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.
Jane Bond: Scaling the Ladder
Agent Jane Bond is on the case, uncovering the mystery of bond laddering.
5 Smart Investing Principles
Principles that can help create a portfolio designed to pursue investment goals.
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The Junk Drawer Approach to Investing
It's easy to let investments accumulate like old receipts in a junk drawer.

Do Our Biases Affect Our Financial Choices?
Even the most seasoned investors have biases affecting their financial choices.

Bursting the Bubble
Tulips were the first, but they won’t be the last. What forms a “bubble” and what causes them to burst?
Value vs. Growth Investing
Among stock-market investors there’s long been a debate between those who favor value and those who favor growth.
Asset Allocation
Consider how your assets are allocated and if that allocation is consistent with your time frame and risk tolerance.
Mutual Funds vs. ETFs
Exchange-traded funds have some things in common with mutual funds, but there are differences, too.
Investing with Your Heart
For some, the social impact of investing is just as important as the return, perhaps more important.
A Look at Diversification
Diversification is an investment principle designed to manage risk, but it can't prevent against a loss.
Required Reading: The Economic Report of the President
The Economic Report of the President can help identify the forces driving — or dragging — the economy.
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Contributing to an IRA?
Determine if you are eligible to contribute to a traditional or Roth IRA.
What Is My Risk Tolerance?
This questionnaire will help determine your tolerance for investment risk.
What Is the Dividend Yield?
This calculator helps determine your pre-tax and after-tax dividend yield on a particular stock.
Impact of Taxes and Inflation
Estimate the potential impact taxes and inflation can have on the purchasing power of an investment.
Saving for College
This calculator can help you estimate how much you should be saving for college.
Taxable vs. Tax-Deferred Savings
Use this calculator to compare the future value of investments with different tax consequences.
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5 Smart Investing Principles
Principles that can help create a portfolio designed to pursue investment goals.
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Inflation and Your Portfolio
Even low inflation rates can pose a threat to investment returns.
The Business Cycle
How will you weather the ups and downs of the business cycle?
Finding the Balance
The sandwich generation faces unique challenges. For many, meeting needs is a matter of finding a balance.
Emerging Market Opportunities
What are your options for investing in emerging markets?
Are Alternative Investments Right for You?
With alternative investments, it’s critical to sort through the complexity.
The Fed and How It Got That Way
Here is a quick history of the Federal Reserve and an overview of what it does.
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