Investing Fundamentals: Grow Your Money with Confidence
For people in gambling recovery, the line between investing and gambling can feel dangerously thin. This 14-day course teaches you the real fundamentals of investing (compound interest, index funds, retirement accounts, and risk management) while explicitly addressing the gambling-to-investing pipeline. You'll learn to grow your money with intention, recognize when 'investing' starts looking like gambling behavior, and build a simple long-term plan that keeps your recovery intact.
What You'll Learn
- Distinguish between investing and gambling using clear, evidence-based criteria
- Explain how compound interest and time horizons create wealth without speculation
- Compare tax-advantaged accounts (401k, IRA, Roth IRA) and choose the right one for your situation
- Build a diversified portfolio using low-cost index funds and ETFs
- Identify speculative traps (day trading, meme stocks, crypto gambling) that mimic addiction patterns
- Create a written, rules-based long-term investment plan with built-in guardrails
Course Syllabus
Module 1: Investing vs. Gambling: Building the Right Foundation
0/5Before you put a dollar into any investment, you need to understand what investing actually is, and what it isn't. This module draws a hard line between investing and gambling, teaches you the core mechanics of how markets grow wealth over time, and helps you assess whether you're ready to start.
Module 2: Investment Accounts and Vehicles
0/5Now that you understand the foundations, this module explains WHERE to invest. You'll learn the difference between retirement accounts and brokerage accounts, understand index funds and ETFs, and discover why boring investments consistently beat exciting ones.
Module 3: Building Your Long-Term Plan
0/4Knowledge without action is worthless. This final module is about putting everything together into a written, rules-based investment plan with built-in guardrails that protect both your wealth and your recovery.