- How to Calculate Free Cash Flow (FCF)
Free cash flow is a measure that helps business owners, investors and others assess a business’s financial performance and outlook. Free cash flow is defined as operating cash flow minus capital expenditures. Strong free cash flow can indicate that a company is… read more…
- How Insurance Planning Fits Into a Financial Plan
As you build your wealth, it’s important to protect your assets against any unforeseen events. While not as direct a way of saving as investing, insurance planning can save you significant amounts of money over the long-term. Think of insurance… read more…
- What Happens to an Annuity When You Die?
Planning for the future involves understanding what happens to your financial assets after you’re gone. Annuities, which provide regular income payments during retirement, are a common investment vehicle, but what happens to an annuity when you die? The answer depends largely on the type of annuity you own and the specific provisions outlined in your… read more…
- Balance Sheets vs. Income Statements
Three financial documents can evaluate the health of a business: the balance sheet, the income statement and the cash flow statement. Each measures and reports on different aspects of a company’s financial condition. However, the balance sheet and income statement… read more…
- Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst (AIFA)
When you go to a doctor, you may prefer one who puts your health first. When it comes to your money, you likely want a professional with your interests in mind. An Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst (AIFA) can work in your best interests. Here’s how people get that title and how they work for you.… read more…
- What Is a Sovereign Wealth Fund?
Personal investing is one thing, but can governments invest too? (Hint: The answer is yes.) A sovereign wealth fund, or SWF, is a state-owned investment fund that taps into a country’s cash reserves. The goals of an SWF are to… read more…
- What Is a Real Estate Fund?
Unless you’re dreaming of becoming a landlord or trying your hand at flipping houses, real estate funds might be just the investment you’ve been looking for. There are a number of reasons why real estate holdings make attractive additions to a portfolio. If you’re interested… read more…
- Alternative Investments: What Investors Need to Know
Want to go beyond stocks, bonds and cash? Alternative investments can include everything from real estate to fine art. If you’re looking for another way to diversify your portfolio, alternative investments may be worth considering. Read on to discover if… read more…
- Why Time Horizons Matter in Investing
Your time horizon is a crucial element of your investing plan. By understanding your time horizon you can select the most suitable investments to help you achieve your financial goals. Read on to discover what a time horizon is, why… read more…
- A Guide to Investing in Bear Market Funds
Due to trade war fears, policy uncertainty and a host of other factors, investors are leery about what the future holds for the stock market. But certain funds are designed to bet against the market or weather a bear market.… read more…
- A Guide to Investing in Gold Mutual Funds
Whether they hedged against inflation or worried about the market crashing, investors regularly resorted to gold to offset risk. There are many ways to invest in gold, including gold mutual funds. Read on to discover how to invest in specialized… read more…
- What are High-Yield Municipal Bonds?
Municipal bonds, often referred to as “munis,” are a cornerstone of income-focused investment portfolios. Issued by state and local governments to fund public projects like schools, highways, and utilities, these bonds offer investors a steady stream of interest payments, typically with the added benefit of tax advantages. For investors seeking higher returns, high-yield municipal bonds… read more…
- How to Invest in Emerging Market Funds
Investors with an eye for growing economies can invest in emerging market funds such as a mutual fund and an ETF. Over the past 20 years, investors have found great success in countries such as China and India. These countries… read more…
- All About Investing in Small-Cap Value Funds
Investing in a small-cap value fund is a simple way to diversify your portfolio. These funds offer exposure to companies with a smaller market capitalization and an investment focus on value instead of growth. Small-cap value funds can come in a few different forms, such as traditional mutual funds, index funds or even ETFs. But although… read more…
- What Is an Outsourced Chief Investment Officer?
Many companies have a chief investment officer (CIO), someone who’s in charge of a company’s financial assets. They typically manage long-term investments, portfolios of securities, pension funds, ensure adequate liquidity and a team of financial experts. Not all companies need to hire… read more…
- How to Invest in High-Yield Bonds
High-yield bonds, also known as junk bonds, are corporate or government debt securities that analysts believe are likely to default. Junk bonds are suitable for investors comfortable with high risk. For retail investors, these securities can play an important role in… read more…
- An Investor’s Guide to Short-Term Bond Funds
Bond duration is a double-edged sword. Companies that issue bonds repay their debts over 10, 20 or even 30 years. For investors bond coupons generate limited but steady returns for years. They also lock up money. Short-term bond funds solve… read more…
- What Is Quantitative Easing?
You most likely heard about quantitative easing during the Great Recession. With talk of recession more common recently, you will likely hear about it again. Quantitative easing is when central banks use newly printed money to purchase large numbers of… read more…
- What Is Corporate Social Responsibility?
Corporate social responsibility is the idea that a company. However, they are obviously driven primarily by a profit motive and have the duty to think about how their business impacts the world and to minimize harm and maximize positive societal… read more…
- What Are Commodity Mutual Funds?
Commodities trading involves buying and selling hard assets that are typically agricultural in nature or naturally occurring. Investing in commodities often means trading futures contracts, which can be profitable but risky. Commodity mutual funds are an alternative way to diversify… read more…
- A Guide to Utility ETFs and Mutual Funds
Utility funds are designed to target the utilities sector of the stock market. You can invest in traditional mutual funds or choose utility exchange-traded funds (ETFs) instead. Both have their pros and cons when constructing a diversified portfolio. If you’re… read more…
- Pros and Cons of Market Neutral Funds
Looking for an investment that can help manage risk in your portfolio? Consider market neutral funds, which aim to provide stable returns and mitigate risk in various stock market environments. But like with any investment strategy, it’s worth weighing the… read more…
- What Is Equity?
Equity refers to the value of a company’s own shares. This is most often utilized in the context of a company’s balance sheet, and there is a specific calculation that dictates its valuation. More specifically, equity is the complete, liquid… read more…
- A Guide to Portfolio Optimization Strategies
Portfolio optimization is one of the most basic skills you’ll need to acquire when actively managing your investments. With regular portfolio reviews, you can make adjustments to increase the likelihood you’ll end up with comfortable returns instead of frustrating results.… read more…
- What Are Managed Futures?
Investing in futures is a way to benefit from stock market movements without actually owning a particular security. Managed futures is considered an alternative investment strategy that can be used as a hedging tool within a portfolio. Though there are… read more…