13 online courses that could help you get rich

Trick yourself into making smarter choices Behavioral Economics in Action, University of Toronto Behavioral economics answers questions like, How can we get people to save more money? But this class doesn't just teach you about theory. It also gives you practical methods to apply in real life, which could come in handy if you know that you should be handling your money better but can't seem to follow through. Next session: Always availableFigure out how to decode the books Introduction to Financial Accounting, University of Pennsylvania Wharton School After learning how to read the three most common financial statements — income statements, balance sheets, and cash-flow statements — you'll develop an understanding of how to make smart decisions based on what those reports tell you. Next session: April 18 — May 22Build a productive relationship with your money Love Your Money, University of Tennessee and FINRA If you want to make better decisions about managing your money but don't know where to start, the Love Your Money program is for you. It covers topics like building wealth, settling goals, budgets, credit cards, debt, 401(k) programs, and identity theft. Next session: Always availableNegotiate everything, from prices to salaries Successful Negotiation: Essential Strategies and Skills, University of Michigan Negotiation can save you money when it comes time for a large purchase — or help you earn more when you ask for a promotion or seek out a new career opportunity. This course covers the four steps of the negotiation process and gives you opportunities to practice your skills in real life. Next session: Always availableDecipher your investment portfolio Financial Evaluation and Strategy: Investments, University of Illinois If you want to understand your portfolio, this class is for you. Taught by professors from the University of Illinois, it touches on key principles like risk and return, optimization, and security pricing. You'll also learn to understand market efficiency and common behavioral biases of investors. Next session: April 25 — June 3Understand how the world's financial markets work Financial Markets, Yale University Yale's renowned class on financial markets includes visits from guest speakers like Hank Greenberg and Carl Icahn. Over the course of eight weeks, you'll learn the history and theory behind banking, insurance, securities, futures, and the derivatives market, and where these institutions are headed in the next century. Next session: April 18 — June 19Become fluent in the language of finance The Language and Tools of Financial Analysis, University of Melbourne How do analysts, CFOs, and investors make their decisions? This corporate-finance class will teach you how to use tools like Microsoft Excel to review data and evaluate financial statements. You'll also learn the basics of accounting principles, and how you can apply them to measure the value of potential investments. Next session: April 25 — May 29Get a head start on planning for your family's future Personal & Family Financial Planning, University of Florida This class covers everything that you need to know in order to create a financial plan for your family. You'll begin by learning how to read financial statements and create a budget, then move on to the basics of income tax, credit, risk management, and investing. Next session: Always availableGet the most out of your time Work Smarter, Not Harder: Time Management for Personal & Professional Productivity, UC Irvine What if you could work fewer hours in the day, but make more money? This class is dedicated to teaching you time-management techniques that will make you more productive. Next session: Always availableMake life-changing connections Psychology of Popularity, University of North Carolina You might think (or wish) that you'd left the idea of popularity behind in high school, but research suggests otherwise. As it turns out, being popular can help you connect with the people who can help you succeed. Self-made millionaire and author Steve Siebold explains, Exposure to people who are more successful than you are has the potential to expand your thinking and catapult your income. The social insights taught in this class are sure to help you build those relationships. Next session: May 9 — June 17 Share your money wisely Effective Altruism, Princeton University Whether you donate your time or your money, you want to be sure that it's not going to waste. This class is intended to help you make practical and unsentimental decisions about how to evaluate a charity's effectiveness or to decide which causes to support. Next session: Always availableBuild your personal brand Introduction to Personal Branding, University of Virginia In this day and age, anyone can make money doing what they love and building their personal brand around it, entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk emphasizes in his TED talk: We're going through a gold rush of branding. In the old days, to become a brand, you needed a lot of mainstream media attention — but now, if you get talked about enough in all these social webs, you can get there. You can build your brand or your company's brand. Start with this course, which will teach you how to create a personal brand — and then how to maintain and inhabit that brand. Next session: Always available Start a side hustle Innovation for Entrepreneurs: From Idea to Marketplace, University of Maryland at College Park The wealthiest, most successful people choose to get paid based on results and are typically self-employed. It's not that there aren't world-class performers who punch a time clock for a paycheck, but for most this is the slowest path to prosperity, promoted as the safest, Siebold says. The great ones know self-employment is the fastest road to wealth. Start down your entrepreneurial road with this course, which will teach you how to turn your ideas into something tangible and profitable. Next session: April 18 — May 29