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.

Featured Video

Bull and Bear Go To Market

Learn about the difference between bulls and bears—markets, that is!

Finding the Balance

The sandwich generation faces unique challenges. For many, meeting needs is a matter of finding a balance.

The Utility of Sector Investing

Successful sector investing is dependent upon an accurate analysis about when to rotate in and out.

Bridging the Confidence Gap

In the world of finance, the effects of the "confidence gap" can be especially apparent.

• Articles

  A Primer on Dividends

  A company's profits can be reinvested or paid out to the company’s shareholders as “dividends."

  Estimating the Cost of College

  This worksheet can help you estimate the costs of a four-year college program.

  Investing with Your Heart

  For some, the social impact of investing is just as important as the return, perhaps more important.

  The Anatomy of an Index

  The S&P 500 represents a large portion of the value of the U.S. equity market, it may be worth understanding.

  Emotional vs. Strategic Decisions

  Information vs. instinct. Are your choices based on evidence of emotion?

  Best-Performing Asset Classes

  Bonds may outperform stocks one year only to have stocks rebound the next.

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• Calculators

  What Is the Dividend Yield?

  Calculate the dividend yield of a holding and see what that means for income over time.

  What Is My Net Worth?

  Get a snapshot of your overall financial picture by calculating your total net worth.

  How Long Will Your Money Last?

  See how long a lump sum of savings could last based on your withdrawal rate and return.

  Comparing Investments

  Compare two different scenarios side by side to see how they stack up over time.

  Taxable vs. Tax-Deferred Savings

  Compare how the same contribution grows differently in taxable versus tax-deferred accounts.

  How Compound Interest Works

  Explore how compound interest can grow your money over time with this interactive tool.

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• Videos

  Bursting the Bubble

  Tulips were the first, but they won’t be the last. What forms a “bubble” and what causes them to burst?

  From Boats to Brokers

  From the Dutch East India Company to Wall St., the stock market has a long and storied history.

  The Business Cycle

  How will you weather the ups and downs of the business cycle?

  The Real Cost of a Vacation Home

  What if instead of buying that vacation home, you invested the money?

  Behavioral Finance

  An amusing and whimsical look at behavioral finance best practices for investors.

  The Fed and How It Got That Way

  Here is a quick history of the Federal Reserve and an overview of what it does.

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