the other hand, will likely need to be familiar with trading platforms like Interactive Brokers, Fidelity Investments, E*TRADE, and TradeStation. While aspiring Stockbrokers should select courses that provide instruction on how to work with these platforms, Financial Analysts will not need this same type of instruction and don’t need to waste their time or money studying unnecessary skills.

Some individuals may be interested in learning about investing solely for personal use, such as to better prepare to save for college or to ensure they are on the right path for retirement. These individuals may not need to enroll in a formal certificate or bootcamp program and could opt instead for short online tutorials or on-demand classes. Not only will these self-paced learning options cost significantly less, but they’ll provide shorter study options for those who want to learn a specific investing skill and put it to use immediately. Before selecting an investing class, it’s essential for each individual to consider what they want to ultimately do with the skills they’ll learn, as well as which skills are most essential for professional or personal use.

Is it Worth Enrolling in an Investing Class?

Because no two learners are exactly the same, some individuals may find that they benefit more from investing in training than others. In the following sections, a brief discussion will be provided on the type of learner who may find investing training the most worthwhile, such as an aspiring Stockbroker or Investment Banker, as well as the kind of learner who may find this training less essential.

Who will find it worthwhile?

Learning about investing is an in-demand skill set for financial professionals in a range of professions. Those who have finance-related careers will benefit greatly from this type of training, regardless of whether they’re junior-level employees or hold more senior roles. The following are just a few potential career paths that would find investment training beneficial:

• Financial Analyst
• Investment Banker
• Financial Advisor
• Actuary
• Portfolio Manager
• Financial Manager
• Trader
• Stockbroker
• Actuary
• Investment Consultant
• Auditor
• Underwriter
• Risk Manager
• Credit Analyst
• Loan Officer
• Banker
• Private Equity Associate

Both current and aspiring financial professionals can select from beginner, intermediate, and advanced-level investment courses. These classes provide focused instruction on topics like stock market investing, financial analytics, finance and investment management, and angel investing, which have real-world applications for professionals in many finance-related career paths. 

Who might find it worthwhile?

Investing classes are an excellent way to prepare for a new finance-related career path or boost your resume so you can explore more advanced positions, including Hedge Fund Manager or Senior Actuary. While most individuals will benefit from this sort of formal training, it’s not necessarily a good match for everyone. For example, individuals who know they want to work in finance but haven’t yet decided on a formal career path may not need instruction specific to investing. Instead, they may benefit more from starting with free online content or self-paced classes that provide training in finance. Other learners may prefer to enroll in a beginner-level class in investing or a finance-related tool to acquire basic training, such as an introductory-level Excel class or a short course that teaches investing basics. Then, if this topic feels like it’s a good match, the student can then opt for a more involved investing course, such as a live online investing class or an in-person investing program.

Who probably doesn’t need an investing class? 

Knowledge of investing isn’t just useful for professionals; it benefits most individuals. A 2023 report showed that 61% of US adults invest in the stock market. Many of these individuals rely on their long-term investments to prepare for college or to save for retirement or other occasions. While investing skills can be an asset to all people, regardless of whether they’re financial professionals, not everyone needs to enroll in formal coursework to gain investing training. Rather than spend hundreds or even thousands on formal investing training in bootcamps or certificates, some individuals can learn basic investing concepts through free online investing resources, such as YouTube videos, blogs, and online seminars. 

Those hoping to save for retirement may want to ensure they’re properly preparing for retirement and may opt to use free tools like NerdWallet’s Retirement Calculator, which helps them determine how far their retirement savings will stretch. Additionally, USA.gov offers a range of free resources for retiring, including guidance on how to establish savings goals and timelines, determine how much to save each year, and organize financial documents. Noble Desktop’s 

Stock Market Investing Fundamentals is another excellent free resource for those interested in learning core investing concepts and skills. This hour-long webinar provides instruction on topics like valuation, bonds, stocks, the risk-reward principle, and the capital gains tax. 

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.