New Year's Resolution: Learn about Investing

Training tip from Morningstar Investment Research Center by Lars Wasvick.

During the past few months it has been nearly impossible to avoid bad news about the financial markets. Even worse is trying to make investment decisions or discuss investment matters when you might feel rusty or out of step. No need to worry; Morningstar is here to help with our Investing Classroom.

Last month I began following the drama in the auto industry. I heard a lot about equity, liabilities, market capitalization, and the rest of the financial lingo. Rather than skip through the messy terms in the newspaper, I decided to take a refresher course so I could better understand the situation.

If you go to the Help and Education page of Morningstar Investment Research Center, you will find our Investing Classroom. There are courses on stocks, mutual funds, and portfolio analysis. The nice thing about Investing Classroom is that it can help anyone--from the novice to the expert. You will find course levels ranging from basic terms at the 100 level to derivatives and contemporary theories at the 500 level.

The Stocks module is great for anyone looking to get information on choosing stocks to invest in, or just to get an idea of the terminology surfacing in the news. It also includes information on how to calculate ratios, read financial statements, and much more. In the Funds catalog, you will find a plethora of information about how to examine and go about buying a mutual fund. You'll also learn the differences between specialized, growth, and value approaches, along with all the essentials of mutual fund investing.

In the current market, or any market for that matter, having the knowledge to make sound decisions about your investments is paramount. Investing Classroom teaches you how to determine the best kind of mix for you, strategies for buying and selling, and how to rebalance your portfolio. Hopefully you'll discover that even in a struggling market, there are investment opportunities out there.

Morningstar Investment Research Center is great tool for new and veteran investors. It's chock full of unbiased analyst reports, tools for evaluating your portfolio, and lessons on how to invest. The best part is that it's free to all valid library cardholders! Begin now or learn more.