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
Savvy 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 Real Cost of a Vacation Home
What if instead of buying that vacation home, you invested the money?

Mutual Funds vs. ETFs
Exchange-traded funds have some things in common with mutual funds, but there are differences, too.

Bursting the Bubble
Tulips were the first, but they won’t be the last. What forms a “bubble” and what causes them to burst?
Alternative Investments - Going Mainstream
Alternative investments are going mainstream for accredited investors. It’s critical to sort through the complexity.
Emotional vs. Strategic Decisions
Information vs. instinct. Are your choices based on evidence of emotion?
Estimating the Cost of College
This worksheet can help you estimate the costs of a four-year college program.
The Anatomy of an Index
The S&P 500 represents a large portion of the value of the U.S. equity market, it may be worth understanding.
The Sequence of Returns
A look at how variable rates of return impact investors over time.
A Primer on Dividends
A company's profits can be reinvested or paid out to the company’s shareholders as “dividends."
View all articles
What Is the Dividend Yield?
This calculator helps determine your pre-tax and after-tax dividend yield on a particular stock.
What Is My Risk Tolerance?
This questionnaire will help determine your tolerance for investment risk.
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.
Saving for College
This calculator can help you estimate how much you should be saving for college.
Contributing to an IRA?
Determine if you are eligible to contribute to a traditional or Roth IRA.
View all calculators
5 Smart Investing Principles
Principles that can help create a portfolio designed to pursue investment goals.
5 Smart Investing Strategies
There are some smart strategies that may help you pursue your investment objectives
View all presentations
What Smart Investors Know
Savvy investors take the time to separate emotion from fact.
The Real Cost of a Vacation Home
What if instead of buying that vacation home, you invested the money?
Bridging the Confidence Gap
In the world of finance, the effects of the "confidence gap" can be especially apparent.
The Cycle of Investing
Understanding the cycle of investing may help you avoid easy pitfalls.
The Business Cycle
How will you weather the ups and downs of the business cycle?
Finding the Balance
The sandwich generation faces unique challenges. For many, meeting needs is a matter of finding a balance.