Gain tangible knowledge of the investment industry with the Investment Foundations Certificate. Being able to solve and communicate solutions for complex investment issues starts with understanding the essentials. This certificate gives you a comprehensive overview of the investment industry’s structure, concepts, and ethical considerations, helping to advance your career in finance. Covering the fundamentals of the same topic areas as Level I of the CFA® Program, you'll gain an essential understanding of the investment industry’s structure, financial markets, professional roles, and client needs.
Certificate
Receive a shareable certificate upon finishing all courses and passing the final assessment.
Study time
40-70 hours to complete
12-month access to learning materials
Online self-paced
Everything can be completed online at your own pace.
Course Price: USD 350.00
Advance your subject matter expertise
Thinking “What do I learn with the Investment Foundations Certificate?” The certificate gives you an invaluable overview of the essentials of finance including types of markets and how they operate, the characteristics of primary investment instruments, and investment industry ethics. By the final assessment, you’ll have a clear understanding of the global investment industry including terminology and key concepts.
Why choose the Investment Foundations Certificate?
Enhanced knowledge
Understand the different facets of the investment industry, including its structure, ethical considerations, and commonly used vocabulary.
Competitive edge
Open more doors in your career by understanding investment industry fundamentals and concepts, tools, and techniques.
Building confidence
Strengthen your confidence and improve collaboration with your colleagues.
Further learning
Ready yourself for the CFA® Program and achieve one of the highest distinctions in the investment management profession.
Specialized vocabulary
Confidently communicate and collaborate with practicing investment managers.
Enhanced professional profile
Share your achievement on professional networks with a shareable certificate on completion.
Courses and Final Assessment
The courses and final assessment are recommended to be completed in the order that they appear. Course descriptions are provided below or you can view the full syllabus (PDF).
Industry Overview and Structure
The Investment Foundations Certificate begins with an introduction to the investment industry's structure, including the types of institutions, functions of participants, and services it consists of. Learn about the benefits of the investment industry and the forces that affect its evolution, including technological innovations, the importance of ethics/ethical conduct, and an overview of the purpose and types of regulators and regulations that govern the industry.
Types and Functioning of Markets
Delve into primary and secondary markets and discover how they operate. This course will also introduce you to decentralized finance, the concept of investment vehicles, how they are structured, and how those structures serve investors.
Investment Instruments
Become familiar with the types and characteristics of primary investment instruments, including equity securities (stocks), debt securities (bonds), alternative investments, and derivatives.
Investment Inputs and Tools
Develop your understanding of how investment professionals identify and then analyze relevant information, and how that impacts their investment and financing decisions.
Serving Client Needs
Discover how investment firms serve clients' investment needs and examine risk considerations and management. You will also learn how portfolio performance evaluation helps investment professionals and their clients better understand sources of risks and returns.
Serving the Greater Good
Learn about the benefits, key concepts, and approaches to ESG investing, and how it links to DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion). You’ll also see how ethical dilemmas that arise in practice can be addressed through an ethical decision-making framework.
Final Assessment
Complete the Investment Foundations Certificate with an online assessment, made up of 100 multiple choice questions. You’ll have two attempts to complete the assessment.
Who should enroll
Students or professionals seeking to understand the fundamentals of the investment industry.
Professionals already working in support roles within the investment industry and want to develop their knowledge.
Testimonials from certificate holders
I recommend [Investment Foundations®] to anyone interested in finance, markets, macroeconomics!
Sergio Besana
Claims Fraud and Recovery Manager
This is an excellent entry-level program, and it's great for university students who are interested in an investment career!
Certificate Holder
The [certificate] provides that crucial common language for all the personnel outside investment roles to effectively communicate, support, and raise the overall standards, all grounded in the ethical principles for participants across the profession! Jayesh Bhansali, CFA
Member, Standards of Practice Council
