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.

Bursting the Bubble
Tulips were the first, but they won’t be the last. What forms a “bubble” and what causes them to burst?

5 Smart Investing Principles
Principles that can help create a portfolio designed to pursue investment goals.

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

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.

Events on Wall Street
Can successful investors predict changes in the markets? Some can but others miss the market’s signals.
A Taxing Story: Capital Gains and Losses
Understanding how capital gains are taxed may help you refine your investment strategies.
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.
Inflation & Your Money
It's important to understand how inflation is reported and how it can affect investments.
The Business Cycle
Understanding the economy's cycles can help put current business conditions in better perspective.
A Primer on Dividends
A company's profits can be reinvested or paid out to the company’s shareholders as “dividends."
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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Saving for College
This calculator can help you estimate how much you should be saving for college.
What Is My Risk Tolerance?
This questionnaire will help determine your tolerance for investment risk.
Taxable vs. Tax-Deferred Savings
Use this calculator to compare the future value of investments with different tax consequences.
How Compound Interest Works
Use this calculator to better see the potential impact of compound interest on an asset.
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.
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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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The Fed and How It Got That Way
Here is a quick history of the Federal Reserve and an overview of what it does.
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.
The Real Cost of a Vacation Home
What if instead of buying that vacation home, you invested the money?
The Business Cycle
How will you weather the ups and downs of the business cycle?
From Boats to Brokers
From the Dutch East India Company to Wall Street, the stock market has a long and storied history.