Chevron Left
Back to Investments II: Lessons and Applications for Investors

Learner Reviews & Feedback for Investments II: Lessons and Applications for Investors by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

4.8
stars
879 ratings

About the Course

In this course, you will start by reviewing the fundamentals of investments, including the trading off of return and risk when forming a portfolio, asset pricing models such as the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) and the 3-Factor Model, and the efficient market hypothesis. You will be introduced to the two components of stock returns – dividends and capital gains – and will learn how each are taxed and the incentives provided to investors from a realization-based capital gains tax. You will examine the investment decisions (and behavioral biases) of participants in defined-contribution (DC) pension plans like 401(k) plans in the U.S. and will learn about the evidence regarding the performance of individual investors in their stock portfolios. The course concludes by discussing the evidence regarding the performance of actively-managed mutual funds. You will learn about the fees charged to investors by mutual funds and the evidence regarding the relation between fees charged and fund performance. Segments of the portfolios of mutual funds that may be more likely to outperform and examples of strategies designed to “earn alpha” will also be introduced. Learners are welcome to take this course even if they have not completed "Investments I: Fundamentals of Performance Evaluation," as the first module contain a review of investment fundamentals and regression analysis to get everyone up to speed. Also, the course contains several innovative features, including creative out-of-the-studio introductions followed by quick-hitting "Module in 60" countdowns that highlight what will be covered in each module, four "Faculty Focus" interview episodes with leading professors in finance, and a summary of each module done with the help of animations! The over-arching goals of this course are to provide a review of the fundamentals of investments and then assess the historical performance of several groups of investors, with an emphasis on research findings with clear real-world applications. Specifically, upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to: • Interpret and use the CAPM and the 3-Factor Model to evaluate the performance of investments • Compare returns in the form of dividends and capital gains and their tax consequences • Describe evidence regarding the performance of individuals’ stock investments • Understand key behavioral biases of investors and their effects on financial decisions • Describe evidence regarding the performance of actively-managed mutual funds • Evaluate strategies designed to “earn alpha” This course is part of the iMBA offered by the University of Illinois, a flexible, fully-accredited online MBA at an incredibly competitive price. For more information, please see the Resource page in this course and onlinemba.illinois.edu....

Top reviews

DH

Mar 11, 2018

Professor Weisbenner is phenomenal! The course material is accessible, very well presented, highly informative, and can be applied for the rest of your life.

MC

Jun 14, 2020

it was an excellent course. Professor Scott Weisbenner has a unique and an interactive style of teaching. I thoroughly enjoyed this course

Filter by:

151 - 173 of 173 Reviews for Investments II: Lessons and Applications for Investors

By HARSHIT R

•

Jul 30, 2025

Good

By RITHEESH V V

•

Aug 14, 2020

Good

By Huy V C

•

Dec 16, 2021

<3

By Randall T

•

Jun 22, 2020

S

By WESTON S

•

Jan 19, 2018

T

By Alejandro C R

•

May 13, 2017

D

By Nipun S D

•

Nov 14, 2020

COURSE HAS IMPROVED MY KNOWLEDGE TREMENDOUSLY. aN ADDITIONAL COURSZE IS NEEDED FOR APPLICATION AND SIMULATION OF WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED.WE NEED EXPOSURE TO DERIVATIVES AS WELL .INVESTMENTS iii CAN DO IT WITH ANOTHER SEQUEL TO STAR WARS

By Husam A

•

Dec 9, 2019

Good overall material covered however I believe the number and duration of videos were excessive for an online course. Took significantly longer than other coursera courses to complete.

By COLLIN M

•

May 25, 2017

Much better than Investments I, I feel that I got more from this course and sort of wish their order was flipped as then I might have gotten more from the first class.

By ECS156_ S M M

•

Nov 18, 2022

A very well explained course. Professor was very innovative and interactive during the entire course which really helped a lot.

By Alexis B

•

Nov 25, 2020

The lecture was very clear and helpful making the course easy to comprehend also the video very helpful thanks alot

By Anton A

•

Aug 3, 2020

It was interesting to know more about mutual funds and it makes you think about further investment opportunities

By Billet E

•

Dec 7, 2016

Very interesting, I follow Weisbener courses from its begining and it's still astonishing. Congrats !

By Josh G

•

May 11, 2020

great content but videos too long

By Joe F

•

Dec 10, 2018

Good course

By Subhransu M

•

May 13, 2025

good

By John M

•

Jan 5, 2021

Investment I was far more interesting...I have an MBA in Finance from St. Joseph's University (Haub )...because I always enjoyed the theoretical CAPM.... .so I would consider this "light-weight" as opposed to Investment I and I look forward to experiencing a different perspective that Schiller will introduce at Yale...I took his online when it was first available from the Yale portal about 12 years ago...but I understand "the teaser concept" and I suspect the higher engaged students will be tested rather than teased should they decided to take the higher engagement path

By Jason D

•

Mar 2, 2019

Prof. Did better presenting in Invst. II but still really needs to take a class on presenting in front of a camera. The content is good, but delivery is lacking. I expect more from professors. (use U Penn's Corp. Finance class as a great example.)

By Sheldon E

•

Jun 11, 2020

There is a lot of information in this course, perhaps too much.

By Jorge A G

•

Nov 9, 2017

Too large, you loose a lot of time in videos.

By Duy K N

•

Jun 11, 2024

This course is bad. I finished Investments I and thought it was amazing, so I had high hopes for the second one. However, I was very let down. I don't think putting 10 videos that are 20 minutes long next to each other is a good idea. If you are planning to pay for this individual course instead of the whole specialization or Coursera Business, DO NOT!

By Fazil Ə

•

Dec 19, 2020

Why do not yo give my certificate ?

By Jayeeta G

•

Mar 10, 2021

Not able to get certificate