- Saving vs. Investing: What’s the Difference?
It’s great to save money, but investing to really makes it grow. You may simply want to save money to avoid the risk of losing even minor gains. But it can be hard to make your money work for you… read more…
- What Is a Fixed Annuity and How Does It Work?
A fixed annuity is the most straightforward type of annuity, as it pays a predetermined interest rate on your account balance. According to the terms of your contract, your rate will last for a specific period of time. At the end of… read more…
- The Services Offering Free Stock Trading
Trading stocks in a brokerage account can be a great way to grow wealth alongside the money you may be investing in a 401(k) or individual retirement account. The only catch is the fees you may pay to make trades.… read more…
- What Is a Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA)?
Certified investment management analysts sit atop an entire industry of financial planners, having earned a top certification and are considered experts. Only about a third of Americans under 35 have money in the stock market, which makes the role these… read more…
- What Is Modern Portfolio Theory and How Is It Used?
Modern portfolio theory (MPT) focuses on how to maximize returns for a given amount of risk. However, it also attempts to strike the balance between risk and reward to keep those returns steady. By encouraging investors to diversify their portfolio… read more…
- Chase You Invest Review
Chase You Invest Trade is a primarily app-based tool that allows you to create your own investment portfolio. When you open an account, you get unlimited commission-free online trades for stocks and options. You can also access automated investments through Chase You Invest Portfolios, the bank’s answer to the robo-advisor. Both allow users to enter… read more…
- A College Student’s Guide to Investing
It’s never too early to start investing. In fact, the earlier you begin, the bigger your potential for long-term financial growth. If you’re a college student and are wondering whether you can afford to invest, don’t worry. You don’t need… read more…
- Convertible Bonds: What Investors Need to Know
Convertible bonds are just one way to expand your investment portfolio beyond the traditional stocks you may already be investing in. This type of bond can offer the potential for higher returns to investors, but they also carry certain risks.… read more…
- Comprehensive Guide to Investing in Bond Funds
Investing in bond funds can diversify your portfolio, but it’s important to understand how they compare to other financial instruments. Like stocks or exchange-traded funds (ETFs), bond funds have unique advantages and disadvantages. They can be a low-cost option with consistent returns, but they also come with some unavoidable risk. A financial advisor can help… read more…
- How to Invest in Precious Metals
Investing in precious metals can help an investor diversify their portfolio. A healthy mix of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or even an exchange-traded fund (ETF) or two can keep your portfolio balanced. However, there’s a lot of potential for investors… read more…
- Is Buying a Timeshare a Good Idea?
If you find yourself vacationing in the same area year after year, then purchasing a timeshare may have come across your radar. Timeshare properties allow you to partially own what some might consider to be a second home in one… read more…
- Should You Pay Off Debt or Invest?
Deciding whether to pay off debt or invest can be tough. They are two competing financial goals, and you may wonder which one takes precedence. Eliminating your debt as quickly as possible has its advantages. Yet there’s a strong case… read more…
- How to Invest in the S&P 500 Stock Market Index
The S&P 500 is an index that tracks the 500 of the largest publicly traded companies on American stock markets. One way to invest in the S&P 500 is by purchasing individual shares of all 500 companies in the index. While possible, this strategy is highly impractical and difficult to manage. A more realistic option… read more…
- What Are Treasury Yields and Why Do They Matter?
Treasury bonds and bills can be an important part of your investment strategy. However, Treasury yields will determine their value to your portfolio. Treasury yields represent how much profit you earn by buying U.S. Treasury bonds, bills or notes. They… read more…
- What Are Over-the-Counter (OTC) Stocks?
Over-the-counter (OTC) stocks are also known as unlisted stocks. Typically offered by small companies, they are traded through market makers, rather than through stock exchanges like the New York Stock Exchange or Nasdaq. As a result, OTC stocks generally have a lower volume of trade than exchange-listed stocks and come with a higher degree of risk. Penny… read more…
- A Guide to the Different Types of Stock Orders
While some investors choose to work with a financial advisor who invests on their behalf, others buy and sell their own stocks. When you buy stock, though, there are different varieties of stock orders you can use. Some orders execute immediately, while others only execute at a specific time or price. A few order types… read more…
- A Guide to Unit Investment Trusts (UITs)
If you have an investment portfolio or a 401(k), you’ve probably invested in a mutual fund. You may have also invested your savings in an ETF. Another similar option for investors who don’t want to buy individual securities is a… read more…
- What Is Premarket Trading, and How Does It Work?
Although the stock market and exchanges technically have hours that they operate within, you can still trade before things open up. This is called premarket trading, and it allows investors to buy and sell stocks before official market hours. A major… read more…
- Put Options: What They Are and How to Buy Them
A put option allows investors to bet against the future of a company or index. More specifically, it gives the owner of an option contract the ability to sell at a specified price any time before a certain date. Put… read more…
- How Private Placement of Securities Works
A company can be more selective about who buys its shares if it sells them in a private placement. Shares sold in an initial public offering (IPO) are offered to the general public and tend to attract more attention. However, private… read more…
- What Is a Money Manager and What Do They Do?
When developing your investment strategy, you may find yourself in need of some help. Yet between financial planners, financial advisors and a money manager, it can be tough to pick the right resource for you. Each specialization varies ever so… read more…
- The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB)
The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) exists because cities can’t always be trusted with their municipal bonds. Investing in bonds already involves a degree of risk. The MSRB exists to prevent municipal bonds, notes, and other securities from becoming overly… read more…
- What Is Working Capital and Why Does It Matter?
Working capital measures a business’s operating liquidity, but it does so much more. It also can be a good indicator of a company’s efficiency and financial health, as well as how well it manages debt, payroll, and inventory. These are… read more…
- How Do Zero Coupon Bonds Work?
A zero coupon bond doesn’t pay interest, but it could pay off for your portfolio. Choosing between the many different types of bonds may require a plan for your broader investments. A zero coupon bond often requires less money up… read more…
- What Is a Margin Account and How Does It Work?
Spotted a hot stock and can’t afford to invest as much as you’d like? A margin account allows you to borrow money from your brokerage firm to make the buy. But if trading money you don’t have sounds risky, that’s… read more…