With the complex and ever-changing investment landscape, investing in traditional assets like stocks and bonds may no longer be enough to meet one’s financial goals. This is where alternative investments come in. They provide diversification and help manage risks beyond traditional investments. For those looking to gain knowledge in this area, Harvard University offers a free online course on alternative investments. This course covers various alternative asset classes, their characteristics, risks and returns. It also dives into portfolio allocation and risk management strategies using alternatives. By leveraging Harvard’s expertise in this field, the course provides unparalleled insights into alternative investments for individual investors, finance professionals and investment managers alike. With diverse course materials and distinguished faculty, this free online course serves as an accessible gateway to further one’s alternative investment education.
Learn from Harvard’s leading faculty in alternative investments
Harvard is globally recognized for its leadership in alternative investment education. Its faculty members are at the forefront of research and practice in this field. By enrolling in this free online course, students can learn from these distinguished professors without paying tuition fees. The course instructor, Professor Lerner, has decades of experience spanning venture capital research, private equity investing and economic policymaking. He has authored several books on alternative asset classes as well. His research provides the foundation for the course curriculum. Additionally, guest lecturers like David Rubenstein, Co-Founder of the Carlyle Group, will offer their real-world perspectives. The collective expertise of the faculty lends enormous value to the learnings from this course.
Gain an overview of major alternative investment categories
The course provides a comprehensive introduction to alternative investments, covering all the major asset classes. It explores the different risk-return characteristics, payoff structures and investment strategies of each one. The key alternative assets covered include hedge funds, private equity, venture capital, real estate and commodities. Using case studies and real-world examples, the course explains how these alternatives differ from stocks and bonds. It also dissects the structure of partnerships used to invest in them. Moreover, unique topics like cryptocurrencies, farmland, art and wine are discussed as well. By surveying such a diverse range of alternatives, the course enables students to identify which asset classes may suit their investment goals.
Learn effective strategies for portfolio allocation and risk management
Gaining exposure to alternatives is only half the story, knowing how to incorporate them into an investment portfolio is equally important. This course devotes significant time to portfolio allocation and risk monitoring principles. It demonstrates techniques to optimize a portfolio using alternative investments. Several lectures also cover risk measurement metrics tailored to alternatives. Concepts like value-at-risk, scenario analysis and stress testing are explained for different asset classes. Additionally, the curriculum highlights best practices for ongoing risk management. It outlines governance and monitoring processes required after making alternative investments. By covering such implementation topics in detail, the course prepares students to apply alternative investment strategies in the real world.
Engage with diverse learning materials catered to individual investors
Unlike other academic courses, this program focuses on individual investors looking to adopt alternatives. The curriculum avoids complex financial theories and equations for this reason. Instead it relies on lectures, case studies and qualitative discussions to get the core concepts across. Additionally, the course assigns educational readings accessible to novice investors as prerequisites. These include journal articles, research reports, newspaper columns and textbook excerpts. To make learning interactive, discussion forums allow students to ask questions and exchange ideas as well. In summary, the instructional design and content of this course make alternative investments approachable for personal investment education.
For individuals looking to expand their investment skillset, Harvard’s free online course offers an exceptional and convenient introduction to alternative investments. By covering a multitude of alternative asset classes, portfolio strategies and real-world cases, it provides comprehensive knowledge for personal investors. The expertise of leading faculty and the breadth of resources make this course a valuable first step for alternative investment education.