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

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

Inflation and Your Portfolio
Even low inflation rates can pose a threat to investment returns.
Estimating the Cost of College
This worksheet can help you estimate the costs of a four-year college program.
Don’t Be Your Own Worst Enemy
Emotional biases can adversely impact financial decision making. Here’s a few to be mindful of.
All Muni Bonds Are Not Created Equal
Gaining a better understanding of municipal bonds makes more sense than ever.
How to Conquer the World - 5 Financial Strategies for Savvy
Learn more about women taking control of their finances with this infographic.
Do Our Biases Affect Our Financial Choices?
Even the most seasoned investors have biases affecting their financial choices.
A Primer on Dividends
A company's profits can be reinvested or paid out to the company’s shareholders as “dividends."
View all articles
Saving for College
This calculator can help you estimate how much you should be saving for college.
How Compound Interest Works
Use this calculator to better see the potential impact of compound interest on an asset.
Impact of Taxes and Inflation
Estimate the potential impact taxes and inflation can have on the purchasing power of an investment.
Contributing to an IRA?
Determine if you are eligible to contribute to a traditional or Roth IRA.
What Is the Dividend Yield?
This calculator helps determine your pre-tax and after-tax dividend yield on a particular stock.
Taxable vs. Tax-Deferred Savings
Use this calculator to compare the future value of investments with different tax consequences.
View all calculators
5 Smart Investing Strategies
There are some smart strategies that may help you pursue your investment objectives
5 Smart Investing Principles
Principles that can help create a portfolio designed to pursue investment goals.
View all presentations
Global and International Funds
Investors seeking world investments can choose between global and international funds. What's the difference?
Behavioral Finance
An amusing and whimsical look at behavioral finance best practices for investors.
Emerging Market Opportunities
What are your options for investing in emerging markets?
The Fed and How It Got That Way
Here is a quick history of the Federal Reserve and an overview of what it does.
Bursting the Bubble
Tulips were the first, but they won’t be the last. What forms a “bubble” and what causes them to burst?
Bridging the Confidence Gap
In the world of finance, the effects of the "confidence gap" can be especially apparent.