Investment
Investing should be easy – just buy low and sell high – but most of us have trouble following that simple advice. There are principles and strategies that may enable you to put together an investment portfolio that reflects your risk tolerance, time horizon, and goals. Understanding these principles and strategies can help you avoid some of the pitfalls that snare some investors.
It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times
All about how missing the best market days (or the worst!) might affect your portfolio.
5 Smart Investing Principles
Principles that can help create a portfolio designed to pursue investment goals.
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What Smart Investors Know
Smart investors take the time to separate emotion from fact.
Types of Stock Market Analysis
Most stock market analysis falls into three broad groups: Fundamental, technical, and sentimental. Here’s a look at each.
Bursting the Bubble
Tulips were the first, but they won’t be the last. What forms a “bubble” and what causes them to burst?
Mutual Funds vs. ETFs
Exchange-traded funds have some things in common with mutual funds, but there are differences, too.
A Look at Diversification
Diversification is an investment principle designed to manage risk, but it can't prevent against a loss.
Value vs. Growth Investing
Among stock-market investors there’s long been a debate between those who favor value and those who favor growth.
The Utility of Sector Investing
Successful sector investing is dependent upon an accurate analysis about when to rotate in and out.
A Primer on Dividends
A company's profits can be reinvested or paid out to the company’s shareholders as “dividends."
Required Reading: The Economic Report of the President
The Economic Report of the President can help identify the forces driving — or dragging — the economy.
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How Compound Interest Works
Use this calculator to better see the potential impact of compound interest on an asset.
Contributing to an IRA?
Determine if you are eligible to contribute to a traditional or Roth IRA.
Taxable vs. Tax-Deferred Savings
Use this calculator to compare the future value of investments with different tax consequences.
What Is the Dividend Yield?
This calculator helps determine your pre-tax and after-tax dividend yield on a particular stock.
Saving for College
This calculator can help you estimate how much you should be saving for college.
What Is My Risk Tolerance?
This questionnaire will help determine your tolerance for investment risk.
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Keys to Investing for Retirement
There are some key concepts to understand when investing for retirement
5 Smart Investing Principles
Principles that can help create a portfolio designed to pursue investment goals.
5 Smart Investing Strategies
There are some smart strategies that may help you pursue your investment objectives
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Jane Bond: Infiltrating the Market
Agent Jane Bond is on the case, cracking the code on bonds.
Inflation and Your Portfolio
Even low inflation rates can pose a threat to investment returns.
Events on Wall Street
Can successful investors predict changes in the markets? Some can but others miss the market’s signals.
Jane Bond: Scaling the Ladder
Agent Jane Bond is on the case, uncovering the mystery of bond laddering.
Where Is the Market Headed?
We all know the stock market can be unpredictable. We all want to know, “What’s next for the financial markets?”
The Fed and How It Got That Way
Here is a quick history of the Federal Reserve and an overview of what it does.