Free Introduction To Finance Courses Online

If you want to build a strong foundation in finance without spending money, then free online introduction to finance courses are a great option. Whether you are interested in investment banking, corporate finance, taxes, financial modelling, or general finance concepts, many free finance courses are available at your perusal from the best online course providers to help you get started. Let us check out some of the finance courses under various categories.

Table of Contents

Top Introduction to Finance Courses
- 1.1 Free Finance Courses: Fundamental Concepts
- 1.2 Free Taxation Courses
- 1.3 Free Investment Banking Courses
- 1.4 Free Corporate Finance Courses
How to Learn Finance Fundamentals for Free
- 2.1 1. Explore Free Online Courses
- 2.2 2. Utilize Open Finance Educational Resources
- 2.3 3. Practice with Free Tools
- 2.4 4.

Table of Contents

Top Introduction to Finance Courses
- 1.1 Free Finance Courses: Fundamental Concepts
- 1.2 Free Taxation Courses
- 1.3 Free Investment Banking Courses
- 1.4 Free Corporate Finance Courses
How to Learn Finance Fundamentals for Free
- 2.1 1. Explore Free Online Courses
- 2.2 2. Utilize Open Finance Educational Resources
- 2.3 3. Practice with Free Tools
- 2.4 4. Online Communities
- 2.5 5. Gain Practical Experience
- 2.6 7. Keep Up with Financial News
Conclusion

Top Introduction to Finance Courses

We have listed some top free online Introduction to Finance with their short descriptions. Categorized on the basis of main topics of finance -

Free Finance Courses: Fundamental Concepts

Explore the basics of finance through these courses -

Course Name	USPs
Finance for Everyone: Markets by Coursera	In-depth exploration of how interest rates influence the market Insight into global financial markets and financial instruments Translate complex financial ideas into actionable advice
Introduction to Finance by Coursera	Gain knowledge about essential topics in modern finance. Understand how finance managers make financial decisions. Learn and apply the time value of money to make investment decisions.
Corporate Finance by IIM Bangalore on edX	Role of corporate finance in an organization How financial markets contribute to financing firms and individual’s need for funds Capital budgeting tools such as payback period, internal rate of return and NPV in evaluating investments
Corporate Finance Fundamentals by Corporate Finance Institute	Identify projects that enhance shareholder value through careful selection. Utilize capital financing strategies to optimize a company’s capital structure. Choose an effective method for returning capital to shareholders.

Free Taxation Courses

Learn how to manage your or your client’s taxes with the help of these handpicked taxation courses -

Course Name	USPs
Fundamentals of Taxation by Great Learning	Gain basic knowledge of taxation and its types. Understand the Income Tax Act 1961 and its history. Learn key taxation terminologies and crucial definitions from legislation. Explore tax planning, tax avoidance and evasion, and residential status concepts
GST - Audit, assessment and litigation by Coursera	Learn tax dispute resolution, assessment, investigation, and audit under GST. Understand penal provisions for non-compliance and anti-profiteering regulations. Acquire essential skills for entry-level jobs in finance, tax. Upskill in GST compliance.
Background Material on Customs and FTP by ICAI Delhi	Gain practical and theoretical knowledge of various provisions of Customs & Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) Learn about levies and types of customs duties, the taxable event, import/export, the impact of GST on various FTP provisions, etc.
Payroll and Tax Fundamentals by Coursera	Understand payroll basics, including calculations, deductions, and taxes involved. Learn about employee benefits and their impact on pay statements. Explore W-2 generation and understand the significance of accurate reporting.

Free Investment Banking Courses

Course Name	USPs
Investment Banking Course with Certificate by Great Learning	Get a clear picture of what investment banking is and what it does. Discover the stages of the trade cycle and how they affect profits and investment choices. Dive into critical areas like mergers, acquisitions, and financial restructuring.
Free Investment Banking Course by Wall Street Mojo	Learn essential investment banking ideas, financial modelling, and basic accounting. Gain advanced Excel skills tailored for finance tasks. Learn to create models, including DCF and terminal value calculations.
Introduction to Investment Banking by Alison	Develop skills in ratio analysis and CAPM Beta to assess investments. Understand the three main methods for valuing financial performance. Identify the types, processes, and strategies in mergers and acquisitions. Learn about the key services and deals that investment bankers provide.
Investment Banking Fundamentals by Udemy	Get a grasp of the fundamentals of financial statements. Build your MS Excel skills for creating financial models. Understand the essential concepts of the Time Value of Money.

Free Corporate Finance Courses

Course Name
Introduction to Corporate Finance by Great Learning	Gain a comprehensive introduction to corporate finance fundamental principles. Learn financial statement analysis, investment decisions, and capital budgeting. Understand funding sources, capital structuring, and investment decision-making processes.
Alternative Approaches to Valuation and Investment by Coursera	Understand intuitive foundations of asset and investment valuation techniques. Learn to link risk with expected return in investments. Utilize financial statement analysis to effectively measure cost of capital. Address financial realities using real options analysis for decision-making
Finance for Managers by Coursera	Learn to interpret financial statements and uncover their operational insights. Utilize financial stories for effective short-term management decision-making. Understand the impact of managerial decisions on financial outcomes. Gain skills in managing current assets, liabilities, and working capital.
Corporate Financial Decision-Making for Value Creation by Coursera	Learn key financial decisions modern corporations face for optimization. Explore alternative methods for maximizing firm asset value effectively. Understand corporate financial decision-making principles for value creation strategies

How to Learn Finance Fundamentals for Free

Here are some tips to help you build a solid foundation in finance without breaking the bank -

1. Explore Free Online Courses

There are some free courses with which you can learn at your own pace: you can audit them for free or access simple learning materials.

Online Course Providers: Online course platforms like Coursera, edX, Udemy, etc., offer a range of beginner-level free courses on finance, investment banking, and other related topics from top universities. If you are okay with not getting certificates of completion, we recommend you look at Free Finance Courses from Coursera, apart from those marked free.
YouTube Channels: Wall Street Mojo, Corporate Finance Institute, and many more channels offer free video tutorials on financial modelling, valuation modelling, Mergers & Acquisitions, etc.

We have listed some handpicked courses under various skills below. Keep reading

2. Utilize Open Finance Educational Resources

MIT OpenCourseWare: Get free finance and economics courses from MIT that include lecture notes, assignments, and exams. Some examples include - AP® Microeconomics, Just Money: Banking as if Society Mattered, The Analytics Edge, Mathematical Methods for Quantitative Finance, Adaptive Markets: Financial Market Dynamics and Human Behavior, Foundations of Modern Finance I & II, Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship Finance, Real Estate Finance and Investment, among others.
Project Gutenberg: Project Gutenberg is a library of over 75,000 free eBooks. You can find classic finance books like The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham, International Finance by Hartley Withers, etc., which you can read for free.
Free e-Books and Guides: Guides to financial modelling or investment banking are available at the educational sites of Investopedia and Corporate Finance Institute, and they are mostly free.

Money and Banking: Textbook by Robert Wright, NYU. Available on Open Textbook.
Personal Finance: Textbook by Rachel Siegel, Lyndon State University and Carol Yacht, University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee.
OER Commons materials in Finance: Includes hundreds of resources on Finance.
Open Textbook Library resources in Finance

3. Practice with Free Tools

Google Sheets or Excel Online: To practice finance modelling without spending money on software like Excel, you can learn about creating a financial model and DCF (Discounted Cash Flow) models, among others.
Free Templates: Websites like Macabacus and Investopedia provide free templates and step-by-step guides on learning stock valuation techniques and financial modelling.

4. Online Communities

Wall Street Oasis and Reddit's r/personalfinance and r/FinancialCareers are some of the top finance forums to join. You can discuss with people, ask for help, and answer mock case studies presented. You get to learn about real-world applications from professionals.

Other online resources like Bogleheads forum, The Stackexchange, Discuss Personal Finance Forum, The Lemon Fool, The Money Shed forum, etc., can be a great place to learn from others, get advice, and find resources related to the basics of personal finance, corporate finance, investment banking, investing, stock markets, and much more. Remember to exercise caution and do your research before making any financial decisions.

5. Gain Practical Experience

Internships or Volunteering: Look for unpaid internships or volunteer opportunities where you can apply your financial knowledge. Non-profits and small businesses are often open to financial planning and strategy assistance, giving you hands-on experience.
Boot Camps: Websites like Corporate Finance Institute often conduct boot camps mainly focused on practical skills such as Financial modelling in Excel and financial statement analysis free of cost.

7. Keep Up with Financial News

Yahoo Finance, MarketWatch, and Bloomberg: Free news sites provide you with updated financial news, stock movements, and market dynamics so you can understand how the concepts you are learning apply to real-world scenarios.

Conclusion

With the rise of fintech and digital banking, these top online course providers also offer courses on trending finance topics such as cryptocurrency, decentralized finance (DeFi), sustainable finance, digital finance, etc. These free courses also ensure that your learning is well-rounded. They cover hands-on projects, quizzes, case studies, and real-world applications that make learning more practical. Using these resources allows the beginner to get all the necessary financial information without spending any money.

Rashmi Karan03-25-2022 00:00