Overview - Educated Investor University

Educated Investor: Educated Investor University - Overview

The Educated Investor Educated Investor University is a flexible, Web-based training program created especially to help credit unions unlock the power of financial education. Learn more about:

Available Courses
Product Features
Learning Methodology

Available Courses

The Educated Investor Educated Investor University offers over 50 hours of coursework grouped into three categories: Personal Finance, Investing Basics, and Retirement & Wealth Management.

Below is a sample listing of some of our courses. We can also quickly create custom courses to meet your unique needs. Mouse-over any of the course titles below to see key learning objectives:

Personal Finance	Investing Basics	Retirement & Wealth Management
Basics of Personal Finance	Basics of Investing	Basics of Retirement Planning
Lifestyle Planning	Basics of Investment Strategies	Tax Planning for Retirement
Managing Your Debt	Investing in Stocks	Avoid Unnecessary Taxes
Managing Your Cash	Investing in Mutual Funds	Building Your Nest Egg
Loans and Credit	Investing in Bonds	Ways to Build Wealth
Home Buying and Refinancing	Basics of Annuities	Preserving Your Wealth
Health Savings Accounts	Risk and Reward	Retirement Readiness
	Working with Financial Advisors	Using Your Wealth

Define rollover, qualified, individual retirement account, annuity, 401K plan, Roth IRA, defined benefit plan, defined contribution plan, and Keogh plan
Identify commonly used retirement plans
Identify the types of investments that can hold an IRA or a Roth IRA
Discuss how to contribute to IRAs
Identify the tax advantages of retirement accounts
Identify differences between the traditional IRA and Roth IRA
Determine who can make tax-deductible contributions to an IRA

Define health savings account, out-of-pocket limit, HSA-qualified plan, flexible spending account, high-deductible health plan, custodian, catch-up contribution
Identify who is and is not eligible for an HSA
Identify the type of insurance that permits an HSA
Identify out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare costs under an HSA
Identify preventive care benefits under an HSA
Identify expenditures covered by an HSA
Identify who can make contributions to an HSA
Identify HSA contribution limits
Explain how to establish an HSA
Explain how HSA funds are used to cover qualified medical expenses

Recognize financial life stages
Identify events that affect financial planning and goal setting
Discuss factors related to planning for future education expenses, including financial aid, Coverdell education savings accounts, and 529 college tuition plans, as well as other savings and investment strategies such as custodial accounts and parental savings
Discuss the importance of short, intermediate, and long-term goal setting
Identify sources of retirement income and sources of retirement expenses
Identify long-term care needs
Distinguish between medical insurance and long-term care insurance
Identify estate assets and define probate, will, and trust
Identify characteristics of a personal representative
Discuss the need for an estate attorney

Identify the elements of a budget
Discuss the importance of setting realistic goals
Distinguish between realistic and unrealistic personal financial goals
Identify financial risk
Discuss risk acceptance, risk avoidance, and risk sharing, and the role of insurance in managing risk
Identify the role of debt in personal finance
Differentiate between savings and investing and when to use each
Define interest, the cost of money, and the time value of money
Calculate simple and compound interest
Discuss advantages and disadvantages of deposit accounts

Write a budget plan
Discuss how to use a budget to economize
Identify how much debt is manageable
Explain how to minimize debt costs
Define credit rating and credit scores
Identify sources of information and help in managing debt
Explain how a consumer credit counseling agency helps people manage their debts

Identify the uses and benefits of credit
Identify fair and unfair credit practices
Explain how creditors rate creditworthiness
Define FICO score
Differentiate among business, consumer, real estate, and institutional loans, and lease financing
Identify the features and services of credit unions

Identify and describe single-family, duplex, condominium, and co-op ownership
Define equity, mortgage loan, escrow, leverage, fixed-rate mortgage, variable rate mortgage, interest-only loan, annual percentage rate, mortgage term, and points
Identify costs of mortgage financing and refinancing
Discuss pros and cons of ownership and renting
Calculate the costs and benefits of refinancing
Identify the benefits and risks of real estate investment property
Discuss how to determine how much house one can afford

Define income, adjustments to income, taxable income, adjusted gross income, deductions from income, exemptions, deductions, tax credits, tax avoidance, tax evasion
Identify differences between the traditional IRA and Roth IRA
Determine who can make tax-deductible contributions to a traditional IRA
Discuss how and whether IRA contributions and distributions are taxed
Describe Coverdell education savings account, medical savings account, SIMPLE IRA, SEP IRA

Define basic retirement terms
Identify retirement resources
Explain how to set retirement goals
Calculate savings necessary to achieve retirement financial goals
Identify payout features of an immediate annuity
Differentiate between an annuity and a mutual fund systematic withdrawal plan
Identify a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA
Identify the benefits of a traditional IRA and Roth IRA
Explain the contribution and distribution rules and limits for IRAs and SIMPLE IRAs
Identify IRA penalties for premature withdrawals, over-contributions, and insufficient distributions
Explain 401(k) plan contribution and distribution requirements

Define investment goals
Differentiate among short, intermediate, and long-term investment goals
Differentiate between realistic and unrealistic goals
Describe how to select investments suitable to meet short, intermediate, and long-term goals
Identify investment products used for preservation of capital, income, growth, and speculation
Describe the roles of various investment professionals in the investment-planning and execution process
Describe the main features of deposit and time accounts, bonds, stocks, mutual funds, derivatives, and other investment assets
Define investment portfolio
Explain the role of diversification and asset allocation in risk management

Define investment risk
Differentiate among business risk, market risk, political risk, economic risk, and timing risk
Differentiate between risk aversion and risk tolerance
Calculate risk tolerance
Identify common investment strategies such as buy and hold, diversification, asset allocation, and market timing
Define risk premium and risk-free rate
Describe how the risk premium and risk-free rate are used in portfolio design
Describe how beta, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation are used in portfolio design

Define bull market and bear market
Identify diversification, dollar cost averaging, and formula investment plans
Describe investment strategies used by traders in bull and bear markets
Define diversifiable (unsystematic) and non-diversifiable (systematic) risk
Describe the pros and cons of various investment strategies

Define cash and cash equivalent
Define deposit account, timed deposit, CD, and money market securities
Describe the role of cash and equivalents in financial planning and investment management
Differentiate between negotiable and non-negotiable CDs
Differentiate between competitive and non-competitive bidding, and sold at discount

Define interest, yield, coupon, coupon rate, discount, and premium
Explain the difference between a bond coupon rate and its yield
Describe how to buy and sell bonds
Differentiate between savings bonds and other bonds
Identify the features of different savings bond series
Describe conversion and call features of bonds
Describe income tax consequences associated with bond investing

Define stock, initial public offering (IPO), volatility, capitalization, limit order, stop-loss order, good 'til canceled order, day order, dividend
Explain why companies issue stock
Differentiate between publicly traded stock and private or closely held stock
Differentiate between primary and secondary stock offerings; and primary and secondary markets
Identify the following types of brokerage accounts: cash, margin, wrap, options, and specialty
Explain why a company's stock price is volatile
Differentiate among small-cap, mid-cap, and large-cap stock
Describe the roles of brokerage houses, brokers, and registered representatives
Differentiate among full-service, discount, and deep-discount brokers

Define mutual fund, investment company, income dividend, capital gains distribution, return of capital distribution, total return, sales charge (load), 12(b)-1 fee, fund prospectus, and fund objectives
Differentiate between open-end and closed-end funds; income and capital gains dividends; capital gains and losses on share sales; the different fund types, such as income funds, growth funds, balanced funds, sector funds, and hybrid funds
Describe diversification in a mutual fund; mutual fund management; index funds; the purpose of a fund prospectus and the information it contains; systematic withdrawal
Explain under what circumstances mutual fund shares are traded or redeemed; mutual fund exchange privileges; tax consequences of mutual fund redemptions, trades, or exchanges; the difference between sales charges (fees) and management fees

Define annuity, premium; general account, special account
Differentiate between immediate annuity and deferred annuity; fixed, variable, and indexed annuity
Describe annuity income; life annuity, joint and last survivor, term (period) certain, unit refund, systematic withdrawal; investment risk, mortality risk, and liquidity risk
Explain the purpose of an annuity; annuity guarantees; how annuity proceeds are taxed; liquidity of immediate and deferred annuities

Define investment advisor, financial planner, investment sales representative
Differentiate among investment advisor, financial planner, and account representative (registered representative-sales professional); managing assets and financial planning; fees and commissions
Describe CFP®, ChFC, CFA; NASD Series 65 and Series 66
Explain fees based upon assets under management; questions to ask a financial advisor before hiring one

Recognize terminology used in portfolio management and the Modern Portfolio Theory; economic factors that affect investment performance
Identify Modern Portfolio Theory, efficient portfolios
Differentiate the different types of investment risk
Differentiate between investing and trading strategies
Discuss the importance of investment goals in selecting an investment strategy; the role of short, intermediate, and long-term goals; how investment time horizon affects investment strategy; effects of asset allocation on investment risk
Define asset allocation, investment time horizon
Calculate risk tolerance

Recognize types of analysis used in the financial press to describe investments
Identify investments suitable for short, intermediate, and long-term investment strategies
Differentiate pros and cons of both long-term investment strategies and short-term strategies
Discuss the process of security analysis
Discuss the roles of technical and fundamental analysis in investment selection
Define fundamental analysis, technical analysis

Recognize eligibility rules for IRA contributions and distributions; rules and penalties for early withdrawals and insufficient distributions from retirement plans
Identify strategies used to avoid taxes; provisions of IRAs, Keoghs, SIMPLEs, SEPs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and annuity retirement plans
Differentiate between tax-sheltered and tax-advantaged investments; traditional and Roth IRAs; defined-benefit and defined-contribution plans; income tax, estate tax, and tax penalties
Discuss the reasons for choosing tax-sheltered or tax-advantaged investments; how retirement plans save taxes; taxes on retirement distributions; taxation of Social Security benefits
Define tax-sheltered, tax-advantaged, tax avoidance; tax evasion; qualified plan
Calculate the difference between tax-sheltered and non-tax-sheltered accumulations over a period of years

Recognize benefits of insurance
Identify who pays for long-term care; pros and cons of permanent and term life insurance
Differentiate kinds of insurance; long-term care vs. medical care; long-term care insurance and medical care insurance; permanent and term life insurance
Discuss the purpose of insurance; how to determine the cost/benefit of long-term care insurance
Define Medicare, Medicaid; long-term care; permanent or cash value insurance; term insurance; universal life insurance; variable life insurance

Recognize who needs an estate plan; provisions found in a will
Identify will, trust, executor; joint ownership with rights of survival, joint tenants in common; transfer on death account, payable on death account
Differentiate gift and estate tax; trust, will, property ownership; living trust and testamentary trust
Discuss the value of an estate plan; the implications of dying intestate; the use of lifetime gifts to reduce estate tax; rights of a surviving spouse; the pros and cons of probate; how life insurance proceeds are taxed
Define estate, will, probate; personal representative, executor; trustee; trust; intestate; community property

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Product Features

The Educated Investor University allows you to select the combination of coursework that fits the unique needs of your credit union and its staff.

Instant online access: Take courses at work, at home, or while traveling
Work at your own pace: Track your progress and bookmark where you left off
Interactive quiz questions: Reinforce learning objectives and build confidence
Pre and post-test options: Track progress before and after coursework
Powerful reports: Assign, track and measure performance
Brandable interface: Your employees will associate the benefits with you
Flexible pricing: Order courses "à la carte" or get unlimited access for all your employees
Import and export student data via Excel: Easy to setup and administrate

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Learning Methodology

We are dedicated to making financial education effective and fun.

We believe online learning should be quick, easy, fun and effective
We understand online courses need to fit into your workflow and processes

Based on input from over 30 credit union executives, our online courses were developed to offer:

One to two hour courses, broken into three to five 15-20 minute modules to fit into your busy lives
The ability to track reading progress and remember the last topic you reviewed next time you log in
Pre and post-test questions to help you track progress before and after coursework
Interactive tools and questions to help you know your employees are grasping key concepts
Educated Investor "Quick Tips", charts and graphics to help break up text and make learning fun and informative

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