What is finance?
Finance covers every decision related to money, whether for individuals, businesses, or public institutions. Personal finance deals with managing an individual’s or household’s money—things like handling personal assets, dealing with credit card debt, saving for retirement, and budgeting for everyday expenses. Corporate finance focuses on a business’s assets, liabilities, debt, and revenue, with professionals specializing in areas like risk management, budgeting, financial analysis, and strategic decision-making. Public finance, on the other hand, involves managing tax revenue, issuing public debt, planning budgets, and more.
Finance course curriculum
Whether you’re aiming for financial freedom, learning how to allocate assets for retirement, or starting a career in banking, online courses and tutorials can sharpen your financial skills. There’s a wide range of options, from introductory to advanced, varying in length, difficulty, and focus. Some courses dive into specific topics like portfolio management, credit scores, savings accounts, buying a house, and interest rates. Others give a broader overview of accounting, the stock market, share prices and targets, equities and bonds, net present value, short-term financing, financial statements, and balance sheets.
If you want to blend business knowledge with math skills, some courses teach financial tools in a management context. You’ll learn to value assets using the time value of money, explore behavioral finance, and develop capital budgeting skills for projects. There are also professional certificate programs for those already in the field, covering financial decision-making, risk management, mergers and acquisitions, mortgage-backed securities, and more.
Boost your expertise and master financial planning with online courses and tutorials available through edX.
Jobs in finance
A finance background opens doors to careers like financial planner, financial analyst, financial compliance associate, investment banker, accountant, economist, budget analyst, auditor, mortgage broker, chief financial officer (CFO), and many others.
Financial management is crucial to business operations. Financial analysts handle day-to-day money matters, gaining valuable skills along the way. Their tasks may include creating operating budgets, forecasting monthly expenses, managing payroll, analyzing financial reports, and preparing client invoices.
Most finance roles require at least a bachelor’s degree. Those aiming for leadership positions often pursue a master’s or supplement their education with online courses and certificates for specialized knowledge. Top executives, like CFOs, usually hold advanced degrees—such as an MBA or master’s in accounting—and continue learning through finance courses throughout their careers. A CFO manages all financial aspects of a company, offering strategic guidance on major decisions and maintaining relationships with senior executives, lenders, investors, board members, and other stakeholders.