How Much is an Investing Course?

As you explore various investing training options, cost is likely to be an important factor in your decision. Depending on which type of coursework you opt for, classes vary in price from $100 or less for on-demand or free training materials, up to several thousand dollars for intensive certificate programs. It’s up to each learner to decide whether the cost of the program is worth it for the educational outcomes they hope to attain. An excellent way to improve your long-term earning potential is to sign up for a comprehensive certificate program in finance or investing, or to attend a four-year college that teaches this skill. However, these forms of training may be cost-prohibitive for some individuals and may not provide the kind of training they ultimately need. The cost of investing coursework is largely dependent on the depth of training the program provides, the class length, and whether it’s taught in the live or asynchronous format. In the following sections, several investing study options will be explored so you can get an idea of their costs and how they compare to one another.

Studying Investing in College: The Most Expensive Option

College study is the most expensive way to learn investing. Whereas skills classes, bootcamps, and certificates cost several hundred or thousand dollars to attend, one year of college tuition is significantly more than this amount. Students may spend tens of thousands of dollars a year on university study or leave with six figures of debt upon graduation. Graduates must also wait for (or more) years to put their skills to use. Some individuals may not be in a financial position to pay for this type of training or wait that long to begin using their skills.

Those who attend college to study investing experience an immersive educational environment in which they can devote four or more years to their studies. However, while some colleges offer investing as a major, not all institutions do. Even when it’s available as a stand-alone major, college students must also take a range of other classes, including general education requirements, many of which aren’t necessarily related to investing. In the college atmosphere, a significant portion of the student’s efforts and time is devoted to acquiring skills unrelated to investing or even the field of finance. 

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 Certificates: for Aspiring Finance Professionals

Learning investing through a certificate program is a great way to acquire hands-on training in the field of finance. Those enrolled in these in-person or live online courses not only benefit from real-time instructor-led guidance but also have the opportunity to fully immerse in their studies for an extended period of time. Because they provide participants with instruction on a range of investment strategies and skills, these robust classes usually take several weeks or several months to complete (depending on whether they are part-time or full-time). In addition to live instruction in the small group setting, many of these programs also provide participants with additional professional development incentives like 1-on-1 mentoring sessions, career counseling, mock interviews, resume critiques, or access to networking events. This ensures that certificate program graduates will be job-ready upon graduation.

Certificate study is generally the most expensive way to learn investing outside of a college setting. These programs can cost $3,000 or more to attend, though prices vary significantly depending on the provider and course scope. While this cost is significantly higher than other live training options like bootcamps and skills classes and is much more than on-demand coursework, this additional cost is a worthwhile investment for professionals who are looking to have an in-depth understanding of investing and a robust understanding of the field of finance.

While devoting weeks or months to studying investing is a time commitment, it’s a much more focused and abbreviated training format than would be provided through four-year college study. Those who graduate with certificates can immediately apply the skills they’ve acquired to their current job or use them to boost their resume. Certificates also usually offer learners the time and space to compile a professional portfolio of work, which can be shared with prospective employers. 

Investing Bootcamps: A Good Middle Ground

If you’re interested in a shorter and more affordable alternative to certificate study or four-year college degree programs, bootcamps provide a good middle ground. Unlike certificate programs, which often provide instruction on several investment strategies and skills, investing bootcamps are usually more focused on their scope and teach one skill, such as financial accounting or how Python is used in finance. Bootcamp study is a good learning option for those looking to start with basic investing concepts and progress into more advanced-level training over several days or weeks (depending on if they’re attending part-time or full-time). Because they’re shorter than certificates or university study, investing bootcamps can be a much more affordable learning option. Some schools offer programs for approximately $500. 

In addition to the supportive and engaging learning environment they provide, finance and investing bootcamps are an excellent way to learn the basics before taking your skills further. Noble Desktop offers training options in several investment-related topics. Learners can opt for the Python for Finance Bootcamp. This class prepares students to analyze SEC financial statements, work with Python’s financial libraries, manipulate financial data, create risk models, and make stock price predictions using linear regression. Noble also has a Financial Accounting Bootcamp for those seeking introductory-level training in financial accounting concepts like accounting statements, as well as more advanced instruction in topics like securities and investments. Each of these programs takes just a few days to complete and includes a free course retake for a full year.

While bootcamps can provide a great opportunity for students to receive hands-on investing training, it’s important to keep in mind that these classes are fairly short and provide a limited type of training. For those who want to fully immerse in investing, more intensive coursework like a certificate or full-time college study may be a better option since it provides a more robust financial context for the investment strategies that are taught. 

Skills Classes: An Affordable Option for Hands-on Training

If you’re not quite ready to embark on a comprehensive certificate or bootcamp program in investing, skills classes are a good alternative. Because finance is such a broad category and involves so many related skills, some learners may want to focus on one skill or tool at a time before moving on to the next. Skills classes usually take just a few days of time to complete (some require only an afternoon). They’re typically offered at the beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels so that students can select coursework at the appropriate difficulty level rather than having to relearn old concepts or struggle with those that are far too advanced. These live programs are taught in-person or online and generally provide students with real-world examples so they’ll be prepared to put their skills to use professionally upon graduation. 

Skills classes in investing take two forms. Some focus on one tool, like Microsoft Excel, whereas others provide a beginner-level overview of investing. Noble Desktop, for example, has Excel classes at three levels for those who want to explore how to use spreadsheets in the professional setting: Excel Level I, Excel Level II, and Excel Level III. Noble also offers a Stock Market Investing class, which requires just one afternoon of time and teaches students the essential skills they’ll need to get started investing in the stock market. 

Because these classes are relatively short, busy professionals can complete their training over a weekend without having to take off work and pick and choose whatever skills are most necessary to their professional development. Cost is another benefit of skills classes. Since this type of training is shorter than other training options like bootcamps or certificates, they are typically a much more affordable option. Some schools provide training for under $300. 

On-Demand Investing Training: Reasonably Priced Training for Self-Motivated Learners

One of the most affordable ways to study investing is through on-demand content. This type of training consists of pre-recorded lectures and modules that the student purchases and completes on their own time. Not only does this training format provide students with the flexibility of deciding when they want to complete their training, but it also allows them to dictate their own learning pace, which is not possible in live, instructor-led classes. Participants can pause lessons or rewatch them in their entirety if they desire. On-demand data analytics content is available from many top educators, such as Udemy and Coursera. Students can sign up for short classes that take only an hour or so to complete and focus on a specific tool, such as how Python is used in finance or how Excel spreadsheets assist with financial accounting-related tasks. They can also purchase longer courses that provide a more comprehensive exploration of the field of investing and the tools needed to succeed as an Investment Banker or Financial Analysts.

Because so many different types of on-demand content exist, price points vary substantially from one provider to another. Some are available for less than $100. Other programs allow students to purchase courses a la carte, as part of a bundle, or through a subscription service. Since no instructor is available to guide lessons or answer questions, however, those who choose to learn investing through self-paced content must be self-motivated and have the drive to complete their coursework and stay on task.

Free Resources: A Low-Stakes Way to Get Started

In addition to investing resources like live or on-demand coursework that cost money to attend, free online resources are also available, including YouTube channels, online tutorials, and blogs, that break down challenging investing concepts. Some of these resources provide answers to specific investing questions like what mutual funds are or describe the basics of stock investing. These resources require no monetary investment and are widely available, which makes them popular for those who don’t want to invest hundreds or thousands on formal classwork but still have to finish a project for work. 

One of the main drawbacks to free investing resources is that they generally only provide a basic type of instruction that doesn’t go into great depth about the field of finance as a whole or the role investing plays in this field. If you’re hoping to receive more comprehensive instruction on investing, you will likely need a more robust type of training than that which is provided by free resources. While they can be a good starting place in learning investing and can supplement other forms of live training, free resources typically aren’t a match for live, instructor-led classes.

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.