The NAOI Individual Investor Certification Program is designed to provide individuals with a comprehensive education in a full range of investing types and activities. "NAOI Certified Individual Investor" is a designation awarded to individuals who complete Courses 1 through 5 of the Confident Investing Series. These courses are described in detail in the Study Courses area of this site. This is the comprehensive, academically rigorous program in personal investing that you should have been offered in high school or college but were not!

The Benefits of Earning NAOI Individual Investor Certification

The first and foremost benefit of earning NAOI Investor Certification is that you will be able to make informed and effective investing decisions with confidence in all market conditions. You will have created a detailed investing plan unique to your goals, risk tolerance and financial profile. Plus you will have an in-depth knowledge of the investment types listed below and know when and how to use them to build a complete portfolio. Below are the courses in the Certification Program. They are also listed in the right column of this page.

• Course 1: Investing Basics and Creating Your Unique Plan (online version)
• Course 2: Investing In Core Mutual Funds 
• Course 3: Investing In Focused Mutual Funds 
• Course 4: Investing In Individual Stocks 
• Course 5: Investing In Stock Options 

These investment types represent the full spectrum of securities and investing types that all individuals should consider in order to maximize the wealth potential of their portfolios. 

Not all program graduates will decide to include each investment type in their portfolio. But NAOI graduates will make this decision based on a full knowledge of the pros and cons of each type of investing activity - and not by default because they didn't understand the investment type.

As an NAOI Certified Individual Investor you will have at your disposal a complete set of tools and an up-to-date methodology for for building a portfolio that enables you to meet the investing goals of your dreams regardless of market conditions! Refer to the "Designing an Optimal Portfolio" discussion in the lower portion of the right-hand column of this page for an overview of the methodology. 

What Does NAOI Certification Mean? 

NAOI Individual Investor Certification is a tangible symbol to the world that you have acquired an extensive investing skill set as defined by the National Association of Online Investors. It is evidence of your successful commitment to learn about investing and to take personal control of your financial future. The knowledge, skills and resources that you will have as a Certified Investor can be seen by clicking the "Traits of a Certified Investor" item in the submenu at the top of this page. 

The NAOI Certification Program Product

The Certification Program product bundles Courses 2 through 5 of the Confident Investing Series into one economically priced offering that can be ordered in the Order/Join area of this site. This product enables you to access all four courses with one NAOI Membership ID and Password. 

NAOI Certification can also be achieved by taking each of these four courses individually. Doing so, however, will require separate NAOI Memberships and sign-in codes for each course. 

Each Certification Program Course is explained in more detail in the "Study Courses" section of this site that can be accessed via the Main Menu at the top of this page. Or click a book cover at right to launch a new browser window with more details for each course. 

Just as brokers and advisors must be trained and certified to sell investing products, the NAOI believes that individuals should be trained and certified to buy and sell them. The NAOI Individual Investor Certification Program was created to provide this training to the investing public and level the playing field. Graduates of the Program will be fully empowered to invest on their own with confidence. Those that wish to continue working with an adviser will be able to thoroughly evaluate and question any recommendations given. As an NAOI Certified Individual Investor you will no longer be dependent on any third party for investing advice.

The NAOI Individual Investor
Certification Diploma

The Certification Program Courses

	New for 2009! The online version of Course 1: Investing Basics and Creating Your Unique Plan is included in the Certification Program.
Building Your Core Funds Portfolio	Investing in  Focused Mutual Funds
Trading  Individual Stocks	Trading Stock Options

The NAOI Certification Program takes significant time and effort to complete. The NAOI Certification Designation and Diploma provide a tangible reward and motivation for students to stay-the-course and finish the material. 

One problem with most investing books and similar so-called "education" resources is that they provide little incentive to complete the material and no way of measuring your retention of what you are reading. The study of investing can, at times, wear on your patience if you are not involved in the learning process or if you are not given feedback and reinforcement. How many investing books are on your shelf right now that you started with eager anticipation and then just didn't finish? Probably more than a few. Traditional education resources simply have no way of providing you with motivation to finish the material.

NAOI Study Courses are different. The mufti-media format enables you to participate in the learning process as described in the "Study Courses" area of this site. NAOI Courses allow you measure your learning retention by providing online testing and a "Scorecard" displays your progress through the material. 

The highest reward offered is the NAOI Individual Investor Certification designation and diploma. And this provides students with a tangible motivation to complete the four Certification Program courses and to become the most effective investor they can be. 

What NAOI Certification Is Not

NAOI Certification is your reward for devoting significant time to complete the NAOI Certification Program Courses. It is NOT a license that enables you to call yourself a financial advisor. NAOI Certification does NOT allow you to charge clients for financial advice. NAOI Certification is NOT recognized by any federal or state securities regulatory organization or agency. It is important that you understand this and the NAOI wants to make this very clear.

Rather, NAOI Certification is a symbol of accomplishment recognized by the NAOI and more importantly by YOU. The Certification Diploma is a tangible symbol showing that you have successfully completed an intense investing program of study. It is a symbol of your determination to take personal control of your financial future. And it is a reward that gives you confidence to make your own investing decisions and to decrease your dependence on third party advice. 

Nothing could be more valuable.

As an NAOI Certified Individual Investor you will have at your disposal the tools you need to build an optimally effective portfolio. You will be able to mix and match the four investing types you learn about in the courses shown above.

The NAOI refers to these investing types as Portfolio Segments and each has a unique risk/return profile. Each also requires a different level of personal involvement on your part. Viewing the vast and confusing world of investing in this logical and structured manner is fully described in the "A New Approach" section of this site accessed via the Main Menu at the top of this page. 

As a Certified Investor you will be able to design a portfolio by allocating your investment money amongst the four NAOI defined Portfolio Segments using the NAOI Segmentation Calculator in a manner that fits your unique investing goals, risk profile and investing "style". Following is an example of the calculator and one example portfolio design. 

As an NAOI Certified Investor you will be fully empowered to determine the Target Return that you feel is possible for each Segment, the risk involved and whether the investing "type" fits your unique style. You will then be in a position to design a portfolio that meets your exact needs. For example you can lower risk by allocating more to Core Funds. You can increase portfolio return by increasing allocation to Segments with higher returns. 

Note that you can test your own portfolio designs in the "A New Approach" section of this site accessed from the menu at the top of this page.

NAOI Certification Empowers You 

The bottom line is that the NAOI Certification Program gives you the knowledge, the structure and the resources to become the best investor you can possibly be. The only variable is your willingness to become involved in the investing process. As an NAOI Certified Investor, the financial goals that are within your reach are limited only by your desire to reach them!

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