The Art of Investing: Lessons from History’s Greatest Traders

An award-winning professor reveals the secrets of the most successful financial investors in history. Learn the skills, temperament, and strategies behind history’s most legendary traders and investors.

Course Lessons

01: Investing Skill, Strategy, and Temperament
Welcome to a boot camp on investing! Discover the influences that led Professor Longo to a career in finance. Then meet some of the major figures you will study in the course. Survey the key principles and strategies that built their fortunes.
29 min

02: Benjamin Graham and Value Investing
Many of the most successful investors of the 20th and early 21st centuries were hugely influenced by the work of Ben Graham, the pioneer of value investing. Study the underpinnings of his proven philosophy, including the contrasting strategies of the enterprising investor and the defensive investor.
31 min

03: Warren Buffett: Investing Forever
Explore the celebrated career of Warren Buffett, one of the world’s richest people thanks to his disciplined approach to buying and selling companies. Learn how Buffett modified the strategy of his mentor, Ben Graham, by searching out high-quality companies with a competitive advantage, or “moat.”
29 min

04: Fisher and Price: The Growth-Stock Investors
Turn to the fathers of growth investing, Philip Fisher and T. Rowe Price, Jr. Discover how to tell growth stocks from value stocks. Then learn to spot signs that a stock is worth holding over the very long term.
29 min

05: Harry Markowitz’s Modern Portfolio Theory
Study what two Nobel Prize-winning economists have to say about risk. Harry Markowitz put risk on an equal footing with return. Delve into his Modern Portfolio Theory and its implications for investors. Also investigate William Sharpe’s Capital Asset Pricing Model.
28 min

06: John Bogle, Index Mutual Fund Pioneer
See the index fund phenomenon from the inside through the career of John Bogle, founder of Vanguard. Consider evidence for and against the Efficient Market Hypothesis, and the pitfalls to avoid when buying index funds.
29 min

07: Small-Cap Stocks: More Risk, More Reward
Explore the world of small-cap investing, which targets companies with a market capitalization under $1 billion. Learn how legendary investors Warren Buffett, Peter Lynch, and Michael Burry flourished in this market.
29 min

08: John Templeton, Global Treasure Hunter
Go stock hunting with John Templeton, who changed the world of finance by focusing on the global market and on socially responsible portfolios. Review Templeton’s checklist for identifying attractive nations for investment.
30 min

09: David Dreman, Contrarian Money Manager
Find out if you make the common mistakes on market psychologist David Dreman’s list. Known as a contrarian investor, Dreman made a fortune by bucking trends.
30 min

10: Peter Lynch: Invest in What You Know
Study mutual funds through the career of Peter Lynch, renowned for managing the Magellan Fund. Learn key mutual fund terms and Lynch’s methods for picking winners.
28 min

11: The Bond Kings: Bill Gross, Jeffrey Gundlach
Many investors know stocks but not bonds. Explore the strategies of two bond kings, Bill Gross and Jeff Gundlach, and learn how bonds can fit into your portfolio.
30 min

12: Sovereign Wealth Funds: Singapore
Examine sovereign wealth funds—state-owned investment portfolios—through the example of Singapore. Learn their history, how they operate, and their growing role in global finance.
31 min

13: The First Hedge Fund: A. W. Jones
Take the mystery out of hedge funds with A.W. Jones, who pioneered the modern hedge fund model. See how long and short positions balance risk and return.
30 min

14: Activist Investors: Icahn, Loeb, Ackman
Go company hunting with activist investors Carl Icahn, Dan Loeb, and Bill Ackman. Learn key tactics such as greenmail, white knights, and Pac-Man strategy.
30 min

15: The Big Shorts: Livermore, Chanos
Short selling carries unlimited risk. Compare Jesse Livermore, who profited during the 1929 crash, with James Chanos, who predicted Enron’s collapse.
29 min

16: George Soros’s $10 Billion Currency Play
Trace the saga of George Soros, financier and philosopher, who made over a billion in a single day. Explore his global macro strategies and life story.
31 min

17: Bridgewater’s Multi-Strategy Investing
Learn from Ray Dalio of Bridgewater, whose Pure Alpha Fund gained during the 2008 crisis. Focus on global macro and multi-strategy investing.
29 min

18: Paul Tudor Jones, Futures Market Seer
Study Paul Tudor Jones, who predicted the 1987 crash. Explore his expertise in futures trading, technical analysis, and market psychology.
30 min

19: James Simons: Money, Math, and Computers
Meet James Simons, a mathematician who used computer algorithms to consistently beat the market. Learn about quants and algorithmic trading.
32 min

20: Distressed-Asset Investors: Tepper, Klarman
Explore distressed investing with David Tepper and Seth Klarman, who made fortunes buying undervalued assets from failing companies.
29 min

21: Motorcycles, Gold, and Global Commodities
Travel with Jim Rogers, commodities expert and adventurer. Learn how to evaluate emerging markets and opportunities in commodities.
30 min

22: Private Equity Innovators: KKR, Blackstone
Turn to private equity and leveraged buyouts with Henry Kravis and Stephen Schwarzman, including the famous RJR Nabisco takeover.
31 min

23: Four Women Who Moved Financial Markets
Study four top female investors—Hetty Green, Linda Raschke, Sonia Gardner, and Leda Braga—and their different approaches to building wealth.
31 min

24: Becoming a Great Investor
Survey a century-long story of a company that appealed to many investor types. Then follow a detailed checklist to match your strategy to your outlook and resources.
34 min