Stock Investing & Financial Planning Class

Syllabus: Stock Investing & Financial Planning Class

Week 1: Financial Planning – Building a Solid Foundation

Theme: Setting financial goals and creating actionable roadmaps.

1. Introduction to Personal Finance
2. Difference between earning, saving, investing, and spending.
3. The psychology of money (habits, discipline, and delayed gratification).
4. Goal Setting Framework
5. Short-term, medium-term, and long-term financial goals.
6. SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound).
7. Vision board or financial roadmap exercise.
8. Budgeting & Saving Strategies
9. 50/30/20 rule and variations.
10. Emergency funds: why, how much, where to keep it.
11. Automation of savings.
12. Debt Management
13. Good debt vs. bad debt.
14. Strategies to pay down debt (snowball, avalanche methods).

Practical Exercise

• Participants draft a personal financial plan with goals, budget, and savings targets.

Week 2: The Stock Market – Wealth Creation Through Ownership

Theme: Understanding how to buy, hold, and sell stocks profitably.

1. Stock Market Basics
2. What the stock market is and how it works.
3. Primary vs. secondary markets.
4. Key stock market participants: investors, traders, brokers, regulators.
5. Types of Stocks
6. Growth stocks, dividend stocks, blue-chip stocks, penny stocks.
7. Local and Foreign Markets, Sectors and industries.
8. How to Buy Stocks
9. Brokerage accounts (local and international).
10. Order types (market order, limit order, stop-loss).
11. How to Analyze Stocks
12. Fundamental Analysis: company earnings, financial ratios, competitive advantage.
13. Technical Analysis: charts, trends, support & resistance.
14. Sentiment & macroeconomic factors.
15. When to Sell
16. Profit targets, stop-loss rules.
17. Rebalancing portfolios.
18. Avoiding emotional investing.
19. Practical Exercise

• Mock stock-picking challenge: Each participant selects 3 companies, explains why, and tracks performance during the course.

Week 3: The Fixed Income Market – Safer Ways to Invest

Theme: Exploring steady-income assets for balanced investing.

1. Introduction to Fixed Income
2. What it is and why investors need it.
3. Comparing risk/return with equities.
4. Treasury Bills (T-Bills)
5. How they work and where to buy them.
6. Auction process vs. secondary market.
7. Use cases (safe parking of cash, hedging against inflation).
8. Bonds
9. Government vs. corporate bonds.
10. How bond yields and prices work (inverse relationship).
11. Credit ratings and default risk.
12. Mutual Funds & Money Market Funds
13. How they operate.
14. Benefits of professional management.
15. Comparing costs and returns.
16. Commercial Papers & Other Instruments
17. Role in corporate financing.
18. Risks and opportunities.
19. How to Spot Opportunities
20. Interest rate trends.
21. Inflation outlook.
22. Creditworthiness of issuers.
23. Practical Exercise

• Compare returns of a T-Bill vs. a money market fund vs. a corporate bond.

Week 4: Portfolio Diversification & Asset Allocation – Building Wealth with Balance

Theme: Reducing risk and maximizing returns through strategic investing.

Topics:

1. What is Diversification?
2. The principle of not putting all your eggs in one basket.
3. Risk-return trade-off.
4. Asset Classes Overview
5. Equities, fixed income, real estate, commodities, cash equivalents, alternative investments.
6. Asset Allocation Strategies
7. Conservative, balanced, and aggressive portfolios.
8. Strategic vs. tactical asset allocation.
9. Impact of age, income, and risk tolerance.
10. Practical Tools for Allocation
11. Model portfolios for beginners, mid-career professionals, and retirees.
12. Rebalancing frequency (monthly, quarterly, annually).
13. Global Diversification
14. Investing beyond domestic borders.
15. Accessing ETFs, index funds, and foreign stocks.
16. Practical Exercise

• Each participant builds a sample diversified portfolio (equities, fixed income, mutual funds, real estate).
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✅ By the end of the class, participants will:

• Have a personal financial plan.
• Understand how to analyze and buy stocks.
• Be able to choose safe fixed-income investments.
• Build a balanced portfolio suitable for their financial goals.