In this online course from the University of Geneva, academics and bankers reveal the inner workings of the stock market, bond market, and central bank.

Endless jargon, complex ideas, and a bewildering amount of choice; for the uninitiated, investment can be daunting.

But for those looking to better manage their assets or get more out of their financial advisor, knowing the fundamentals of different markets is a big bonus.

Michel Girardin is a Lecturer in Macro-Finance at the Geneva Finance Research Institute, University of Geneva.

Together with his academic colleagues and bankers from UBS, Girardin teaches this Coursera course on Understanding Financial Markets.

The course covers the stock, bond, and currency markets, as well as less popular markets like gold and emerging markets.

Girardin also studies the concepts of risk and returns, and how central banks' policy influences investment.