Investing for Regular People Syllabus
A complete, no-nonsense curriculum for ordinary people who want to build wealth without getting ripped off. From understanding stocks and bonds to retirement accounts, real estate, and the psychology that makes investors fail. No jargon, no sales pitch — just what you need to know.
12Courses
122Chapters
700+Topics
Understanding Financial Markets
What markets are, how they work, and what you're actually buying when you invest.
1 How the Stock Market Works 10 ch.
- What Is a Stock Market?
- The Major Exchanges
- What Happens When You Click 'Buy'
- Stock Indices Explained
- Trading Hours, Halts, and Circuit Breakers
- Who Else Is Trading?
- How Stock Prices Move
- Reading Stock Quotes and Charts
- Regulation and Investor Protection
- Common Misconceptions About the Market
2 Stocks: What You're Actually Buying 10 ch.
- Ownership: What a Share Really Is
- How Companies Create Value
- Dividends: Getting Paid to Own
- Growth vs Value Stocks
- Understanding Valuation
- Reading a Company's Financials
- Stock Splits, Buybacks, and Corporate Actions
- Sector and Industry Differences
- International Stocks
- Individual Stocks vs Funds: The Honest Truth
3 Bonds and Fixed Income: The Steady Side of Investing 10 ch.
- What Is a Bond?
- Government Bonds: The Safest Investment?
- Corporate Bonds
- Municipal Bonds and Tax Benefits
- How Bond Prices and Yields Work
- Duration and Interest Rate Risk
- Credit Risk: When Borrowers Don't Pay
- Bond Funds vs Individual Bonds
- Bonds in Your Portfolio
- Other Fixed Income: CDs, Money Markets, and More
Investment Vehicles
The tools regular investors actually use — funds, retirement accounts, and real estate.
4 Mutual Funds, ETFs, and Index Investing 10 ch.
- What Is a Fund and Why Use One?
- Mutual Funds Explained
- Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs)
- Active vs Passive: The Great Debate
- Index Funds: The Revolution
- Understanding Fund Costs
- Types of Stock Funds
- Types of Bond Funds
- Target-Date Funds: One-Stop Shopping
- Choosing Your Funds: A Practical Guide
5 Retirement Accounts: The Tax-Advantaged Path to Wealth 10 ch.
- Why Retirement Accounts Matter So Much
- Employer 401(k) Plans
- Traditional IRAs
- Roth IRAs: Tax-Free Forever
- Roth 401(k) and Mega Backdoor Roth
- HSA: The Triple Tax Advantage
- SEP IRAs and Solo 401(k)s for Self-Employed
- Rollovers and Conversions
- Required Minimum Distributions
- Putting It All Together: Account Priority
6 Real Estate Investing for Regular People 10 ch.
- Is Real Estate a Good Investment?
- Your Home: Investment or Expense?
- Rental Property Investing
- Financing Real Estate Investments
- The Reality of Being a Landlord
- REITs: Real Estate Without the Headaches
- Real Estate Crowdfunding and Syndications
- Location, Location, Location
- Tax Strategies for Real Estate Investors
- Real Estate in Your Overall Portfolio
Building and Protecting Your Portfolio
How to construct a portfolio, manage risk, and overcome the psychology that makes investors fail.
7 Building Your Portfolio 10 ch.
- What Is a Portfolio?
- The Major Asset Classes
- Risk Tolerance: Know Yourself
- Time Horizon: When Do You Need the Money?
- Diversification: The Only Free Lunch
- Classic Portfolio Models
- Rebalancing: Maintaining Your Plan
- Tax-Efficient Asset Location
- When to Change Your Portfolio
- Building Your Actual Portfolio: Step by Step
8 The Psychology of Investing: Your Brain vs. Your Money 10 ch.
- Your Brain vs Your Portfolio
- Loss Aversion: Why Losses Hurt More
- Overconfidence and the Illusion of Control
- FOMO and Herd Behavior
- Confirmation Bias and Information
- Anchoring and Mental Accounting
- Recency Bias and Pattern Seeking
- The Paralysis Problem
- Staying the Course: The Hardest Part
- Building Better Investment Habits
9 Investment Risks and How to Manage Them 10 ch.
- What Is Investment Risk?
- Market Risk: The Risk That Affects Everyone
- Inflation Risk: The Silent Killer
- Interest Rate Risk
- Credit Risk: When Borrowers Default
- Concentration Risk: Too Many Eggs, One Basket
- Sequence-of-Returns Risk
- Liquidity Risk
- Currency Risk
- Behavioral Risk: The Risk You Create
Context and Protection
Market history, how the investment industry works, and how to protect yourself from bad actors.
10 Market History: Booms, Crashes, and Lessons 10 ch.
- Why History Matters for Investors
- The Great Crash of 1929
- Post-War Prosperity and the Go-Go Years
- Black Monday: October 1987
- The Dot-Com Bubble
- The 2008 Financial Crisis
- The COVID Crash and Recovery
- Bull Markets: How Long Do the Good Times Last?
- Bear Markets: Surviving the Downturns
- The Long View: 100 Years of Returns
11 The Investment Industry: Who's Selling What 10 ch.
- How the Investment Industry Makes Money
- Brokers vs Fiduciary Advisors
- Financial Advisor Business Models
- Hidden Fees and How to Find Them
- Conflicts of Interest to Watch For
- Annuities: Useful Tool or Sales Trap?
- Insurance Products Masquerading as Investments
- Investment Scams and Fraud
- The Good Guys: Low-Cost Providers
- Do You Need Professional Help?
Capstone
A month-by-month action plan to put everything into practice.
12 Your First Year as an Investor: A Complete Action Plan 12 ch.
- Month 1: Getting Your Financial House in Order
- Month 2: Setting Your Investment Goals
- Month 3: Opening Your Accounts
- Month 4: Choosing Your Investment Strategy
- Month 5: Making Your First Investments
- Month 6: Maximizing Tax-Advantaged Accounts
- Month 7: Surviving Your First Market Drop
- Month 8: Reviewing and Optimizing
- Month 9: Expanding Your Knowledge
- Month 10: Protecting Your Plan
- Month 11: Planning for Life Changes
- Month 12: The Long Road Ahead