Invstr Academy

Remember, the journey doesn’t end here. Keep learning, keep practicing, and most of all, have fun! Thank you for sticking with it all the way until the end—we’re lucky to have you in the Invstr community. Now get out there and get investing! Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

You should always feel like you’re in charge of your investment portfolio. You choose what goes in, you choose what stays in, and you choose what comes out. Once you’ve made an investment, continue to manage it actively. If it doesn’t perform the way you expect, make a conscious decision to reduce it or get out altogether. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

Successful investing is about making money. It’s not about being right. Choosing the right investment to make is important. Buying it at the right price is almost just as important. You can use charts to help you pick the right time and price to buy. Longer time-frames allow you to see the long-term trend. The trend is always your friend! Make investments in line with the trend. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

The market is always right. Once you develop an outlook for what you expect to happen, test it out in the marketplace. You can do this in a fantasy portfolio or you can do it for real with a small amount of money. Practice with Invstr. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

Develop a methodology for analyzing information. Use it consistently to strengthen your investing process. You might prefer to start “top-down” by looking at the bigger picture and using your worldly wisdom to analyze what’s happening. Or, you might prefer to start “bottom-up” and research individual stocks first. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

Great athletes have great peripheral vision. They see what’s happening on the field of play better than others. It helps them anticipate moves and be one step ahead of their opponents. Listen to polish up your investing skills. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

Do your homework before you invest! That means gathering as much information as you can before you risk your money. Take the time to develop your own sources of information and refer to them on a regular basis. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

Investing is a marathon, not a sprint. The longer you can stay in the race, the more you’ll benefit from the compounding returns on your portfolio. You need all the stamina you can get! Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

It’s a lot easier to aim when we have a target to aim at. Having clearly defined objectives and goals helps us manage both our successes and failures. It also helps us cut losses and take profits when we’re straying too far from our targets ???? Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

There’s a big difference between playing and learning, and investing for real. That difference is you ???? Successful investing is as much about managing ourselves as it is about managing our money. When real money is involved and we have large profits or losses in our portfolio, it’s easy for our emotions to take over and for us to make bad decisions. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

When it comes to investing, we have some good news and bad news. The good news is that you made money! The bad news is that the government usually wants to collect part of that money from you in the form of tax ???? Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

As you make investments through your broker, you slowly start to build up your portfolio. Your portfolio is the sum of all the investments you have made. It also includes any cash you have not yet invested. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

We’ve seen that prices in financial markets are constantly changing. In fact, they can change many times a second. It’s important to make sure that we pay the right price for our investments when we place our orders. Listen to lesson 8 for more information. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

You’ve opened your account. You’ve put money in it. You’ve found something you want to buy. You’ve figured out how much you should buy and when you should buy it. You’re ready to make an investment! It’s time to tell your broker what you want to do ???? Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

Brokers are businesses, and they make money from you! They charge you a fee every time you buy or sell an investment. This fee is called an execution or trading commission. A broker might also charge you fees for making sure the investments you buy are properly delivered to your account, and for looking after your investments. These services are called clearing and custody fees. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

When you transfer money to someone else, you might worry about whether or not that money is safe. It’s a totally valid fear, and good that you’re already thinking about safety and security ???? Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

Once your brokerage account has been approved, the next thing you need to do is put money into it. This is called funding your account ???? Listen to find out how to fund your account. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

As we saw in Module 4, different investments behave in different ways. Some asset classes and sectors are riskier than others. They move up and down more. The more money or time you have before you need to sell your investments, the more risk you can afford to take ???? Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

Brokers are required by regulators to understand who their clients are and where their money came from. This is to prevent money from illegal activities entering the financial system. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

By now, you’re probably more than ready to start investing. So how do you actually do it? ???? Listen to lesson 1 to find out hat a brokerage account is. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

So far, we’ve defined seven steps in a good game plan: Being clear on what your objectives are Developing an investment strategy Developing an investment outlook, thinking about what could happen next Choosing what investments to make How much to invest When to invest When to get out Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

Almost as important as knowing when to buy is knowing when to sell. There’s nothing more frustrating than seeing great investment returns vanish as the market turns down, or seeing losses get larger and larger. Luckily, there are ways to avoid both of these scenarios: by having a plan for when you’re going to sell your investments. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

Choosing what you should buy and how much you should buy are important. But when you should make an investment is possibly the most important decision you’ll mak, listen to lesson 6 to find out why. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

Once you’ve chosen what you want to buy, there are still at least three more steps in your game plan. The next step is to decide how much you want to buy. Listen to lesson 5 to learn what you should take into consideration. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

It’s awesome to be right about the future, but that’s not enough to become a successful investor. Good investing isn’t just about being right. It’s about making money consistently over time. In this lesson, we’re going to consider the question that most people ask when they start investing: what should I buy? Listen to lesson 4 for some Invstr tips. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

So far, you’ve defined two steps in your investment process: your objectives and your strategy. Just by doing this, you’re already way ahead of most investors ???? Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

You’ve defined your objectives: you know what you want to achieve and over what timeframe. It’s the first step in your game plan. Step two is to figure out how you’re going to do it. Let's start developing your Investment Strategy ???? Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

You’re developing all the right habits to become a successful investor: reading the news; following the markets and the price action like a hawk; checking out the charts; chatting to family, friends, colleagues, classmates and other successful investors in private leagues or in the Invstr Feed. Are you feeling financially fit yet? Listen to learn more. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

Researching and following other people is great, but there’s nothing like doing things for yourself. Practice on the Invstr app today. Listen to lesson 6 for more Invstr tips. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

Markets are about people: human psychology matters! If we could understand what everyone in the world was thinking, we’d be better prepared for what might happen next. Unfortunately, none of us can read minds (yet). Until then, we have a pretty good solution for solving the mystery of the markets… Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

Financial markets, like the economy, can go through cycles that last for years. Because of this, getting the hang of market conditions can take a long time. It can take years to experience all the different cycles and behaviors of the market! Lesson 4 will put everything into context for you. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

In addition to following the news, the next most important thing is to follow the price changes in the market. Ask yourself: Is the price going up or down? Did the price react the way I expected, given the news? If there was no news and the market still moved up or down, what caused it? You may have heard the phrase “the market is always right.” Learn more in lesson 3. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

Everything that happens in the world affects the financial markets in some way. Even events that aren’t clearly related to the economy have an effect on markets: the Olympics, for example, affects the economy of the host country and its national currency. These things can cause a chain reaction in financial markets; some may be small, but others can be so big they make worldwide news. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

⭐ You’re in the home stretch! You’ve completed all the theory. You’ve also learned about a simple business; the whole economy; what makes financial markets go up and down; all the people who influence the financial markets; and how everything in the world is connected to everything else. Phew! Keep up the great work ???? Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

Cryptocurrencies are a relatively new asset class. As we saw in Module 4, they’re not impacted by the same factors that affect other asset classes (interest rates, the yield curve, exchange rates). In fact, one of the great benefits of cryptocurrencies is that they’re uncorrelated to other asset classes. This means that a portfolio that has cryptocurrencies is more diversified than one that does not have cryptocurrencies. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

The share prices of commodity producers and consumers can also be affected by the movements in US dollars. Higher local currency earnings mean higher profits in local currency terms. Listen to lesson 8 to to learn more. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

We’ve just learned how changes in fiscal policy can change monetary policy. We’ve also seen how changes in monetary policy and interest rates can cause changes in the economy as well as the markets for currency and bonds. In the next three lessons, we’ll see how these changes affect the markets for the three remaining asset classes: commodities, equities, and cryptocurrencies. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

In Module 4, we learned that foreign exchange rates are the price between two national currencies. Increased demand for the base currency relative to the quoted currency makes the foreign exchange rate go up. Learn more in lesson 6. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

If someone asked you to lend them money for one day, you might charge them 2%. If they asked you to lend them money for ten years, you’d probably want to charge them a higher rate of interest. That’s because you might have more uses for your money over ten years than overnight. Plus, there’s always the chance that they might be less likely to pay you back in ten years than tomorrow. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

In Module 5, we learned that the most powerful people in the economy after politicians are central bankers. Politicians control fiscal policy. But central bankers control the level of interest rates in the economy. This is called monetary policy. Let's learn more in lesson 4. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

After the Great Depression of 1929, British economist John Maynard Keynes developed a theory that later became known as Keynesian economics. This theory states that when households and companies lack the courage to invest, governments should step in to help support the economy by filling in the holes. Learn more in lesson 3. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

We’ve already learned that financial markets are all about people. And who are the people with the most power? Politicians. We give politicians the authority to manage the country on our behalf. Their decisions impact what the government spends money on, how much it spends, and who has to pay for it. That’s a pretty big deal. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

Congrats, you’ve made it this far! We know it’s a lot of info, but you’re crushing it ???? In this module, we’re finally going to start putting together everything we’ve learned so we can understand the financial markets in a single coherent framework. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

Fintech isn’t about finance. It’s not even about technology. It’s about people. As a Fintech platform, our job at Invstr is to help you gain an understanding of how the financial markets work, give you information to make good decisions, and give you the opportunity to start investing with small amounts of money. Your success is our success ???? Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

The last category of people in the markets is the most important - all of us! We’re known as retail investors ???? Not all retail investors are created equal. Those with certain levels of income or wealth are called accredited investors. They’re allowed to buy less liquid securities that other retail investors aren’t allowed to buy. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

Institutional investors are the businesses and people who manage large sums of money on behalf of many different types of clients. Institutional investors come in all shapes and sizes. Let’s take a look at a few of them. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

The main purpose of the financial markets (and of the banking system in general) is to facilitate the flow of money from people who want to invest to those who need capital to grow. Financial markets are like the beating heart of a capitalist economy ????Efficient capital markets lead to growth, employment, and prosperity. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

Brokers are the people who receive client orders and send them to the marketplace. They earn commissions from clients for executing their orders. Unlike market makers, brokers don’t take risk on their client orders. Listen to learn about the different types of brokers. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

Exchanges rely on traders to post the prices at which they’re willing to buy or sell securities. These are called Bid and Asks: Bids (for buying) Asks or offers (for selling) The more bids and offers there are, the greater the chance of an investor being able to buy or sell the securities they want at an agreeable price. The ability to buy or sell an asset on the market is called liquidity. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

Exchanges are the digital marketplaces where trading of securities occurs. They’re one of the most important parts of the financial system! What kind of securities are we talking about? There could be securities that already exist and are “listed” for trading on the exchange. Or they could be new securities, like an Initial Public Offering (IPO), where a company is being listed for the first time. Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.

Part of the Fed’s job is to regulate banks. But there are lots of financial firms (like brokers) that aren’t banks. So who gets to regulate them? Remember to download the [Invstr app] (https://invstr.com) to complete the end of module quizzes and collect your graduation certificate.