15 Things That Might Actually Help You Understand The Stock Market

Podcasts, books, online courses... Oh my.

In the past few days, the word investing might've come across your day-to-day. It feels like everyone's either talking about stocks and investors, or figuring out ways to get in on the action. But with so much information out there, it's hard to know where to look first to educate yourself.

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So we rounded up a list of resources to help you start building the knowledge you're looking for. But first, there's something you should know...

Internet research may not make you a stock market pro. However, it can help you get a better understanding of industry events and what to expect when investing money.

Investing isn't for everyone, and each person assumes the risk of their own investment. The resources you read are meant to be tools in aiding your understanding of money management and responsible, informed strategies. You can always work with a financial adviser for personalized advice specific to your situation.

Without further ado, here are some simple ways to learn more about investing:

Podcasts

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Take it from a self-proclaimed podcast nerd, aka yours truly. Podcasts are a digestible way to learn more about pretty much anything: true crime stories, relationship advice, random facts your life is now better for knowing, and even finance tips! You can listen while you work and exercise, or you can pencil in time during your week to give your podcast your undivided attention.

Here are a few engaging, informative podcasts around investing:

1. Afford Anything

Afford Anything

This podcast explores how the decisions we make on a daily basis shape our habits around money (among other things like our energy and attention). And, of course, investing has A LOT to do with making decisions. Host Paula Pant interviews billionaires, investors, psychologists, and early retirees, and answers questions from callers who want personalized advice. Listeners can benefit from Pant's ability to think on a deeper, more critical level when it comes to both general money management and investing. And, her episodes often respond to timely, relevant events.

Standout episode: "Investing is the Art of Probabilistic Thinking"

Where to listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and PodBean

2. Chat With Traders

Chat With Traders

If you've ever wanted to pick the brain of a successful investor, Chat With Traders basically does all the hard work for you. Aaron Fifield, the host of this podcast, interviews traders who have made impactful gains. Listeners have the chance to hear the stories straight from the traders' mouths, many of which detail some hard but valuable lessons in losing money month after month, and get in on their tips for investing.

Standout episode: "Josh Evans — My First Year Trading Full-Time..."

Where to listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Stitcher

3. The Investing For Beginners Podcast

The Investing For Beginners Podcast

Investing can be very intimidating, but it doesn't have to be! This podcast cuts through the confusion to help total beginners learn industry terms, understand the different types of investments, and potentially increase their ability to make more informed decisions about their money. In other words, today is your last day of not knowing about dividends, inflation, and picking stocks.

Standout episode: "How to Control Your Emotions When Selling a Stock"

Where to listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Stitcher

4. Millennial Investing — The Investor's Podcast Network

Millennial Investing — The Investor's Podcast Network

Robert Leonard, the host of this podcast, seeks to educate and inspire — you guessed it — millennials. This podcast helps listeners make the investment decisions that can help them reach their financial goals (and it emphasizes being well-informed and building a solid financial foundation, of course). Listeners will hear from successful investors and business experts, and get their take on "hot" investment topics like cryptocurrency, real estate, the oil and gas industries, and more.

Standout episode: "Start Investing in Individual Stocks With Jason Moser"

Where to listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Stitcher

Books

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One pro to reading a book is you can hold onto it forever! You don't have to worry about a beloved episode or video being taken down, or a class being discontinued. Plus, you're free to frantically take notes in the margins and bookmark as many pages as you want! And if you'd rather flip pages in digital form, the Libby App gives you free access to books from your local library (there are also audiobooks you can listen to!). All you need is a library card and you can virtually borrow all the investing books your heart desires.

There are some really impactful titles out there that might honestly change your perspective on investing, but here are a few that might interest beginners:

5. The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need by Andrew Tobias

Mariner Books

This book has been around for almost 40 years, but an updated copy can still provide you with valuable insight that speaks to more contemporary times (the book was last updated in 2016). The concise, easy-to-understand tips on saving, investing, and even retirement make this book a great read for people who want to learn (or review) the basics. The advice is even geared more toward people who don't have a lot of money to start with, which can honestly be encouraging and makes these pointers feel more practical.

6. The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham

Harper Business

Investing can make you feel like there's a lot on the line. You've probably heard all the same phrases before: "Go big, or go home!"; "Play to win"; "Big risk = big reward." This book won't teach you how to become an overnight millionaire. Instead, it'll teach you the basics, provide a bit of a history lesson on the stock market, and give you practical strategies to get your wallet in the game safely and intentionally with long-term payoff in mind.

7. A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton G. Malkiel

W. W. Norton & Company

For the average Joe or Jane, investing doesn't actually involve staying glued to a screen monitoring every price dip and peak. In fact, it often looks more like buying a fund, ignoring it for the rest of the month, and putting a little more money into it every once in a while. Or, it can look like simply getting money deducted from their paycheck for their 401(k) account. This book helps readers gain a solid understanding of the historic stock market as it relates to bubbles, busts, depressions, and recessions. It'll also teach readers a thing or two about different funds and building a portfolio. While it may feel like there's a lot of info in here, it really is meant to be an introduction to the market. It just wants to make sure you're as informed as possible so you can make the decisions that are right for you.

8. Freakonomics by Stephen J. Dubner and Steven Levitt

William Morrow

Once you start to get a handle on the basics of investing, it's a great idea to learn a bit about how everyday incentives can impact the (sometimes financial) decisions you make. That's what this book seeks to uncover. They say 90% of finance is all about psychology; only 10% actually has to do with money. This book uses a wide array of engaging (and sometimes, well, freaky) anecdotes to show readers what motivates humans and what drives them to achieve goals. So it isn't actually an economics book — more like a book on behavior. Nonetheless, the tidbits in here could potentially provide you with a new way of thinking about your money and investments.

Online courses

Nickelodeon

If you love being instructed, taking a few online courses could help you increase your knowledge. You can go at your own pace, pause and come back later, and receive information in bite-size chunks that'll allow you to better internalize them.

There are sooo many out there, and many of them can get really in-depth and be a little costly, but we picked out just a few that can help you get started. BTW, they can all be accessed for free!

9. "How Not to Suck at Stock Investing: Understanding Stocks (Part 1)" from Skillshare

Skillshare / Via skillshare.com

In the next 20 minutes, you're about to learn more than you previously knew about investing. No, seriously! This entire eight-lesson course will only take you about 20 minutes to complete. It'll answer a few key questions to give you a better understanding of some of the terms you've been hearing: What exactly is the stock market? Why do companies go public? And what the heck are indexes?

Learn for free from: Skillshare when you sign up for a 14-day Premium Membership trial.

10. "Investing Master Class" from Wealthsimple

Tom Werner / Getty Images

Buckle up and get ready to put your binge-watching skills to the test. Wealthsimple's investing course offers 10 videos that'll walk you through the basics on the stock market, the difference between investing and saving, must-follow investing rules from both novices and experts, and methods for actually building wealth.

Learn for free from: Wealthsimple

11. "Investing Basics for Millennials" from Skillshare

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This course may be short and sweet, but it could potentially arm you with the concepts you need to get your wealth ~growing~. You'll learn about the power of compound interest, different types of investments you can make and how they're related to risk and reward, alternative investments, and ways to create balance within your investments.

Learn for free from: Skillshare when you sign up for a 14-day Premium Membership trial.

Investment companies

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There are tons of money blogs and websites out there; but for now, we'll just focus on the ones affiliated with some popular financial companies and brands. Not only do these companies have a product or service (physical or otherwise), but they also have the informative tools to help anyone seeking extra knowledge.

12. Wealthsimple

@wealthsimple / Via instagram.com

Wealthsimple is an online wealth management company that actually focuses its efforts on millennial money management. Their app lets you grow your money to reach your financial goals, but their investing articles can also teach you a thing or two about increasing your wealth:

Standout posts:

"Investing 101: Investing Basics for Beginners"

"The Market Crash of 2008 Explained"

"Active vs. Passive Investing"

13. Betterment

@bettermenthq / Via instagram.com

Betterment is an app that takes the guesswork out of investing by recommending portfolios that suit your needs and values. It actually has a resource library that spans a variety of financial topics.

Standout posts:

"4 Questions to Help You Invest for Your Financial Goals"

"Investing in Your 20s: 4 Major Financial Questions Answered"

"3 Things Animal Crossing Can Teach You About Investing"

"5 Tips for First-Time Investors During a Market Dip"

14. Ally Bank

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Ally is an online bank probably best known for its high-yield saving account. While Ally wants to help you grow your savings, it also cares about helping you make smart, informed investments. Their resource section is chock-full of so many must-read articles.

Standout posts:

"How to Build an Investment Portfolio That Fits Your Style"

"Why Having a Diversified Portfolio Is Important"

"DIY Investing: 5 Things to Know Before You Get Started"

"How to Short a Stock — And What You Should Know Before Doing So"

15. Vanguard's investor education

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Vanguard is pretty much a legacy wealth management company — and boy, do they have some very important resources for investing.

Standout posts:

"How to Invest"

"Turning Your Goal Into an Investment Plan"

"Asset Allocation: Key to Your Investment Climate"

"Choosing Investment Accounts"

If this sounds like music to your ears (and bank account), check out more of our personal finance posts.