Course Overview

Investment management involves a broad spectrum of responsibilities revolving around the management of financial assets, and not just buying or selling them. Other complex aspects of this field relate to devising strategies to acquire and dispose of assets from time to time, to manage risks and prevent business loss.

Detailed analyses are conducted to reach fruitful conclusions regarding financial next steps and investments. Banking, budgeting and tax-saving are important elements of this field of financial planning and management.

Formal training is thus required to help professionals acquire adequate knowledge and understanding of all aspects of investment management, covering property, stocks, pension funds, etc.

This Zoe training course will empower you with complete knowledge and information of several areas of investment management. Through this course, you will receive adequate exposure and experience in investment management, thereby making your skill dynamic and specialised to handle multiple portfolios successfully.

This will garner greater attention of senior members in your organisation and would result in greater opportunities and offerings for higher roles and responsibilities.

Course Objectives

The key objective of this training course is to empower professionals with—

• an in-depth understanding of all critical aspects of investment management, including property, stock, pension funds, etc.
• the required knowledge to adopt a dynamic approach to work, capable of successfully undertaking multiple roles within one’s organisation, aiding career progression
• the required multitasking skills to work on multiple areas at one time and successfully deliver what is expected from these
• the necessary confidence and knowledge to train other professionals on important aspects of investment management
• the ability to review available information and draw important conclusions, effectively identifying risks and devising strategies to mitigate these
• credibility for one’s ability to contribute to organisational growth and development, while effectively managing risks for the organisation
• the ability and knowledge to stay updated with market trends and changing industry demands so as to sustain competition
• the awareness and experience to ensure that organisational processes and policies are in line with required standards and benchmarks, protecting the organisation and clients against unnecessary allegations and claims
• the ability to work with advanced technology for expediting analyses to reach accurate decisions
• the overall skill set and capabilities to work in any role across any organisation in the industry, thus extending one’s progress to beyond one’s current organisation

Training Methodology

Training courses at Zoe Talent Solutions are highly customisable as per the backgrounds and experiences of the training audience. Thus, before the commencement of each training session, the course content is thoroughly reviewed and amendments are made, if necessary.

The training is delivered by professionals highly experienced in the relevant domain, using audio-visual presentations for ease of reference. Trainee participation is ensured through assignments and discussions, including role-plays and relevant case study discussions.

This approach to training is unique in the industry and is followed by Zoe Talent Solutions alone for all its courses. It is called the Do–Review–Learn–Apply Model.

Organisational Benefits

With professionals undergoing this training course, organisations will derive the following benefits:

• Successful investment management activities of property, stock, pension funds, etc. handled by trained and experienced professionals
• Effective risk prediction, assessment and mitigation because of detailed analyses of available financial information
• Greater organisational credibility as a result of greater success owing to the team of trained professionals working for clients
• Organisational growth with the increasing clientele and lesser risks and liabilities
• Adherence to required investment standards and benchmarks at an industry level
• Application and use of advanced technology for effective and quick analyses and accurate conclusions and next steps
• Regular training and upskilling of other employees on best practices and newer trends concerning investment management
• Continuous update of existing processes to stay ahead of the competition and be a leading player in the market

Personal Benefits

Professionals opting for this training course will benefit in the following ways:

• Complete understanding and detailed information about investment management, including property, stock, pension funds, etc.
• Enhanced multitasking skills to be able to successfully and simultaneously handle multiple responsibilities across various portfolios, thus demonstrating one’s potential and capability to assume higher roles and responsibilities within one’s organisation
• Increased confidence and knowledge to train other professionals on important concepts in investment management
• Improved analytical skills to review available financial information and data and draw accurate conclusions and devise appropriate next steps
• Greater credibility to contribute to client success and organisational development through accurate risk assessments and mitigation, thereby fostering faster career growth and development
• Better understanding and awareness to stay updated with changing market trends and requirements and ensure that one’s organisational policies also stay updated and ahead of the competition, in turn contributing immensely to one’s organisation and securing one’s future progression therein
• Increased knowledge and confidence to work with advanced technology to conduct faster and more efficient analyses and devise effective and relevant next steps
• Enhanced skill set and capabilities to work in any role across the industry, thus extending one’s scope for growth opportunities beyond one’s organisation

Who Should Attend?

• Executives and managers handling various aspects of investment management in firms
• Top management of organisations who should understand all aspects of investment management well to take accurate decisions
• Existing investment analysts wishing to increase their knowledge in other areas of investment management
• Pension fund managers and trustees handling pension funds and schemes across organisations
• Compliance staff of organisations responsible for ensuring adherence to required benchmarks and standards
• Any other professional interested in studying investment management in detail

Course Outline

The course covers the following topics to thoroughly understand investment management:

Module 1 – Factors Influencing Investments by Firms

• Interest rates
• Economic growth
• Confidence
• Inflation
• Productivity of capital
• Availability of finance
• Wage costs
• Depreciation

Module 2 – Types of Financial Investments

• Shares
• Bonds
• Treasury bills
• Options
• Annuities
• Certificate of deposit
• Credit default swaps
• Collateralised debt obligations

Module 3 – Types of Financial Markets or Exchanges

• Stock market
• Bond market
• Forex market
• Derivatives market
• Money market
• Commodity market
• Spot market
• Real estate market

Module 4 – Types of Investment Strategies

• Passive and active strategies
• Growth investing
• Value investing
• Income investing
• Dividend growth investing
• Contrarian investing
• Indexing

Module 5 – Methods of Property Investment Management

• Real estate investments for rent
• Investment management by real estate investment groups
• Real estate trading
• Investment management through real estate investment trusts

Module 6 – Types of Companies and Stocks and Their Selection Process

• Growth companies
• Defensive companies
• Cyclical companies
• Speculative companies

Module 7 – Overview of Global Bond Markets

• Description
• Types
• Participants
• Distinction

Module 8 – Factors Influencing Pension Plan Investments

• Knowledge of plans and schemes
• Investment tradition
• Self-incentives (defined benefit versus defined contribution)
• Legal and regulatory factors
• Global financial regulation
• Risk mitigation tools
• Income growth
• Unemployment rate

Module 9 – Steps in Investment Performance Measurement

• Benchmark selection
• Calculation of the portfolio’s excess return
• Performance attribution
• Risk analysis