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.

Have A Question About This Topic?

Thank you! Oops!
The Cycle of Investing

The Cycle of Investing

Understanding the cycle of investing may help you avoid easy pitfalls.

Best-Performing Asset Classes

Best-Performing Asset Classes

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

What Smart Investors Know

What Smart Investors Know

Savvy investors take the time to separate emotion from fact.

Separating the Signal From the Noise

A good professional provides important guidance and insight through the years.

Types of Stock Market Analysis

Most stock market analysis falls into three broad groups: Fundamental, technical, and sentimental. Here’s a look at each.

Getting a Head Start on College Savings

A few strategies that may help you prepare for the cost of higher education.

Asset Allocation

Consider how your assets are allocated and if that allocation is consistent with your time frame and risk tolerance.

Bull & Bear Markets: A Timeline

This helpful infographic will define bull and bear markets, as well as give a historical overview.

The Great Debate Continues: Active vs. Passive

In investments, one great debate asks the question, “Active or Passive Investing: Which Is Better?”

View all articles

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.

Taxable vs. Tax-Deferred Savings

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

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.

What Is My Risk Tolerance?

This questionnaire will help determine your tolerance for investment risk.

View all calculators

The Junk Drawer Approach to Investing

It's easy to let investments accumulate like old receipts in a junk drawer.

The Real Cost of a Vacation Home

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

Bull and Bear Go To Market

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

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?

From Boats to Brokers

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

View all videos