Profitable investing often takes a lot of work. Don Dirren would know. He’s a finance expert who has helped countless people plan for retirement. And when it comes to investing, Donald Dirren believes that knowledge really is power. That’s why he’s going to share some of the best online resources for investor research and education.

“These days, you have more educational opportunities than ever before,” Don Dirren argues. “You can take classes at your local college, you can enroll in online classes, buy ebooks, whatever. If you’re completely new to investing, I recommend checking out something like the Stock Market from Scratch for Complete Beginner’s class on Udemy. You can sometimes gain access to the class for twenty dollars or less.”

He also notes that you can buy a lot of ebooks on Amazon.

Sometimes, these beginner investing books are free or cost just a few dollars. He suggests looking for books with a lot of high reviews.

“With investing books, quality can vary,” Don Dirren claims, “however, there are a lot of cheap, facts-focused books. Getting the basic investing facts right isn’t difficult. When it comes to cultivating investing strategy, you need to do more research and make sure that the expert is, in fact, an expert.”

If you’re willing to spend big on your investing education, Don Dirren recommends looking at Warrior Trading’s online classes. These classes can cost upwards of several thousand dollars, however.

“Warrior Trading has a great reputation and they’re known for being very comprehensive,” Don Dirren says. “Their courses are pricey, but a lot of their students will tell you the cost was worth it.”

Looking for some low-cost investing research opportunities? Don Dirren has you covered.

“Investopedia is one of the oldest, most trusted brands as far as online investing education goes,” Don Dirren points out. “They cover pretty much everything. Whenever you’re doing research, I always recommend getting a second opinion, but Investopedia is a site every investor should check out.”

Don Dirren also notes that Investopedia offers a popular stock simulator. With this simulator, you use fake money to purchase fake assets, with prices being tied to live markets. This lets you test investing strategies and research conclusions without having to risk real money.

“Using a stock simulator is an excellent way to start your investing career,” Don Dirren says. “And Investopedia’s stock simulator is among the better simulators.”

Another favorite resource is Seeking Alpha. This website sources content from a huge number of contributors, both professional and amateur. Mr. Dirren says this offers a great way to source a lot of opinions.

“Seeking Alpha is an excellent website and you can quickly see how other investors think,” Donald Dirren says. “I would caution readers, however, that the articles mostly represent opinions, not facts, and even the best investors can get it wrong.”