Investing
Many financial plans include at least some weighting in stocks and/or mutual funds, and while historically equities have tended to rise in value over the long term, they carry a certain amount of risk, both for long- and short-term investors. It is therefore imperative that you have realistic financial goals and investment objectives in place before you begin to invest.
Research Articles
- 529 Lesson Plan: High Scores for 529 Plans
529 plans are tax-advantaged savings plans that generally allow people of any income level to contribute.
- How Can I Keep More of My Mutual Fund Profits?
Want to keep more of your mutual fund profits? You may be interested in strategies to help lower your tax liability.
- How Can I Save for My Child’s College Education?
There are several funding methods for a child's college education including mutual funds and Section 529 plans.
- How Do Money Market Mutual Funds Work?
Money market funds can be a highly liquid and effective cash management tool.
- How Do Mutual Funds and Stocks Differ?
The difference between purchasing an individual stock versus shares in a mutual fund to potentially earn dividends.
- How Does Inflation Affect Me?
Historically, one of the best ways to fight the effects of inflation has been to utilize growth-oriented investments.
- What Are the Different Classes of Assets?
There are five broad asset classes that you should take into consideration when constructing your investment portfolio.
- What College Investment Options Do I Have?
Starting to invest early for college and remaining consistent can help investors reach their goals.
- What Is a Bond?
A bond is simply evidence of a debt from a government entity or a corporation and represents a long-term IOU.
- What Is a Closed-End Fund?
With closed-end funds, investors pool their money together to purchase a professionally managed portfolio of stocks and/or bonds.
- What Is a Mutual Fund?
A mutual fund is a collection of stocks, bonds, and other securities with certain benefits and risks.
- What Is a Stock Index?
Stock market indexes can be useful benchmarks for gauging the performance of an investment portfolio over time.
- What Is an Annuity?
An annuity is a flexible financial vehicle that can help protect against the risk of living a long time because it provides an option for a lifetime income.
- What Is Asset Allocation?
Asset allocation is a method used to help manage investment risk; it does not guarantee a profit or protect against investment loss.
- What Is Diversification?
An important element to successful investing is to manage investment risk while maintaining the potential for growth.
- What Is Dollar-Cost Averaging?
Dollar-cost averaging involves investing a set amount of money on a regular basis, regardless of market conditions.
- What Is the Difference Between a Fixed Annuity and a Variable Annuity?
Both fixed and variable annuities could be appropriate options for an individual interested in purchasing an annuity.
- What Stock and Bond Investing Alternatives Do I Have?
There are other ways to invest in stocks and bonds besides owning individual shares or bonds.
- What Types of Bonds Are Available?
Bonds are issued by many entities and share many characteristics, each type of bond has certain benefits and risks.