Best Free MOOCs In Business For October

Investments II: Lessons and Applications for Investors

School: University of Illinois

Platform: Coursera

Registration Link: CLICK HERE

Start Date: October 2016 (4 Weeks Long)

Workload: 4-6 Hours Per Week

Instructor: Scott Weisbenner

Credentials: Weisbenner is among the most decorated professors at the University of Illinois. Armed with a Ph.D. in Economics from MIT, Weisbrenner teaches Corporate Finance and Behavioral Finance courses in the MBA and MSF programs and Advanced Corporate Finance to undergraduates. As a teacher, he has been recognized four times as the “Best Professor” in Illinois’ MSF program – and even won the same honor in the MBA program in 2014. A prolific researcher and author, he has won over $800,000 in research grants since 2002, with his work being cited in outlets ranging from The Wall Street Journal to The Washington Post. Currently, he also serves as an associate editor for Management Science and a research associate for the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Graded: Not Specified.

Description: “In this course, you will start by reviewing the fundamentals of investments, including the trading off of return and risk when forming a portfolio, asset pricing models such as the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) and the 3-Factor Model, and the efficient market hypothesis.  You will be introduced to the two components of stock returns – dividends and capital gains – and will learn how each are taxed and the incentives provided to investors from a realization-based capital gains tax.  You will examine the investment decisions (and behavioral biases) of participants in defined-contribution (DC) pension plans like 401(k) plans in the U.S. and will learn about the evidence regarding the performance of individual investors in their stock portfolios.  The course concludes by discussing the evidence regarding the performance of actively-managed mutual funds. You will learn about the fees charged to investors by mutual funds and the evidence regarding the relation between fees charged and fund performance.  Segments of the portfolios of mutual funds that may be more likely to outperform and examples of strategies designed to “earn alpha” will also be introduced.” (From Coursera)

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Additional Note: Weisbenner recommends that students come to class with a working knowledge of statistics and Excel. It may also be helpful for students to have taken Investments I: Fundamentals of Performance Evaluation. Also, this course is the fourth part of an “Improving Business Finances and Operations” specialization from the University of Illinois. To learn more about this specialization, click here.