- What Are Blue-Chip Stocks?
Buying a stock means getting into some risky business. Sure, they can help you earn money that you could put toward many things – a retirement account, an emergency fund, a down payment – but you also run the risk of putting yourself in… read more…
- What Are Savings Bonds?
U.S. savings bonds are essentially a loan you make to the government. When you buy a savings bond, you are giving money to the government in exchange for a guarantee you will get that money back, plus interest, at a predetermined later date. Investing in U.S. savings bonds is a good potential investment for new… read more…
- All About Dividend Investing
Publicly traded companies can decide what to do with profits. They can reinvest them to grow the company and raise share prices or they can pay some of their profits to shareholders as dividends. A company that pays dividends may do so as a compensation to shareholders – compensation for being a higher-risk investment or for low growth… read more…
- All About Incentive Stock Options
When most people think of employee benefits, they think of health insurance, 401(k)s, and maybe some free food. But for folks at the top of their fields, benefits may include stock options. If you’ve got a job that comes with… read more…
- What Are Fixed-Income Securities?
Looking for a reliable and steady source of investment income? Maybe you’re getting closer to retirement and looking to take some risk out of your 401(k). Or maybe you have a low risk tolerance that means you shy away from equities in general. We’ve got you covered with our guide to fixed-income securities – what… read more…
- Everything You Should Know About the Dow Jones Industrial Average
It’s virtually impossible to make it through the day without hearing something about the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Whether the Dow is up or down might not mean much to you if you’re a beginner investor with no knowledge of how the stock market… read more…
- What Is the Consumer Price Index?
The consumer price index (CPI) is one of the nation’s most closely watched economic metrics. The CPI, which comes out monthly, measures the year-over-year change in the cost of a basket of consumer goods, including clothing, food and furniture. The… read more…
- What Are Options?
An “option” in the finance world entitles the holder of the option to buy or sell an asset at a pre-determined price, on or before a certain date. The buyer pays a premium for the option, and may lose that… read more…
- What Are Equities or Equity Investments?
Equities are the same as stocks, which are shares in a company. That means if you buy stocks, you’re buying equities. You may also get “equity” when you join a new company as an employee. That means you’re a partial owner… read more…
- What are Treasury Bonds?
Treasury bonds — also known as T-bonds — are issued directly by the U.S. government. These bonds offer long-term stability with maturities of up to 30 years. While they typically yield lower returns compared to stocks or corporate bonds, their low risk makes them an attractive choice for conservative investors or those nearing retirement. If… read more…
- Understanding Stocks
Investing in the stock market can be a powerful way to grow your wealth over time. And harnessing the potential of compound interest can help you maximize your financial future. However, making informed decisions about buying and selling stocks requires a clear understanding of how the market works and the strategies that align with your… read more…
- What Is a Bond?
You may have heard that a balanced investing portfolio includes both stocks and bonds, with the ratio between the two varying depending on your age and risk tolerance. Most financial advisors will recommend increasing the proportion of bonds in your investment… read more…
- What Is a Mutual Fund?
A mutual fund company pools money from individual investors and invests it, charging each investor a fee for the convenience of having someone else manage their investments. Investing in a mutual fund is an alternative to hand-selecting individual stocks and… read more…
- What Are Penny Stocks?
Every once in a while you hear about some lucky person who got rich by trading penny stocks. And we’re happy for those people – we really are. But for the average investor, penny stocks are risky business. Let’s talk… read more…
- All About Municipal Bonds
Municipal bonds are debt securities issued by local governments and public agencies to fund essential projects such as infrastructure improvements, school construction, and public utilities. When investors purchase these bonds, they are effectively lending money to the issuing government in exchange for regular interest payments and the return of the principal amount at maturity. While… read more…
- What Are Derivatives?
Derivatives are financial instruments used by experienced investors, consisting of contracts whose value depends on an underlying asset. Common types include options, futures, forward contracts, and warrants. Although the basic concept is straightforward, derivatives can become complex in practice. If you’re interested in exploring derivative investing but don’t want to lose your way, consider seeking… read more…
- What Is an Index Fund and How Do They Work?
Index funds are popular with those who want to take a slow-and-steady approach to investing. Brokerage firms that offer index funds are able to charge lower fees for index funds because they put fewer hours into managing them. Index funds don’t… read more…
- How Does the Stock Market Work?
As an outsider, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the stock market. News coverage of markets is often dramatized with images of brokers hollering across a trading floor, a litany of unfamiliar terms and lingo, and the threat of a catastrophic crash hanging over the proceedings. But despite all of this noise, the… read more…
- What Is a Stock Split?
You may have read about stock splits in the news. Big, successful corporations sometimes split their stocks multiple times to boost their shares outstanding. Other times they do the opposite: At the end of July 2021 recovering industrial conglomerate General Electric announced a 1-for-8 reverse stock split. But what do these kind of moves actually… read more…
- What Are Futures?
What if there were a way to make money from the up-and-down movement in the prices of financial assets without actually owning the asset? Well, there is a way- with futures. If you’re an Average Joe or Jane just looking to put aside money for retirement and watch it grow, getting in to futures might be overkill.… read more…
- Real Estate Investing
Investing in real estate has serious appeal. It can not only diversify your portfolio, but it can also create a long-term stream of income if done correctly. Whether you want to be a landlord or invest in real estate by… read more…
- Types of Bonds
Bonds can help your investments maintain value in a financial downturn, but they likely won’t make you rich. Think about dipping your toe into bond investing? Or wondering what the point of the bonds in your portfolio is? Not worry. We’ve got you covered with our guide to the basics of bonds – and some of the many bond… read more…
- A Guide to U.S. Stock Indices
The Dow is up and the NASDAQ is down, but the S&P is unchanged. These terms get tossed around by everyone, from television pundits to politicians to people on the street. Many people assume they are representative of the stock market as a whole, while others think they represent the state of the economy. Understanding what these… read more…
- The Top Ten Mutual Funds
Not everyone has the time or qualifications to pick individual stocks and bonds to invest their hard-earned money in. That’s why mutual funds exist, so that many investors can pool their money in order for trained fund managers to purchase… read more…
- 4 Key Investing Tips for Millennials
When it comes to investing, millennials aren’t known for being a reckless bunch. According to a study published by UBS earlier this year, Americans aged 21 to 36 are the most fiscally conservative generation since the Great Depression. Their better-safe-than-sorry attitude can be chalked up in part to the economic turmoil of the last few… read more…