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.
Should I Invest in Gold?
Learning more about gold and its history may help you decide whether it has a place in your portfolio.
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.

Estimating the Cost of College
This worksheet can help you estimate the costs of a four-year college program.

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.
You Would Rather Be...
Are you a thrill seeker, or content to relax in the backyard? Use this flowchart to find out more about your risk tolerance.
The Business Cycle
Understanding the economy's cycles can help put current business conditions in better perspective.
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 Anatomy of an Index
The S&P 500 represents a large portion of the value of the U.S. equity market, it may be worth understanding.
How Stocks Work
Understanding how a stock works is key to understanding your investments.
Earnings for All Seasons
Earnings season can move markets. What is it and why is it important?
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What Is My Risk Tolerance?
This questionnaire will help determine your tolerance for investment risk.
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.
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.
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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.
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Finding the Balance
The sandwich generation faces unique challenges. For many, meeting needs is a matter of finding a balance.
What Smart Investors Know
Savvy investors take the time to separate emotion from fact.
The Junk Drawer Approach to Investing
It's easy to let investments accumulate like old receipts in a junk drawer.
Bridging the Confidence Gap
In the world of finance, the effects of the "confidence gap" can be especially apparent.
When Markets React
When markets shift, experienced investors stick to their strategy.
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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