Looking for a good solid class in the basics of stocks, bonds, finance, and investing? Haven't the slightest clue how to prepare for retirement, pay for college, or even manage your personal finances? Wish you had some guidance to put your finances into clear and understandable perspective? And do you wish you could do it all without having to pay a broker or a financial advisor? Well, look no further. The class you need is right here!

Stocks, Bonds, and Investing; Oh My! is an enjoyable class that walks you through the fundamentals of investing. The course will not only teach you about the stock markets, 401k plans, and retirement, but it will also address personal financial issues that are often ignored, but absolutely essential, to your success as an investor.

This course won't just throw a bunch of terms at you, expecting you to memorize everything. The instructor takes the time to explain concepts in detail so you understand how and why things work in the investment world. You'll leave this course with a comprehensive and thorough education in personal finance and investment. And you will have provided yourself with the independence, confidence, and peace of mind you'll need to make your own investment decisions.

Full of solid advice and good common sense, this course is bound to make life just a little easier for you.

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Recommended Courses:

Students who enrolled in Stocks, Bonds, and Investing: Oh, My! were also interested in the following courses:

The Analysis and Valuation of Stocks

Introduction to Macroeconomics

Building Wealth

Debt Elimination Techniques That Work

Introduction to Stock Options

Personal Finance

Real Estate Investing II: Financing Your Property

Where Does All My Money Go?

Syllabus:

All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when the lesson is released, but you must complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.

A new section of each course starts on the second or third Wednesday of each month. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

Week One

Wednesday - Lesson 01

Welcome! In this first lesson, you'll get to know a little about me, but more importantly, I'll get to hear from all of you. I like it when people post messages, so don't feel shy about posting any comments or questions you have! This is also the lesson where we'll set forth our game plan, reviewing what we'll cover and putting things in context so you can get your bearings and get the most out of the class.

Friday - Lesson 02

Hold on, there—we can't have you just running around, investing randomly in different investments! You need to fully and fundamentally understand the theories, laws, and concepts that govern investing. In this lesson, you'll learn what really gives money its value, how to increase that value, the power of compounding, and how much money you'll need to save for retirement. Then we'll look at how all of this pertains to the three most important investments you'll make: retirement, education, and housing.

Week Two

Wednesday - Lesson 03

With a solid understanding of investing, we'll then apply a timeline or a schedule. Which investments should you make first? Would it be more beneficial to invest in an IRA or should you be thinking about college? Or might this perhaps be a good time for you to invest in rental property? We'll explore all of the benefits and drawbacks of these options to help you decide when to incorporate which investments into your lifetime plan.

Friday - Lesson 04

Mutual funds, IRA accounts, 401k plans, and most other investments are primarily composed of two simple building blocks: stocks and bonds. So before we get too far along, we'll need to take a closer look at them. In this lesson, we'll go into intricate detail about stocks and bonds, discussing exactly what they are, what gives them value, how to look up their prices, and much more.

Week Three

Wednesday - Lesson 05

Understanding stocks and bonds allows us to understand a whole new set of securities and investments that are available to us. Things like mutual funds, options, ADRs, ETFs, REITs, and much more. Today we'll discuss these different investments, how they work, why you might want to invest in them, as well as any pros and cons to investing in them.

Friday - Lesson 06

But where do you purchase said stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and other investments? Never fear—there are many different exchanges throughout the world that are here to serve your trading needs. Need to purchase an indexed mutual fund? The AMEX is more than happy to help you. Looking for a tech stock with a promising future? You'll find tech stocks aplenty at the NASDAQ. In this lesson, I'll help you get familiar with all the major (and perhaps a bit more obscure) markets and exchanges throughout the world. If you're already investing, chances are you've been making purchases within one or more of these exchanges.

Week Four

Wednesday - Lesson 07

In this lesson, you'll meet all the different people and visit the institutions involved in trading and investing. Brokers, brokerages, traders, routers, etc., as well as the different types of brokerages you may want to choose from—traditional, discount, or online. You'll also learn more about the roles they play in getting your trade through. Perhaps most important, you'll learn what these people's real incentive is in trading for you: it isn't charity!

Friday - Lesson 08

How are all these different stocks, bonds, and mutual funds traded? How does everything come together with the traders, brokers, and processes? And how do you know you're getting the best deal from your broker? You'll need an intricate understanding of the trading process, traders, brokers, and their incentives, not just in order to make investments, but to know when you're getting a good deal. In this lesson, you'll learn how to tell if you made a good trade or not.

Week Five

Wednesday - Lesson 09

While we briefly touched on the topic of retirement programs in our first lesson, the options are so varied, detailed, and important that they deserve a lesson all to themselves. So here we'll take a detailed look at the operations, contribution limits, tax advantages, and withdrawal requirements of IRAs, Roth IRAs, SEP Plans, 401ks, 403bs, 529 plans and many other plans.

Friday - Lesson 10

Eat healthy, don't smoke, don't drink, get plenty of exercise, get an education, get a house, invest in your 401k, invest in a 529 plan, and get a good night's sleep. Who are we kidding? Almost everyone has that itch to go to Vegas, stay up all night, bet a grand on blackjack, have a martini, have a steak, and maybe even smoke a cigar. Lots of people have the same itch to invest in an unknown stock, make a fortune on it, and then retire in the Bahamas. While investing in your 401k may be good for your long-term investment plan, sometimes risk is a good thing. In this lesson, we'll look at stock valuation and analysis, and we'll review some of the basics of taking calculated investment risks.

Week Six

Wednesday - Lesson 11

In this continuation of Lesson 10, you'll discover research techniques that you can use to analyze and pick stocks, such as fundamental analysis and technical analysis, as well as valuation techniques used to price stocks. You'll also learn how to read a company's annual report, then you'll gain some insight into the details of stock analysis and research. This is required reading if you plan to make it big by investing in stocks!

Friday - Lesson 12

We've covered a lot of ground thus far, and it wouldn't be fair to expect you to commit all of it to memory. That's why we'll spend some time here in Lesson 12 researching resources, looking at a vast array of Web sites, publications and other sources of information that will help guide your future investments.

This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be Aaron Clarey.

Aaron Clarey received his Bachelor of Science in Finance with High Honors from the University of Minnesota. Since 1998, Aaron has been teaching a wide array of classes on finance and investing, including How to Invest Online, Figuring Out Your 401k, The Analysis and Valuation of Stocks, and Stocks, Bonds, and Investing; Oh My! His classes take the fear out of finance and investing by making personal financial management easy and understandable for everyone. During the day, Aaron works as a banking analyst. At night, he moonlights as a ballroom dance instructor. In the summer, he is an avid amateur paleontologist, hosting The Great Twin Cities Fossil Hunt for children. He is also the author of the popular book, Behind the Housing Crash—Confessions of an Insider.

Requirements:

Internet access, e-mail, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins (two free and simple downloads you obtain at http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and Get Adobe Reader).

Student Reviews:

"Aaron Clarey almost makes studying finance fun! I enjoyed every lesson and have gained a great deal of insight into investing."

"Aaron does an outstanding job of making this course interesting and fun. A wonderful learning experience!"

"Aaron I just wanted to let you know that I have really enjoyed this course. I was very interested in learning about investing so that meant that I had to take a course. I like the humor in this course. I have learned a great deal about investing, I had no idea about investing but I do have a better understanding now. I have been checking out some of the sites you suggested and I have purchased books to learn more before I get an online account for buying stocks. Now I am about to do my final exam. Thank you so much for your teachings."

"Aaron is a terrific instructor and it is obvious that he loves his subject. His lessons were very interesting, which was especially helpful considering some of the financal material can be very boring. We also received excellent feedback to our questions from Aaron. After attending this introductory class, I intend to take Aaron's other, more advanced, course. I hope he will teach more advanced courses in the future."

"Aaron is a terrific instructor and it is obvious that he loves his subject. His lessons were very interesting, which was especially helpful considering some of the financial material can be very boring. We also received excellent feedback to our questions from Aaron. After attending this introductory class, I intend to take Aaron's other, more advanced, course. I hope he will teach more advanced courses in the future."

"Aaron obviously loves his work and is kind enough to share his understanding with others. It was a lot of fun, I learned a lot and felt this helped fill some gaps in my own understanding. He manages to get across a lot of information with a very nice, light style…Finally it was refreshing to get this kind of information without someone trying to sell me something. Thank you!"

"Aaron provided a great insight to the subject matter, and turned something that can be very boring in to a very enjoyable and understandable subject. Thanks!"

"Aaron's course was excellent. Aaron obviously put a lot of knowledge and personality into his lesson plans. I learned a lot of information that I wish I would have had twenty-five years ago. The lessons also revealed there is more yet to be learned and researched. "A terrific springboard.""

"Aaron, Thank you for I learned way more than I expected. As it goes to show I don't know everything."

"Aaron, Thank you for I learned way more than I expected. As it goes to show I don't know everything. I am reinforced in my decision to outsource but yet it is not unreasonable to do my own research."

"Aaron, thank you so much for this insightful course. Based on what I have learned in these 6 weeks, I am impressed! I reviewed my brokerage statements from 2003 through 2007 and I can actually understand them. I am going to continue to use the investor simulator and research all my presently-owned securities to make more informed decisions… Thank you again, excellent course PACKED with tons of information that I would never have known about!"

"Aaron, this has been an excellent course. You have explained things so well and cleared up much confusion I have had about investing. It always seemed like such a mystery and now the doors have opened up. I feel I have so many resources to use now in my further studies about investing. And I feel so much more confident about pursuing my retirement investing. Thanks so much for teaching this course."

"Aaron was a funny & knowledgeable guy. For the price, the course really gave me a firm foundation in investing and the stock market. It is a great class to take if you are busy/working full time. His writing style is humorous and informative. I truly feel that this beginner course helped me become a lot stronger in a field I knew little about. Thanks!"

"Aaron was an amazing instructor. I learned more in 6 weeks than I did in one semester of college. Aaron's approach made me want to invest, and invest the right way!"

"Aaron was very helpful and really made this class both enjoyable and educational. I feel the knowledge obtained in this class surpassed my expectations, as did the instructor."

"A fun course! I learned quite a bit, and Aaron was a terrific teacher!"

"An excellent overview of the world of investing, the fundamental features of the stock market, and the opportunities for each of us lucky enough to live here in the U.S.A.!"

"An outstanding course! I will be abe to use some the information in my investment plans"

"A very helpful course. Gave me the knowledge I need to invest in the future."

"Awesome job Aaron! I feel more comfortable talking about investments and understanding what I'm doing with my retirement plan!"

"Bravo! Bravo!! How did you get me to understand anything about Stocks and Bonds? I believe in myself and my abilities after this course. Thank you so much!!!"

"By putting into practice what I have learned, I am already seeing benefits. Thank you Aaron."

"By putting into practice what I have learned, I am already seeing benefits. Thank you, Aaron."

"Class was just what I was hoping for. I would say that I didn't know what to expect in terms of depth or style based on the marketing blurb, but it worked out great. Thank you."

"Clear, concise writing style - funny too!!"

"Enjoyed the class-thanks!"

"Even though I'm 82 and did not participate in any discussions, I learned a lot of useful information. I wanted to take the course because we have some investments and did not have a very good understanding of it all. Thank you!"

"Everything about it that is important was top quality...the scheduling freedom and course content were great."

"Everything I always wanted to know and didn't know how to find. Look forward to a research course. Thank You!"

"Excellent class and have enjoyed it very much. I am looking forward for different classes taught by this instructor. It was well worth it."

"Excellent class. Excellent instructor. He's knowledgeable and personable. He made the class interesting and fun."

"Excellent Course. An enormous amount of information througout the course. Will be using as a reference for many years to come. Thanx Aaron!!"

"EXCELLENT material!! It wasn't written above my level or below it even with my basic knowledge. The course has increased my confidence that I will be able to make better decisions concerning my money and investments."

"Excellent! The course was invaluable. Aaron not only made it interesting and informative, but, more importantly, he demystified investing and provided a great framework, which will help me for the years to come. Also, I agree with Aaron's statement that investment should be taught early on so that our children understand how the world of investing works."

"Excellent. This course answered most of my questions before I had a chance to ask them. Although the course started a little slowly for my level, I found the information an excellent review and certainly enjoyable to study with a nice progression into more complicated and valuable (to me)material. Most of all, the course is very relevent to my investment goals. Thank you."

"Excellent. This course answered most of my questions before I had a chance to ask them. I found the information an excellent review and certainly enjoyable to study with a nice progression into more complicated and valuable material. Most of all, the course is very relevant to my investment goals. Thank you."

"Fantastic!! This course exceeded my expectations. Great lessons and links to various financial resources. The course provided a good mix of basic information as well as technical information. I would definitely recommend this course to others. Great job!!"

"Great class!"

"Great class, I found Aaron's teaching style very interactive and easy to understand. I have books by Peter Lynch, The Motely Fools, The Dummies & Idiots books on finance....while I haven't felt motivate to read these authors.... I was certainly motivated to read Aaron's lectures, do the assignments, and take the quizzes. Thanks Aaron, and I'm looking forward to taking another one of the online classes. P.S. "Why oh why didn't I get a great and humorous instructor like Aaron for my finance class in high school or college? Who knows where I'd be (ching, ching) right now?"

"Great class! It covers all the bases and all the basics you need for understanding investing & getting started. It covered more than other classes I've taken."

"Great class - lots of new and useful information presented in an easy-to-understand manner. Answers to discussion area questions were fantastically quick and informative."

"Great class- terrific instructor!"

"GREAT CLASS - TERRIFIC INSTRUCTOR!"

"Great course I have signed up for the next course with this same instructor."

"Great course! I have signed up for the next course with this same instructor."

"Great course. I really liked the class and instructor was fantastic."

"Great course. I truly enjoyed it."

"Great course. I wouldn't hesitate to take another class from this instructor. This was well worth my time and money."

"Great Course worth every penny--(good investment!)"

"Great instructor and a great introduction to a complex topic."

"Great instructor - subject matter and approach was on target for a beginner. Humor and examples keep the class flowing and interesting. Learned a lot and will use as a reference as I progress. The websites were numerous and although I didn't have time to check them all out during the class timeline, I certainly will look at them further down the road."

"Great lessons in investing and finance in general!"

"I am more educated now than I was before entering this class. The information is very useful and this class has inpired me to further delve into the world of finance and investing. Something I never really had considered before is actually interesting. It's my money, I want to know where every penny of it goes. So should YOU!"

"I am one of your "older" students, already retired. I found the course to be very informative. I learned a lot about investing and I only wish I had taken a course like this many years ago."

"I am over 50 with 2+ years of college and a pretty solid business/technical background. I have been successful in my business and personal life but I have never had a firm grasp on investing and retirement. This course provides an excellent overview of the real world we must work in and retire in. It should be provided to people by as many schools, government social entities and corporations as possible"

"I came into the class without knowing anything about stocks and bonds, so this course has opened my eyes and helped me understand many of the terms and processes that goes on."

"I came into this course with no understanding of the terms and systems for investing. I came out of this course with more than I could have hoped for: understanding the terms, the many investment opportunities, how and were to do reseach, etc. This course was written clearly for the novice."

"I definitely understand more about stocks,bonds,and investing now, than when I began the course.I also can read and understand financial publications to a much greater degree. Thank you!"

"I enjoyed the candor and sense of humor of the teacher. It made the course more interesting. In sharing some things about the class with friends they agreed with the instructor and said he is very knowledgeable about subject. I knew nothing about stocks and bonds and I appreciated starting at the beginning. Thank you."

"I enjoyed the course very much. It went into a lot more depth than I had imagined it would but the instructor provided lots of supplementary material. Aaron's writing style was superb; educational, informative, down to earth, and easy to understand."

"I enjoyed the opportunity to learn about investing. I have always had the desire but not always the time or motivation. I will definitely sign up for other courses. Thank you"

"I enjoyed this class very much and felt I learned many things I never knew about. I would recommend this class to people with little or no knowledge of investing."

"I enjoyed this course! Would not hesitate to take another class with Aaron! He is a wonderful instructor! I would take any class this teacher had to offer! Jean"

"I enjoyed this online course, and mr clarey seemed interested in interacting with the students as much as possible. A pleasant experience."

"I feel the class will be very useful in helping me make decisions regarding my 401K plan. I'll recommend it to my colleagues....The humor the author used was refreshing!!"

"I found the course to be extremely informative and am planning on taking his next course."

"I found this class to be very informative. I came into it having no knowledge on this subject and now I feel like I am leaps and bounds ahead of where I was. Thanks!"

"I found this course is interesting and I learned some things about investment. I should say the course is quite helpful for me."

"I found this course very informative and useful to me. The writing style was easy to follow and I was always eager for the next lesson’s release."

"I found this course very useful. Aaron is a great teacher! His obvious knowledge and down-to-earth teaching methods made this a very enjoyable course. Loved his stories! Thanks, Aaron."

"I got a lot out of this course. It served my purposes, knowledge wise. Mr. Clarey is very knowlegeable in his field. Would like to take another internet course soon."

"I got exactly what I wanted out of this course. I feel very confident for my investing future! I'm recommending his class to two of my friends."

"I had minimal knowledge about investing coming into the course. I especially appreciated the way this instructor explained financial concepts in a way that was easy to grasp; very relatable. I needed something introductory and simple and now I feel prepared to take steps toward investing that I earlier feared. I also liked the "go at your own pace" format, as I was in school with a full load and not able to commit much time to the course at the beginning. This did not stop me from finishing. I felt I got my money's worth. Many thanks."

"I had several questions for the professor that were answered quickly, thoroughly and understandably. I'm interested in learning if there are other courses offered by this professor on finance."

"I have a bachelor's in Finance and an MBA. However, I have been out of the work world for 10 years to raise my kids. This course was a great refresher for me and helped me to get back up to speed. Thanks!"

"I have about 6 books on this subject but found that this course gave me a better perspective. The course was written with humor which I really enjoyed."

"I have a confession to make. I have been buying and selling securities for about 40 years now and periodically I like to take a basic course just to see what is being taught. I believe this course has exceeded my expectations because it emphasizes several of the most important of investments, namely education, housing, and retirement. Buying and selling stocks is a lot of fun, but only AFTER all the important things"

"I have enjoyed the course very much due to the instructor's writing style and funny anecdotes. I've learned a lot. Thanks."

"I highly recommend this course to all people curious about the securities markets and investing. It gave me a huge interest in the subject and for the material he was very, very inspiring! Combining traditional education with good examples/analysis is a good way of keeping your interest."

"I learned a lot and really enjoyed the instructor's teaching/writing style. Also, the links and sources supplied are great. The course was more than worth the cost."

"I learned a lot by taking this course. I would recommend to others. It is nice to be able to do on my own time. I have 2 small children and that helped A LOT!!"

"I learned a lot from this class and have even opened an online stock trading account. Aaron's class taught me the basics and most of all, keep my priorities, be conservative and enjoy what I am doing. I like to thank Aaron for his time for creating this course and answering all of my questions."

"I learned a lot from this class. I would definitely recommend this course to beginners like me. Excellent class!"

"I learned more from this course than I had expected to."

"I liked how Aaron lightened up the course with some humor. Once in awhile the subject matter would get a little intense, but I would come across a funny comparison and relax."

"I liked the part about EFT's and the fact that 80 percent of financial advisors don't beat the indices. Very good job of covering a lot of material in just 12 lessons."

"I loved how succinct and informational this course was - it exceeded my expectations and I felt that the instructor was very knowledgeable as well as full of resources."

"I LOVED this class. It was so beautifully and clearly written, and fun! I wasn't expecting to have learned such a broad overview of the whole process of investing. I am taking another class, and have recommended this class and others to my friends."

"I love your style of teaching--it matches my style of learning...This is super information. Thanks."

"Informative with the ability to make it interesting and understandable to the average person. Thank you"

"Instuctor was not just informative but entertaining. He kept difficult information from going over my head."

"I really enjoyed myself. I plan on using what I have learned in this course to help plan my retirement and to invest for the future. I think Mr. Clarey did a great job teaching this class. The lessons were interesting and full of information that I can use."

"I really enjoyed taking this class. It was very easy to follow and keep up with. To Aaron, thank you for giving me the tools I will need to become a sucessful investor. I feel empowered!"

"I really enjoyed the class...and the teacher's writing style."

"I really enjoyed the class more than I thought because of the teacher's style of writing and use of quotes. He put everything into an easy to understand format as I think he could have. I am glad I took the class."

"I really enjoyed the course and as a bonus I learned some very useful information."

"I teach seniors Math and Financial Management, and this course provided invaluable information about important financial goals and various investment expenses. I did not find any part of this course boring. As life would have it, my mom--who lives two hours away--was very ill in hospital for last three weeks of the course. No computer available in that area and I was still able to complete the course and have enormous amounts of information to use in my future stock researches and teachings. Thank you for taking the time and effort to put a stock course together in an easy to read and understand format."

"I think it was one of the best online classes I have taken. The subject was something which I always had an interest in and was never able to understand just by reading books. This was a great opportunity for me… The instructor knew the subject very well and was always there to respond to the question raised in the discussion section. Thanks for offering this class!"

"I think the lessons could have been a bit longer. Typically it only took me a couple hours to read and digest all of the material. I do like the instructor's style and the content he covered. I will definitely take other courses done by him in the future!!! A++"

"I think this type of course should be taught beginning in middle school and continuing through high school. Something that was sadly missing from my public school education. Well done!"

"I think this type of course should be taught beginning in middle school and continuing through high school. The topic is something that was sadly missing from my public school education. Well done!"

"I thoroughly enjoyed the class and have already registered for my next class! This was a GREAT first-time distance learning experience!"

"I thoroughly enjoyed this class, much more so than I thought I would initially. The assignments were very helpful and beneficial. You made the material interesting and the assignments were extremely helpful. By no means do I consider myself an expert, but I definitely know more now than I did before the class. Thanks for a very well-developed program."

"I thoroughly enjoyed this class. The examples and humor made some of the more difficult material much easier to understand."

"I thoroughly enjoyed this course. I took it because I wanted to take a basic course on investing and all the material was presented in a way that was easy to understand. Aaron did a great job in presenting analogies and stories that help explain complex subjects. After taking this course, I've started buying stocks on my own and plan to take another course soon!"

"I thought that Aaron was a great teacher. I learned so much!"

"I thought the course was useful. I am a 75 years old and am invested mostly in mutual funds however I understand that the course could not emphasize mutual funds as much as stocks. I thought the resource chapters were very helpful and the coverage quite thorough."

"I thought the instructor made things interesting and easy to understand. I started out with pretty much no knowledge of securities. I can now carry on a fairly knowledgeable conversation about them. I am anxious to learn more!!!"

"It made me realize how much more I have to learn! Thank you Aaron!"

"I took this course to see if it was possible for me to invest online and know what I was doing. I haven't decided at this point if I will start investing online but after this course I am sure that I could. A great course that I would recommend to anyone."

"I truly enjoyed your class. I learned a lot and hope to make wiser decisions. I highly recommend your class and plan to recommend it to family and friends. Thanks for great learning experience."

"I've already recommended this course to others. I feel that the instructor taught in a knowledgeable and entertaining fashion. This course has added much new and vital information to my fund of knowledge as I explore my opportunities in Investing. Importantly, questions were answered promptly and as satisfactorily as possible. Quality interaction with others is something which I feel makes an online course like this stand out from merely reading a text and submitting tests."

"I very much enjoyed the class and would like to take the next level if offered. Even though I did not have any questions for the instructor, I thought he answered questions from other students in a timely and friendly manner and I learned from the answers he gave."

"I want to say that your course was worth every cent and minute that I put into it! I want to thank you for a well written and easy to understand course."

"I was looking forward to this class and hoped to get a lot out of it and it exceeded my expectations. This course made me realize how little I knew about investing, but now I feel much more informed and more comfortable in at least knowing where to look for investment information and advice."

"I was very pleased to see you explained each concept you were discussing in stead of having the class look up the concept in a website you provided. I like your class very much. This is just the type of on line course I was looking for!!!"

"I wish I had taken this class a couple of decades ago. It took a very complicated subject and explained it in an easy to comprehend manner. I found it to be quite helpful in making the subject 1) understandable and 2) not so intimidating."

"I wish I would have asked more questions but was afraid that they may not pertain to the lesson at hand. I thought of some questions several weeks after the lesson was posted and did not think that the teacher would look at the questions from that lesson again."

"I would just like to say I enjoyed taking this class and I feel I've learned a great deal about the basics of investing...Now I'm motivated to take some more classes."

"i would like to take another online investing course from this instructer. I have taken other in-person investment courses, but I never understood them. Now I believe I have a basic understanding of this confusing field."

"Lots of information. Good start and introduction to the basics of investing. Good references to keep handy!"

"My first online course...hopefully followed by more. Enjoyable and very informative. Thanks. I hope others follow the same format."

"My first online course...hopefully followed by more. Enjoyable and very informative. Thanks. I hope others (professors) follow the same format."

"Outstanding instructor. Very responsive. He even made a point of answering my last minute Sunday morning postings the same day, knowing that the course would be "turned off" the next day…This course was well worth it."

"Thanks Aaron for offering this class. It gave me some basics like I was looking for. Will definitely keep the info for future reference."

"Thanks Aaron!! Great Course. I learned a lot in this course. Thanks a lot for making this course fun & interesting..."

"Thanks, I enjoyed the course, should have taken this a few years ago before I went on my own to invest. Thanks again!"

"Thanks, you gave me the knowledge to start researching info on my own."

"Thanks, you taught me (a mother of three), how to stretch my buck and put it towards something useful in life to benefit my kids and myself."

"Thank you for a great class. I will recommend this to everyone!"

"Thank-You for a well taught course on investing."

"Thank you for making this topic fun!!!"

"Thank you for the broader knowledge of investing."

"Thank you! I feel confident in my investing knowledge for the future!"

"Thank you. I found the course to be expremely PRACTICAL as well as informative. I would like to see more courses beyond the scope of this one to pursue further knowledge. I also appreciated Aaron's sense of humor and and comments (especially in the more intricate subject matter)."

"Thank you so much. I can go on and learn more now without fear."

"Thank you, This course has given me a good base for my future financial goals. Thank you again."

"The class exceeded my expectations. Thank you!!"

"The course was absolutely perfect for my level of knowledge regarding investing. The instructor, Aaron Clarey, apologized for the simplistic information at the start of the course, but I found it all incredibly important. There were "facts" which I had all wrong, and I needed to relearn correctly in order to be able to sort out the variable investment choices available. The bottom line is that I feel I gained an enormous amount of information, as well as directions to find more, in a relatively painless manner. Thank You!"

"The course was excellent and provided very useful information. I'm now more confident about investing. I will use what I learned to improve my portfolio and hopefully avoid many mistakes I made in the past. I found the instructor knowledgeable and refreshingly honest. Thank you, Aaron!"

"The course was excellent. Especially helpful were the several references to websites judged as worthwhile by the instructor. Having had an expert sort out the junk from the good stuff was worth the time/price of the course."

"the course was very informative and easy to understand at the same time, a lot of information. I very much enjoyed and got a lot out of it."

"The course was what I was looking for, a basic knowledge of stock and bonds and retirement plans. The instructor was prompt in answering the questions."

"The instructor and his course offerings are really excellent-a powerful course."

"The instructor had a great sense of humor to go along with the very real subject. I learned a lot and if the instructor has a 2nd class on this subject I would like to take it. Please let me know thank you Leah"

"The instructor has an understandable teaching style. Made the subjects easy and interesting to learn. I would like to know if he teaches other finance/economic classes online!"

"The instructor was very knowledgeable about the field with lots of obvious real world experience. I really appreciated the fact that he would disclose many of the black box terms and ideas in general terms so that the layman could understand. I also thought he did a great job in compling the homework assignments, leaving the specific interests up to the individual student but being very specific about how to access different real world utilities. The problem is that I was inspired to know more about the subjects that he was discussing than the course allowed for."

"The thing that kept my interest the entire time was the instructor's writing style and how he worded things and definitions were abslutely great!"

"This class was really great. Thanks."

"This class was very informative and useful to me. It helped me get a better understanding of the securities market so that when I have interaction with the terms, information and documents I will understand what I am looking at. Thank you very much for this class."

"This course gave me exactly what I was looking for. Aaron did an excellent job of explaining what could have been very arcane information in a most engaging and interesting way."

"This course has given me more insight into my investments and how my "financial planner" handles them. Now I have the knowledge to be able to question advice given. Overall, I was very pleased with the course. It was really more than I expected. The instructor did a very good job of explaining things and making it fun reading."

"This course is a must for anyone who wants to earn additional money other than their weekly paycheck. The course material does not cater to any specific age group or income level; there is something for people to learn and gain from here!"

"This course made up for the many lessons I didn't get earlier on in life about Stocks, Bonds and Investing. Thanks for sharing your knowledge."

"This course was excellent. Before this class I knew nothing about stocks and bonds, and was provided a wealth of easy to understand information. The course was interesting, informative, and even entertaining at times. I look forward to future investment classes from Aaron Clarey."

"This course was interesting and met my learning needs at this time and I am now looking forward to expanding on the information learnt and putting this information to good use for myself! The instructor made the class fun and interesting and his lessons were easy to read and understand! Thank You!"

"This course was interesting and met my learning needs at this time and I am now looking forward to expanding on the information learnt and putting this information to good use for myself! The instructor made the class fun and interesting and his lessons were easy to read and understand! Thank You!"

"This course was just what I needed to peak my interest in the market and economics. I plan on reviewing it in more detail to get all the principles firmly planted in my mind. On a personal note, I updated my portfolio recently and actually knew what the advisor was talking about and found myself asking intelligent questions!!! Thank you!!"

"This course was of tremendous help to me since I am presently teaching a finance class to high school students. I'm so glad I discovered this course!"

"This course was so informative. Aaron was a superb teacher, and he made it fun to learn more about investing. I could ask anything and not feel stupid. I will certainly recommend this course to others. Thanks, Jill"

"This course was very helpful - I learned a lot and learned ways to learn a lot more! I plan to sign up for the next class."

"This course was very imformative and I've learned so much and hope to continue using the information well into the future."

"This course was very informative and I've learned so much and hope to continue using the information well into the future."

"This has been one of the best and beneficial finance courses I have taken. I can use all of the information to manage my portfolio. Great job Aaron."

"This instructor was excellent in both his knowledge, style and availability. His direct responses to the discussion questions were very helpful. It was especially important that questions could be addressed directly to him rather than to the class in general. Reading his answers to the discussion questions added much to the class. Excellent course."

"This instructor was excellent in both his knowledge, style and availability. His direct responses to the discussion questions were very helpful. It was especialy important that he did not use teaching assistants and that questions could be addressed directly to him rather than to the class in general. Reading his answers to the discussion questions added much to the class. Excellent course."

"This is my second course with Aaron and I found him to be an excellent instructor. He made financial data and what could be very complex information make sense to the lay person. He is simply outstanding."

"This is the first on-line course that I have taken. I enjoyed and learned what I need to do different in the future. I enjoyed the course very much and the instructor made it user friendly."

"This teacher is excellent. His style of writing is great. I find the subject matter to be extremely intimidating, and his sense of humor defuses my fears and enables me to learn. Clarey's a wonderful teacher. The class taught me much more than I knew before--a great learning experience!"

"This was a GREAT class. Thanks"

"This was a great introductory class. Your writing style is conversational, and you know how to make the most important points clear. For example, you pointed out simply and effectively that most mutual fund managers fail to beat the indexes. You also clearly established not only that education and housing are investments but that they should take precedence over speculation. I also appreciated your use of The Economist's housing bubble chart -- I read The Economist's original article and was fascinated by its application of the P/E ratio to housing. The examples also were helpful. "Star Wars," "The Matrix," college life -- I could relate to these. Overall, the class was an excellent introduction to investing. It's helped me revise plans for my and my wife's retirement. Thank you."

"This was an excellent course. I found the material very beneficial and the instructor very knowledgeable on the subject. His sense of humor was great."

"This was an excellent overview for placing priorities when considering investing. Thank you for clarifying my investment goals."

"This was an excellent overview for placing priorities when considering investing. Thank you for clarifying my investment goals. Exellent if just starting out or if you just need help prioritizing."

"This was a real good course and well presented. Each lesson has Supplementary Material that I found very useful. Good job, Aaron."

"This was a very helpful course. Instructor provided a lot of information, including invaluable advice for resources beyond the "classroom". His writing style had wit as well as substance, and he made it enjoyable to do the lessons. For those who think investing is an arcane and overwhelming science, this course dispels fears, myths, and provides means and motivation to explore the investing universe."

"This was a very informative and well-organized course, with engaging and well-written lessons. The instructor responded promptly and thoroughly to questions from students. The online Course Index was a very useful tool for reviewing topics."

"This was a very informative class and Aaron was a wonderful teacher. Loved his teaching style! I got a tremendous amount out of this class. Thank you! I will definitely recommend it to my friends."

"This was a very informative class, and I have learned a lot from Aaron. Thank you, Aaron, for the TIME you must have spent in putting this class together. I would definitely take another class from Aaron."

"This was a very useful course. I was just trying to learn the basics about stocks and bonds, the jargon etc. My husband has done all the work with investing for us (and has done a very very good job) I however have always remained pretty clueless, not being a math person or especially interested. However, I realized I really needed to be somewhat educated about these things, and this was a great way to learn it. Thanks so much."

"This was my first online class and it was a great experience."

"This was the first online class I've taken so I really didn't know what to expect. I liked the way Mr. Clarey used practical comparison examples without insulting my intelligence. He also has a great sense of humor. I have alrealy recommended this course to my mom and sister. Thanks."

"Very excellent class for someone like me who needed to be taken from a basic level and led along through the subject."

"Very good class to understand the basics of stocks. Thank you!"

"Very helpful course! Learned a lot more than I knew!"

"Very informational. I learned a lot. I appreciate all the time it must have taken to compile the information for the class."

"Very informative and interesting, enjoyed the readings."

"Very informative but not "dry". Bravo!!"

"Very informative course, especially for a difficult subject. This is a starter for further study or research."

"Very informative course. I've been investing for decades but am much more comfortable now that I've finished this course. It has inspired me to learn more and am looking forward to taking The Analysis and Valuation of Stocks to further my base of knowledge. Thank you for a great course!"

"Very informative Instructor made it easy to understand and gave us valuable resources and useful assignments. Enjoyed his sense of humor also."

"Very interesting and easy to understand."

"Very satisfied with the course. Learned quite a bit and really enjoyed the writing style. Humorous and easy to understand for us non-finance people."

"Very well written and interesting enough to keep my attention for a finance course. Hope to take advantage of what I've learned. I will no longer be my broker's favorite client. Thank you!"

"Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?? I am 59 years old and for the first time have a small understanding of investing. I've tried learning from other sources and this was the best. Thank you!!"

"Wish that I had this knowledge 20 years ago!"

"Wonderful course! I would recommend any of Aarons courses."

"Would love to see more of Aaron's classes in the curriculum!!"

"Wow! What a great instructor! I would like to take more of his classes!"