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.
What Smart Investors Know
Smart investors take the time to separate emotion from fact.
5 Smart Investing Principles
Principles that can help create a portfolio designed to pursue investment goals.
Have A Question About This Topic?
The Fed and How It Got That Way
Here is a quick history of the Federal Reserve and an overview of what it does.
A Primer on Dividends
A company's profits can be reinvested or paid out to the company’s shareholders as “dividends."
When Markets React
When markets shift, experienced investors stick to their strategy.
You Would Rather Be...
Are you a thrill seeker, or content to relax in the backyard? Use this flowchart to find out more about your risk tolerance.
A Decision Not Made Is Still a Decision
Investors who put off important investment decisions may face potential consequence to their future financial security.
Mutual Funds vs. ETFs
Exchange-traded funds have some things in common with mutual funds, but there are differences, too.
How the Federal Reserve Works
Each day, the Fed is behind the scenes supporting the economy and providing services to the U.S. financial system.
The Business Cycle
Understanding the economy's cycles can help put current business conditions in better perspective.
Required Reading: The Economic Report of the President
The Economic Report of the President can help identify the forces driving — or dragging — the economy.
View all articles
Contributing to an IRA?
Determine if you are eligible to contribute to a traditional or Roth IRA.
Taxable vs. Tax-Deferred Savings
Use this calculator to compare the future value of investments with different tax consequences.
How Compound Interest Works
Use this calculator to better see the potential impact of compound interest on an asset.
What Is My Risk Tolerance?
This questionnaire will help determine your tolerance for investment risk.
Saving for College
This calculator can help you estimate how much you should be saving for college.
What Is the Dividend Yield?
This calculator helps determine your pre-tax and after-tax dividend yield on a particular stock.
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
What Smart Investors Know
Smart investors take the time to separate emotion from fact.
Should You Invest in Exchange Traded Funds?
There are hundreds of ETFs available. Should you invest in them?
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.
Inflation and Your Portfolio
Even low inflation rates can pose a threat to investment returns.
Bridging the Confidence Gap
In the world of finance, the effects of the "confidence gap" can be especially apparent.
Can Election Results Predict the Market?
How do the markets usually react to elections? Was the 2016 election any different?