Caveat Academy course · Grades 8 to 12

Introduction to Investing

How money grows and what can shrink it: compound growth and inflation, stocks, bonds and cash, risk, diversification and asset allocation, funds, fees and retirement accounts, and the habits and red flags that protect investors. Six modules at your own pace, with the arithmetic worked step by step and a certificate at the end.

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$19one-time · every device you sign in on
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Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the High school electives library, $119 for 66 items.

6 modules · 18 lessonsabout 12 hours$19

Six modules, eighteen lessons

Each module ends with a practice set that tracks mastery, an explain-it-back prompt, a short written response and a module exam. The final opens when every module is proficient; passing it earns a certificate with a verification code.

  1. Module 1: Why invest

    Compute compound growth, doubling time and real returns, and match money to goals by time horizon.

    • Saving and investing
    • Compound growth
    • Inflation and real returns
    about 2.1 h

  2. Module 2: Stocks

    Explain how stocks earn returns and compute total return, market capitalization, P/E ratio and dividend yield.

    • What a stock is
    • Reading a stock
    • Stock indexes and the market
    about 2.1 h

  3. Module 3: Bonds and cash

    Explain how bonds and cash equivalents work, why bond prices move opposite to interest rates, and what deposit insurance covers.

    • How bonds work
    • Kinds of bonds
    • Cash and safe places
    about 2.1 h

  4. Module 4: Risk and diversification

    Analyze risk and return, diversification and asset allocation, and compute a rebalancing trade.

    • Risk and return
    • Diversification
    • Asset allocation
    about 2.1 h

  5. Module 5: Funds, fees and accounts

    Compare funds, fees and retirement accounts and compute the long-run cost of fees and the value of an employer match.

    • Mutual funds, ETFs and index funds
    • Accounts for retirement
    • Buying and holding investments
    about 2.1 h

  6. Module 6: The smart investor

    Identify behavioral biases and fraud red flags and design a simple written investing plan.

    • Investor behavior
    • Scams and red flags
    • Building a plan
    about 2.1 h

Try it before you start

This is how every lesson works: step through a worked example at your own pace, then answer a check and get the reason right away. Nothing here is saved; the course keeps your progress.

Module 4 · Asset allocation

Worked example: rebalancing

  1. Target: 60 percent stocks, 40 percent bonds. Start with $6,000 in stocks and $4,000 in bonds.

A lesson check from each module

The checks need JavaScript turned on. The course itself works the same way.

What you get

Academics · High SchoolAlso for Vocations · Job Skills$19 · included with the Academy pass and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A finished course in investing basics: you can compute compound growth, doubling time and real returns, explain how stocks and bonds earn money and why bond prices move opposite to interest rates, compute market capitalization, P/E ratios and dividend yields, say what FDIC and SIPC protection do and do not cover, diversify and set an asset allocation by time horizon and rebalance it, compare index and active funds and the long-run cost of fees, count an employer match and tell traditional from Roth accounts, spot behavioral traps and fraud red flags, and write a simple investing plan. Passing the final earns a Caveat certificate of completion.
Who it is for
Students in grades 8 to 12 taking or preparing for a personal finance, investing or economics class, teens with a first paycheck who want to know what to do with it, and homeschool families who want a complete unit on investing. It is general education, not financial advice, and recommends no security or company.
Format
An online self-paced course: 6 modules and 18 lessons with worked examples you reveal step by step, 145 practice and exam items (multiple choice, numeric, fill-in and ordering), an explain-it-back prompt and a rubric-checked short response in every module, module exams with one retake, a 24-question final and a certificate with a verification code. About 12 hours in all; works on a phone or a computer.
Access
$19 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the course opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the High school electives library ($119) and the Academics Suite pass ($149), and 1 more bundle. Progress is saved in this browser on this device, and the certificate page lets you download your record.
Where it lives
The High School space in Caveat Academics; also listed for the Job Skills space in Caveat Vocations (the same course serves the Investing Fundamentals title).
Support
Access, a receipt, a refund or a correction to the course: team@caveatacademic.com.

How it works

  1. Open the course and start Module 1. Each lesson takes about 25 to 35 minutes; two or three a week finishes the course in about a semester.
  2. Answer the checks as you read. Every answer shows the reason, and a miss links you back to the lesson that covers it.
  3. Finish each module with its practice set and exam. Proficient on every module opens the final; 70 percent passes it.
  4. Print or download your certificate and record from the certificate page.

Start the course

Sources and accuracy

The lessons are original writing by Caveat Academic Services. Facts were checked against these free, open references, which are also good places to read further.

  1. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Investor.gov, investing basics and a compound interest calculator: investor.gov
  2. FINRA, investor education and BrokerCheck: finra.org/investors
  3. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, deposit insurance basics: fdic.gov
  4. Securities Investor Protection Corporation, what SIPC protects: sipc.org
  5. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index: bls.gov/cpi
  6. Internal Revenue Service, retirement plan and IRA rules, including current contribution limits: irs.gov/retirement-plans

Introduction to Investing is a self-paced course from Caveat Academic Services. It is general financial education, not financial, tax or legal advice, and it recommends no security, fund or company. Dollar amounts, rates and returns in it are examples for teaching; real returns vary, and past results do not guarantee future ones. Account rules and limits change; check current figures with the agencies listed above. It does not replace a school course and awards no credit. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.