Is financial aid available?

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

Alternative Investments As We Age: Building Wealth

Grow your skills with Coursera Plus for $239/year (usually $399). Save now.

Alternative Investments As We Age: Building Wealth

This course is part of multiple programs.

Instructor: Dr. Craig Lemoine

Included with

Learn more

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Beginner level

No prior experience required

2 weeks to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Beginner level

No prior experience required

2 weeks to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

Understand various investment theories and the impact of cognitive biases on financial decision-making throughout the client lifecycle.
Analyze wealth management strategies, financial planning opportunities, and generational wealth transfer as consumers age.
Evaluate the role and benefits of alternative investments in wealth accumulation and retirement planning, considering health and financial stability.

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

6 assignments

Taught in English

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

Learn more about Coursera for Business

logos of Petrobras, TATA, Danone, Capgemini, P&G and L'Oreal

Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is available as part of

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be asked to select a specific program.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 4 modules in this course

This course explores financial planning and investment strategies across the consumer lifecycle. It covers investment theories, cognitive biases, and their impact on financial decisions. You'll analyze case studies to understand wealth building, evaluate financial planning and wealth management strategies, and discuss generational wealth transfer. The course also examines financial strategies for those in their 40s and 50s, considering retirement savings and alternative investments. Finally, it assesses the role of private market and non-traditional investments in early wealth accumulation.

This course is part of the College of ACES suite of online programs, including the graduate-level certificate, "Land, Agriculture and Alternative Investing" that can be stacked toward a master's degree. To learn more about online programs from the College of ACES and explore ways to apply your Coursera work toward a degree program at the University of Illinois, visit ACES Online at acesonline.illinois.edu.

You will become familiar with the course, your classmates, and our learning environment. The orientation will also help you obtain the technical skills required for the course. Then dive into the second part of this module to assess various investment theories throughout the client lifecycle by comparing the long-term financial impacts of saving versus investing. You’ll also examine the influence of cognitive biases, such as anchoring and confirmation bias, on financial decision-making and investment behaviors.

What's included

12 videos5 readings2 assignments1 discussion prompt

12 videos Total 55 minutes

Course Overview 3 minutes
Meet Your Instructor | Craig Lemoine 2 minutes
Meet Your Instructor | Ailie Elmore 2 minutes
Module 1 | Overview 1 minute
Understanding Economic Theories 14 minutes
What is the Purpose of Investing? 4 minutes
Heuristics and Investment Management 6 minutes
Money Stories and Money Scripts 6 minutes
Cognitive Biases and Investor Preferences 8 minutes
Shift to Behavioral Finance Featuring Matt Goren 6 minutes
Behavior Featuring Jamie Hopkins 1 minute
Module 1 | Wrap-up 1 minute

5 readings Total 90 minutes

Syllabus 10 minutes
Learn More About Flexible Pathways 10 minutes
Updating Your Profile 10 minutes
The Impact of Cognitive Biases on Professionals’ Decision-Making 30 minutes
Life-Cycle Investing 30 minutes

2 assignments Total 90 minutes

Orientation Quiz 30 minutes
Module 1 | Knowledge Check 60 minutes

1 discussion prompt Total 10 minutes

Getting to Know Your Classmates 10 minutes

This module focuses on analyzing and assessing the financial decisions and investment strategies of case study characters to understand long-term wealth building. You’ll evaluate opportunities for financial planning, wealth management, and generational wealth transfer, and discuss strategies for managing wealth through pre-retirement life stages.

What's included

8 videos3 readings1 assignment

8 videos Total 46 minutes

Module 2 | Overview 1 minute
Building Wealth in your 20s: Starting your financial life 10 minutes
Presley’s Inheritance: Corn, Llamas, and Choices 9 minutes
Building Wealth in your 30s: Finding your why 11 minutes
Sam's Investment Quest: Shire to Solar 8 minutes
How do you start off, building wealth Featuring Jamie Hopkins 4 minutes
Fractional ownership in farmland Featuring Carter Malloy 3 minutes
Module 2 | Wrap-Up 1 minute

3 readings Total 50 minutes

Learners Guide: Presley’s Inheritance: Corn, Llamas, and Choices 10 minutes
Learners Guide: Sam's Investment Quest: Shire to Solar 10 minutes
Investment Intention and Decision Making 30 minutes

1 assignment Total 60 minutes

Module 2 | Knowledge Check 60 minutes

In this module, you will evaluate the effectiveness of different financial strategies for managing wealth in their 40s and 50s, considering factors such as retirement savings, asset allocation, and alternative investments. You’ll also use case studies to analyze the interactions between health and financial decisions to understand how maintaining good health can impact long-term financial stability and retirement planning.

What's included

8 videos2 readings1 assignment

8 videos Total 47 minutes

Module 3 | Overview 1 minute
Working with Wealth in your 40s 7 minutes
Risk analysis tools 5 minutes
A story of three portfolios 8 minutes
Financial Health in your 50s: Portfolios Maturing 8 minutes
Diving deep into correlations 8 minutes
Michelle’s Real Estate Dilemma: Cash or Continuity? 10 minutes
Module 3 | Wrap-up 1 minute

2 readings Total 40 minutes

Learners Guide: Michelle’s Real Estate Dilemma: Cash or Continuity? 10 minutes
Financial Well-Being in the United States 30 minutes

1 assignment Total 60 minutes

Module 3 | Knowledge Check 60 minutes

This module examines the utilization of private market and non-traditional investments in institutional accounts and retirement plans. You’ll assess the feasibility and benefits of including alternative investments in building wealth through a case study. At the conclusion of this module, you will be ready to complete the final assessment for the course and earn your Coursera certificate!

What's included

10 videos5 readings2 assignments

10 videos Total 35 minutes

Module 4 | Overview 1 minute
Rental Properties with Model Wealth Featuring Randy Bruns & Alex Offerman 6 minutes
Social Media, Influencers, Investing and Real Estate Featuring Jamie Hopkins 7 minutes
Creating an income plan from art and collectibles Featuring Randy Bruns & Alex Offerman 6 minutes
Farmland Philanthropy: Income via Trusts, Flips, and Estates Featuring Justin Seno 5 minutes
Water as an asset class Featuring Brett Bovee 3 minutes
Gifting over the lifecycle: Crypto Featuring Jennifer Lehman 3 minutes
Module 4 | Wrap-up 1 minute
Course Wrap-up 1 minute
Graduate-Level Learning: Deepening Your Expertise 2 minutes

5 readings Total 90 minutes

Alternative Investment Funds 30 minutes
The Persistence of Cognitive Biases in Financial Decisions 30 minutes
Congratulations! 10 minutes
Stack Your Course Certificate toward Graduate Coursework 10 minutes
Getting Your Course Certificate 10 minutes

2 assignments Total 240 minutes

Module 4 | Knowledge Check 60 minutes
Final Assessment 180 minutes

Earn a career certificate

Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV. Share it on social media and in your performance review.

Instructor

Dr. Craig Lemoine

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

11 Courses 8,892 learners

Offered by

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Explore more from Finance

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Alternative Investments as We Age: Dive into Your Portfolio
Course
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Alternatives as We Age: Retirement and Legacy Planning
Course
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Alternative Investments as You Age
Specialization
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Investing and Building Wealth
Course

Why people choose Coursera for their career

Felipe M.

Learner since 2018

"To be able to take courses at my own pace and rhythm has been an amazing experience. I can learn whenever it fits my schedule and mood."

Jennifer J.

Learner since 2020

"I directly applied the concepts and skills I learned from my courses to an exciting new project at work."

Larry W.

Learner since 2021

"When I need courses on topics that my university doesn't offer, Coursera is one of the best places to go."

Chaitanya A.

"Learning isn't just about being better at your job: it's so much more than that. Coursera allows me to learn without limits."

Open new doors with Coursera Plus

Unlimited access to 10,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs - all included in your subscription

Learn more

Advance your career with an online degree

Earn a degree from world-class universities - 100% online

Explore degrees

Join over 3,400 global companies that choose Coursera for Business

Upskill your employees to excel in the digital economy

Learn more

Frequently asked questions

Yes! Although completion of the Coursera course alone is not credit-bearing, it is a required component of a graduate-level Canvas course that can be "stacked" toward advanced credentials such as an academic (transcriptable) graduate certificate or a degree. If you decide to pursue further education, the credits you earn from this course can be applied toward a formal academic program, provided that you meet all the requirements of admission to the certificate or degree.

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.