In this section, you’ll learn and understand the core principles of finance, including the time value of money, stocks and bonds, risk and return, capital budgeting, financial modeling, and more.
Who is this for?
Our finance articles are designed to be accessible to anybody who wants a career in finance. Since 1999 we’ve helped thousands of people to learn finance for free, including:
- Undergraduate and graduate students
- Finance teachers and professors
- Buy-side candidates looking to break into Wall Street
- Sell-side candidates recruiting into private equity or hedge funds
- Investors looking to trade stocks
- Startup founders who want to model and forecast growth
- Anybody looking to move into a new career in finance
FAQs
1. What is finance?
Finance is the process of obtaining funds or capital for an enterprise or person, as through loans, credit, equity, or investment.
2. What are the basic areas of finance?
Finance encompasses three areas: the money and credit markets, investments, and financial management.
3. What are the most popular finance careers?
Jobs held by finance graduates include Fintech business analyst, impact investing analyst, financial analyst, commercial banker, grants analyst, financial advisor, and accountants and auditors.
4. What are the most common finance topics?
Budgeting, debt, net worth, credit, saving, investing, homeownership, and taxes are all financial topics that many individuals need to understand.
5. What is finance vs. economics?
While economics studies everything related to local and global markets, human behavior, goods, and services, finance focuses on financial systems such as banks, loans, investments, savings, etc.