By Chris Walker,
Money Magazine, April 2010
Most of us could do with some help and education to increase our chances of succeeding at share investing. No matter how much we know, or think we know, about shares, there’s always more we can learn.
Arguably the most logical place to go to learn more about Australian share investing is the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) itself.
Certainly the ASX has a keen self-interest in getting more people enthused and involved in share investment.
It generates its revenue from trading, but it would be churlish not to give it full credit for the wide range of educational share courses and programs it offers, most of them free.
To start, visit the ASX website.
Here you will find a wide array of educational resources including free online investment courses in shares, warrants and instalments, options, ASX-listed CFDs (contracts for difference) and futures.
To give you an idea of what’s offered, the ASX’s online warrants and instalments education is divided into eight interactive courses, titled:
# The mechanics of the warrants market
# Introduction to instalments
# How to buy and sell instalments
# Instalment pricing
# Instalment strategies
# Instalment strategies for self-managed super funds
# Self-funding instalments
# Rolling instalments
Each course is delivered via a downloadable PDF document, with the time required to complete all eight of them estimated at 115 minutes.
ASX share courses available for free download include:
# Why and how to invest
# How to buy and sell shares
# Trading simulation
# Sharemarket investment strategies
# Fundamental analysis
# Technical analysis
Each of the share courses is estimated to take 10 to 15 minutes to complete.
Other educational materials available on the site include free downloadable booklets, audio-visual presentations on topics such as dividends, understanding annual reports and listed managed investments. There are also podcasts, ASX sharemarket games and a simulator for trading ASX-listed CFDs.
About the only things that aren’t free on the ASX educational website are the ASX Way share books available at around $30 to $40, and the lunchtime Investor Hour seminars held regularly in state capitals that cost the princely fee of $5.
Online brokers also offer help with getting started in trading through information, seminars and ways of practising trading before you have to commit your cash. For example, online CFD and forex broker GFT has a free practice CFD trading account.
If you want more in-depth sharemarket education, you are going to have to devote more time and no doubt have to pay.
A number of organisations offer share education courses, locatable on the internet, and these need to be looked at closely before you hand over your course fees. This is to ensure that you’re getting good value and impartial information, and are not being roped into using a trading system promoted by the course provider.
Melbourne-based investment company Wealth Within offers two ASIC-accredited shares education courses for serious share investors. Its diploma of share trading and investment can be done full time, or part time. Delivered online, encompassing web seminars, completing a workbook and exams, this course costs $5950.
A shorter version, likely to take three to six months to complete, costs $3950. Both courses count towards continuing professional development as specified by the federal government. Perth-based Pro Trader offers share investor courses including one-day training workshops for $695 or evening workshops for $55 a person. Dates and details are on its website.
http://money.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=1043338
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