University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Smart Money: Managing Your Portfolio Specialization

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Smart Money: Managing Your Portfolio Specialization

Retirement, Investing, and Real Asset Strategies.

Retirement, Investing, and Real Asset Strategies

Dr. Craig Lemoine

Instructor: Dr. Craig Lemoine

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Get in-depth knowledge of a subject
Beginner level

Recommended experience

4 weeks to complete
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
Get in-depth knowledge of a subject
Beginner level

Recommended experience

4 weeks to complete
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

  • Apply core investment principles, risk and return measures, and time value of money concepts to build diversified portfolios

  • Evaluate land and real estate as alternative investments within broader wealth-building strategies

  • Assess retirement income options, including annuities, to manage longevity risk and support sustainable retirement outcomes

  • Analyze tradeoffs across flexibility, liquidity, costs, risk, and legacy when making long-term financial decisions

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Taught in English
Recently updated!

May 2026

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Specialization - 3 course series

What you'll learn

  • Identify key financial concepts related to agricultural land, including balance sheets, income statements, and land valuation factors.

  • Summarize how land and real estate can be incorporated into investment portfolios and outline paths for further learning in alternative investments.

  • Recognize different types of real estate investment structures and asset classes, and their characteristics.

  • Describe the roles of various stakeholders in farmland ownership, transfer, and investment, including tax and risk considerations.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Investments
Category: Real Estate
Category: Portfolio Management
Category: Risk Management
Category: Financial Statements
Category: Balance Sheet
Category: Financial Statement Analysis
Category: Financial Planning
Category: Portfolio Risk
Category: Risk Analysis
Category: Business Valuation
Category: Market Liquidity
Category: Property and Real Estate
Category: Commercial Real Estate
Category: Return On Investment
Category: Wealth Management
Investing and Building Wealth

Investing and Building Wealth

Course 2, 13 hours

What you'll learn

  • Understand the relationship between securities, issuers, stocks and bonds. 

    Demonstrate risk and return outcomes with a two-asset portfolio.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Investment Management
Category: Portfolio Risk
Category: Economics
Category: Return On Investment
Category: General Finance
RiskWise: Annuities and Income

RiskWise: Annuities and Income

Course 3, 5 hours

What you'll learn

  • Explain what annuities are and how they are used to support retirement income, including protection against longevity risk.

  • Compare annuities with traditional investment‑based approaches and describe when guaranteed income may be useful within a retirement plan.

  • Identify and explain key annuity features and tradeoffs, including income options, guarantees, fees, and liquidity.

  • Apply retirement income concepts to realistic scenarios, evaluating long‑term outcomes, survivor considerations, and communication challenges.

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Instructor

Dr. Craig Lemoine
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
12 Courses9,850 learners

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