Did you ever have a piggy bank?

Maybe it wasn’t styled like a pig, but this piggy bank sat on your desk waiting for you to feed it your spare change. As coins and occasional note plonked in, you eagerly awaited the day when the piggy bank would be filled to the brim. When that happened, you’d have cash to buy something nice for yourself. Or save it and restart the cycle, again.

Sure felt like we were rollin’ in money way back then (image credits: Cartoon Network)

Those were some good, simple times. As young adults today, though, our piggy banks have made way for our bank accounts as we save for our retirement, wet weather, big-ticket expenses…we need way more money than what a piggy bank can hold, or what we can earn in our lifetime.

That’s where investing comes in. But for a newcomer and those with little to no business background, investing can be awfully confusing. Unit trusts, mutual funds, bonds, eh? What suits my goals and my risk profile? How do I even begin to make sense of the massive amount of information out there?

You’re not alone! To get you started on your journey, we’ve pooled together a list of investment courses you can consider and resources that you can consult.

But first, a disclaimer and a note:

#1: Our list only serves as a reference and is not an endorsement of any of the courses listed. Do adequate research to see if the course provider is right for you and go learn with an open mind! If you can’t afford course fees, go for as many free seminars/previews as you can to buff up your basics first. Be prepared for the possibility that some previews might serve to upsell paid courses more than anything else. Stand your ground, don’t be impulsive, and you’ll do just fine.

#2: Sometimes investment is broadly used to refer to both trading and investing, but they’re not the same! Two distinctly different methods, the former is generally more aggressive and short-term with the return on investment coming from selling stocks. The latter has a long-term horizon and earns from dividends. Nevertheless, we’ve included resources/course providers for both, so you can expose yourself to both and see what you might like to try in the future.

Course list:

• Value Investing College – Technology-Assisted Stock Hacking Masterclass

Singapore’s largest value investing training company, 8VIC has offices in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan, as well as a presence in Australia and Hong Kong. Their Technology-Assisted Stock Hacking Masterclass is taught by their trainers (Key Trainer Pauline Teo). Participants will learn how to use a platform called WealthPark that you can use to make better investment decisions, as well as how to identify businesses with potential.

Mode: 4 hr workshop

Fees: $39, currently free

• Singapore Polytechnic – Introduction to Personal Investing

This course is ideal for beginners or those who have no idea about investing at all. Offered by PACE, the Professional and Adult Continuing Education Academy under Singapore Polytechnic, the course will help you better understand your financial goals and risk appetite, before going into basic investing concepts and financial instruments you can consider.

Mode: Online, with 3 months access from date of registration

Fees: $21.40 (SGD, GST inclusive)

• SGX Academy – various programmes at various levels

The teaching arm of Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX), SGX Academy offers education and training programmes for all levels of mastery. Their programmes are developed together with or delivered by industry players and academic institutions (some examples include Macquarie and A.B. Maximus & Co. Pte. Ltd). New investors can start with The Basics of Investing seminar (free), which shares with participants tips on how to build their first investment portfolios.

Mode: E-learning, face to face seminars & courses available

Fees: Free-of-charge to $2400, depending on topic and difficulty level

• Dr Wealth – Factor-Based Investing Introductory Course

Founded by value investor Alvin Chow and co-founder Alex Yoo (a certified financial technician) in 2013, Dr Wealth aims to provide unbiased investment knowledge to individual/retail investors at a fraction of the traditional cost. They have a comprehensive blog section with financial advice that you can peruse through when you’ve the time. The founder also teaches his strategy, called factor-based investing (a combination of value investing, quality investing and momentum investing), in an introductory workshop. Other workshops on offer (periodically) include the Personal Finance Fundamentals Course, which might be worth taking a look at.

Mode: 2.5 hr workshop

Fees: Free

• Mind Kinesis Value Investing Academy– Free Value Investing Workshop

Founded by Cayden Chang, Value Investing Academy has taught students across 11 different cities in Asia. They offer a free Value Investing Masterclass that introduces a stock investment method called Cash Flow Options Strategies (CFOS), a strategy purportedly used by Investment Guru Warren Buffet. The masterclass also promises to teach participants other investment concepts and strategies and how to pick undervalued stocks.

Mode: 2.5 hr workshop

Fees: Free

• Trading with Rayner – Free online resources on Trading

An independent trader, Rayner Teo is the most followed trader in Singapore. If you want to learn more about trading but have been unsure where to begin, he has put free learning materials online compiled together under the ‘TradingwithRayner Academy’, where he shares on Forex Trading Basics and other trading topics. His materials come both in the form of videos and transcripts, making it easier to follow and absorb his content. Rayner aims to put out new content every month, so if you’re really keen on learning trading consider this a great starting resource.

Mode: Self-learning online

Fees: Free

• The Fifth Person – various online courses

The only entry on our list without free previews, The Fifth Person offers various online courses teaching investment knowledge and formulas on deep value investing, dividend stocks, and others. The Fifth Person was the winner of the best independent investment website category at the inaugural SGX Orb Awards organised by the Singapore Exchange (SGX). Signing up for one of their course memberships entitles you to full access to the course and course forum, a one-time live masterclass, as well as materials such as a checklist and case studies.

Fees: USD497 for access to Alpha Lab course (one-time fee).

Other resources/helpful websites:

Apart from finance blogs such as Seedly (which has a reviews section for finance courses!) and DollarsandSense, as well as the blog sections of the above-mentioned course providers, consider checking these out as well.

• NAV Hub
  • An initiative by DBS and POSB, NAV Hub offers free one-on-one financial advisory services to all the young confused souls out there without pushing any products. NAV Hub’s site also provides articles and videos (still growing)! DBS’s TwentyxThirty has articles on finance worth a read.
• Moneysmart.sg
  • Helps you compare everything from loans to credit cards
• The New Savvy
  • A financial, investments and career platform for women. Free resources/e-books here!

If you’re further on in your investment/finance journey and would like to contribute an article/share resources, do get in touch with us! Otherwise, we hope this article has helped you start your finance journey and wish you all the best in growing your piggy bank!