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.

Emerging Market Opportunities
What are your options for investing in emerging markets?

5 Smart Investing Strategies
Getting what you want out of your money may require the right game plan.

Should You Invest in Exchange Traded Funds?
There are hundreds of ETFs available. Should you invest in them?

Emotional vs. Strategic Decisions
Information vs. instinct. Are your choices based on evidence of emotion?

The Real Cost of a Vacation Home
What if instead of buying that vacation home, you invested the money?
Estimating the Cost of College
This worksheet can help you estimate the costs of a four-year college program.
Required Reading: The Economic Report of the President
The Economic Report of the President can help identify the forces driving — or dragging — the economy.
The Business Cycle
Understanding the economy's cycles can help put current business conditions in better perspective.
The ABCs of Zero Coupon Bonds
Understanding some basic concepts may help you assess whether zero-coupon bonds have a place in your portfolio.
Inflation and the Real Rate of Return
Learn about the role of inflation when considering your portfolio’s rate of return with this helpful article.
Pullbacks, Corrections, and Bear Markets
Pullbacks, corrections, and bear markets are all a part of the investing cycle. When the market experiences volatility, it may be a good time to review these common terms.
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What Is My Risk Tolerance?
This questionnaire will help determine your tolerance for investment risk.
Impact of Taxes and Inflation
Estimate the potential impact taxes and inflation can have on the purchasing power of an investment.
Taxable vs. Tax-Deferred Savings
Use this calculator to compare the future value of investments with different tax consequences.
What Is the Dividend Yield?
This calculator helps determine your pre-tax and after-tax dividend yield on a particular stock.
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.
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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
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Inflation and Your Portfolio
Even low inflation rates can pose a threat to investment returns.
Behavioral Finance
An amusing and whimsical look at behavioral finance best practices for investors.
It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times
All about how missing the best market days (or the worst!) might affect your portfolio.
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.