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

What Smart Investors Know

Savvy investors take the time to separate emotion from fact.

Inflation and Your Portfolio

Even low inflation rates can pose a threat to investment returns.

What’s Your Investment IQ?

You make decisions for your portfolio, but how much do you really know about the products you buy? Try this quiz

The Fed and How It Got That Way

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

• Articles

  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 ABCs of Zero Coupon Bonds

  Understanding some basic concepts may help you assess whether zero-coupon bonds have a place in your portfolio.

  Emotional vs. Strategic Decisions

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

  A Taxing Story: Capital Gains and Losses

  Understanding how capital gains are taxed may help you refine your investment strategies.

  It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times

  Learn about key investment principles that will help you navigate the unpredictability of the financial markets.

  Investing with Your Heart

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

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• Calculators

  What Is the Dividend Yield?

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

  How Compound Interest Works

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

  How Long Will Your Money Last?

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

  Contributing to an IRA?

  Determine if you are eligible to contribute to a traditional or Roth IRA.

  What Is My Risk Tolerance?

  This questionnaire will help determine your tolerance for investment risk.

  Impact of Taxes and Inflation

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

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• Videos

  The Real Cost of a Vacation Home

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

  Bursting the Bubble

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

  Jane Bond: Scaling the Ladder

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

  Finding the Balance

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

  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?”

  Jane Bond: Infiltrating the Market

  Agent Jane Bond is on the case, cracking the code on bonds.

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