Most people have heard of stocks and funds but couldn't tell you the difference. This course changes that — covering everything from how markets actually work to building your first real portfolio.
New to investing? We recommend starting with Investing from Scratch before this course.
You understand the basics — compound interest, risk, ISAs — and are ready to go deeper into the actual investment vehicles available to you.
You've opened a Stocks & Shares ISA but don't know what to actually put inside it. This course answers exactly that question.
You hear terms like "the FTSE 100 fell today" or "index fund" and want to actually understand what they mean — not just nod along.
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Ten lessons. Three hours. A genuine understanding of the building blocks of investing — free, and at your own pace.
For most beginners, funds — especially index funds — are the smarter starting point. Picking individual stocks requires significant research and carries more risk. This course walks you through the evidence on both approaches so you can decide for yourself.
They're closely related — most index funds are available as ETFs. The main difference is how you buy them: ETFs trade on the stock market like shares, while index funds are typically bought directly from a fund provider. Lesson 5 covers this in full.
It's strongly recommended. This course is pitched at intermediate level and assumes you already understand basic concepts like risk, return and compound interest. If those terms are unfamiliar, start with Investing from Scratch first.
Lesson 8 and 9 cover exactly this — how to read a fund factsheet, what the key metrics mean, and how to compare costs. By the end of the course you'll know what to look for.