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.

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Are Alternative Investments Right for You?

Are Alternative Investments Right for You?

With alternative investments, it’s critical to sort through the complexity.

Estimating the Cost of College

Estimating the Cost of College

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

Jane Bond: Scaling the Ladder

Jane Bond: Scaling the Ladder

Agent Jane Bond is on the case, uncovering the mystery of bond laddering.

Required Reading: The Economic Report of the President

The Economic Report of the President can help identify the forces driving — or dragging — the economy.

Inflation and the Real Rate of Return

Learn about the role of inflation when considering your portfolio’s rate of return with this helpful article.

A Look at Diversification

Diversification is an investment principle designed to manage risk, but it can't prevent against a loss.

How Stocks Work

Understanding how a stock works is key to understanding your investments.

Value vs. Growth Investing

Among stock-market investors there’s long been a debate between those who favor value and those who favor growth.

Pullbacks, Corrections, and Bear Markets

When the market experiences volatility, it may be a good time to review these common terms.

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Impact of Taxes and Inflation

Estimate the potential impact taxes and inflation can have on the purchasing power of an investment.

What Is the Dividend Yield?

This calculator helps determine your pre-tax and after-tax dividend yield on a particular stock.

Taxable vs. Tax-Deferred Savings

Use this calculator to compare the future value of investments with different tax consequences.

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.

How Compound Interest Works

Use this calculator to better see the potential impact of compound interest on an asset.

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Bridging the Confidence Gap

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

The Fed and How It Got That Way

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

What Smart Investors Know

Savvy investors take the time to separate emotion from fact.

Bursting the Bubble

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

What Can a Million Dollars Buy You?

$1 million in a diversified portfolio could help finance part of your retirement.

The Real Cost of a Vacation Home

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

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