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.
Bursting the Bubble
Tulips were the first, but they won’t be the last. What forms a “bubble” and what causes them to burst?
5 Smart Investing Principles
Principles that can help create a portfolio designed to pursue investment goals.
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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?”
A Primer on Dividends
A company's profits can be reinvested or paid out to the company’s shareholders as “dividends."
Emerging Market Opportunities
What are your options for investing in emerging markets?
The Sequence of Returns
A look at how variable rates of return impact investors over time.
Rebalancing Your Portfolio
Over time, different investments' performances can shift a portfolio’s intent and risk profile. Rebalancing may be critical.
Mutual Funds vs. ETFs
Exchange-traded funds have some things in common with mutual funds, but there are differences, too.
How Stocks Work
Understanding how a stock works is key to understanding your investments.
Emotional vs. Strategic Decisions
Information vs. instinct. Are your choices based on evidence of emotion?
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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Contributing to an IRA?
Determine if you are eligible to contribute to a traditional or Roth IRA.
Impact of Taxes and Inflation
Estimate the potential impact taxes and inflation can have on the purchasing power of an investment.
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.
What Is My Risk Tolerance?
This questionnaire will help determine your tolerance for investment risk.
Saving for College
This calculator can help you estimate how much you should be saving for college.
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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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Are Alternative Investments Right for You?
With alternative investments, it’s critical to sort through the complexity.
What Can a Million Dollars Buy You?
$1 million in a diversified portfolio could help finance part of your retirement.
Should I Invest in Gold?
Learning more about gold and its history may help you decide whether it has a place in your portfolio.
Behavioral Finance
An amusing and whimsical look at behavioral finance best practices for 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.
The Business Cycle
How will you weather the ups and downs of the business cycle?