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.
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.
5 Smart Investing Principles
Principles that can help create a portfolio designed to pursue investment goals.
Have A Question About This Topic?

Bull and Bear Go To Market
Learn about the difference between bulls and bears—markets, that is!

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

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’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
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?
Getting a Head Start on College Savings
A few strategies that may help you prepare for the cost of higher education.
Best-Performing Asset Classes
Bonds may outperform stocks one year only to have stocks rebound the next.
Types of Stock Market Analysis
Most stock market analysis falls into three broad groups: Fundamental, technical, and sentimental. Here’s a look at each.
View all articles
Contributing to an IRA?
Determine if you are eligible to contribute to a traditional or Roth IRA.
Saving for College
This calculator can help you estimate how much you should be saving for college.
How Compound Interest Works
Use this calculator to better see the potential impact of compound interest on an asset.
What Is the Dividend Yield?
This calculator helps determine your pre-tax and after-tax dividend yield on a particular stock.
Impact of Taxes and Inflation
Estimate the potential impact taxes and inflation can have on the purchasing power of an investment.
What Is My Risk Tolerance?
This questionnaire will help determine your tolerance for investment risk.
View all calculators
5 Smart Investing Strategies
There are some smart strategies that may help you pursue your investment objectives
5 Smart Investing Principles
Principles that can help create a portfolio designed to pursue investment goals.
View all presentations
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?”
Inflation and Your Portfolio
Even low inflation rates can pose a threat to investment returns.
Are Alternative Investments Right for You?
With alternative investments, it’s critical to sort through the complexity.
Global and International Funds
Investors seeking world investments can choose between global and international funds. What's the difference?
Bursting the Bubble
Tulips were the first, but they won’t be the last. What forms a “bubble” and what causes them to burst?
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.