With even MIT lectures being on YouTube for free, the 21st-century internet has all the resources and courses available for free to study and become successful in any field. But there is a downside too. Today’s internet is full of advertising and other information which may sometimes mislead, and also it is important to put your learning into practice. While for some fields like medicine, online learning is not enough, for finance, it is a good starting point. Let’s discuss how Africans can learn finances online for free below.
Starting point: step zero
The absolute starting point for any education online is probably to learn the English language. After successfully learning B-level English, the whole internet will be open with its limitless educational materials and resources. All important and well-designed courses and the vast majority of information online are available in the English language. Therefore, it is a good idea for Africans as well as any other language speakers to study English well.
Although any course can be found online for free, it is always a good idea to invest in your education as it can bear fruits later with better income and career prospects.
What is finance and how to learn it for free?
It is intuitive that finance refers to money, currencies, and capital. Although it is related to economics, it is different from it with its focus on money and its aspects. It can be divided into three main categories of personal, corporate, and public finance. Financial activities are happening in financial systems. In a financial system, various assets are bought and sold like currencies, stocks, bonds, etc. So, finance is very important in today’s world, as the world economy is built upon its successful working. There are some important aspects of finance that can be studied independently. Those fields during the years became so complex that they need their own training courses and lectures to study professionally.
Trading
As we mentioned above, trading is part of finance. Trading is the most thought-after money-making field. But it comes with challenges, many beginners lose money and many already established professionals in their fields think it is easy. This is a mistake because trading is a profession, and it requires financial and economic knowledge to thrive in this uncertain field. There are various markets that can be traded for profits. The most popular markets are Forex and stock markets. For details about Forex trading, this article provides a comprehensive guide. Generally, trading can help Africans to make money persistently when studied well. It is risky but offers the possibility to make big money. There are countless courses available for free online. Make sure to study basics and then proceed to practice trading very slowly.
Personal Finance
Personal finance is a huge field. It refers to managing the finances of individuals and families as well. This will help to monitor and control future financial conditions and set important financial goals. Includes savings for emergencies as well. There is a free course on YouTube from MIT about finance theory which could become very useful, as it offers the ability to attend MIT courses for free. MIT or Massachusetts Institute of Technology can not be underestimated as it is one of the leading universities in the world, and learning its lectures for free is a great gift of the internet.
Budgeting
Budgeting is a crucial part of financial education, without proper budgeting it is hard to achieve financial goals for companies, governments, and individuals. Budgeting consists of planning ahead finances for various goals and then following it. Every government has a budget to accomplish certain goals during the year. Individuals similarly can use these methods to plan ahead and achieve goals. What is your monthly income? How much is spent on expenses, education, food, health, etc. how much can you save for savings or use for a certain goal like buying a new item which you need? If you plan wisely, any sound goal is achievable. Make a budget for yourself every month and see the results yourself.
Saving
Savings are key for anyone in long term financial stability. Not only are they key to guarantee stable living during old age, but well-thought and managed savings can make money and help during crisis times. Using savings to learn new professional skills is a good idea to increase income and create an even bigger savings account in the future. There are various free resources on the internet to learn about saving and its importance. Always try to save money whenever possible and use free credible sources to learn about finance topics like this article.
Key points
It is possible to learn finance free from credible sources for Africans. MIT offers various lectures and courses for free on YouTube. Yes, MIT is free on YouTube. Make sure to learn at least B-level English first, and everything is accessible for free online. Make savings, budget your income, and future financial goals to manage your money wisely. And use the internet to learn how to do all these for free.