All Entries in the "Investing" Category
What is a Trust Fund?
Tweet Back in my college days I had several friends that seemed to have access to all the money in the world as they went to school. One friend in particular spent all kinds of money on off roading vehicles and modifications, and that was just one of his expensive hobbies. I was [...]
How Does The Stock Market Work?
Tweet Stock Market Basics: Traditional and Electronic Trading I was talking with a friend and the question came up “how does the stock market work?” This got us talking about how the stock market and trading has evolved through the years. The financial markets are a complex entity with their own institutional and economic structures [...]
Investing for the Long Run
Tweet If you have a steady job or some extra cash lying around, the sound thing to do is invest it. People too often think of investing as a get rich quick scheme for people with money to invest. The truth of the matter is that long term investments pay off far more than short [...]
The 2 Most Important Things to Look at On Your Investment Statement
Tweet How many times have you received your quarterly 401k or IRA statement in the mail or via email and simply trashed it? How often do you open it up and glance over it only to see a bunch of numbers, but have no idea what to make of it other than finding out if [...]
Order Types for Buying or Selling Stocks
Tweet Buying or selling stock couldn’t be easier with today’s technology. Investors can go online or call an automated trading platform to instantly place a trade. But just because it’s easy, it doesn’t mean you can’t make a mistake. There are a number of different order types that can be used to help you protect losses and [...]
My Employer Stopped Matching My 401k – Should I Still Contribute?
Tweet This is one of the most frequently asked questions I’ve been receiving lately both at work and via email. Companies across the country are trying to find ways to cut costs during this recession and a prime target is the matching program on a 401(k) or 403(b). This is bad news for employees, but [...]
Considerations Before Doing a Roth IRA Conversion if You Are Using Account Assets to Pay the Taxes
Tweet Everyone loves the Roth IRA. If you read any personal finance blog, website, or listen to any financial guru they will rave about how the Roth IRA is the best thing since sliced bread. What makes this investment vehicle even better is that back in 2010 anyone could convert their Traditional IRA (therefore pre-taxed) [...]
Mutual Fund Fees for Beginners – Loads, Expense Ratios, and Share Classes
Tweet Mutual funds are one of the most common investment tools for the average investor. You’ll find them in your 401(k) plan, in your IRA, and everywhere in-between. Mutual funds are popular for good reason. They provide instant diversification without requiring a lot of money. Instead of having to pick all of the individual stocks [...]
6 Funds To Hedge Against a Recession
Tweet The word recession has investors searching for safe investments until the market rebounds. Just take a look at how the market has reacted recently. Investors want the maximum yield with the least risk involved. Luckily, options are available for investors to weather the storm until the economy improves. Mutual or index funds are a [...]
Using Morningstar’s Mutual Fund Comparison Tool to Compare Funds
Tweet Morningstar is great, and it is one of my favorite investing research sites out there. They have a ton of tools available for researching stocks, mutual funds, and now options. While some of these tools do require a premium membership, there are plenty of great tools that are free and available to everyone. You [...]
ETFs vs. Mutual Funds: Which One is Right for You?
Tweet ETFs and Mutual Funds Both Have Advantages – Find Out Which One is Best For You Lately I’ve received a few questions from readers asking about the difference between an ETF and an index or mutual fund, and which one is better. Well, as with almost all things, there are pros and cons to [...]
How To Start Investing With Very Little Money
Tweet You Can Begin Investing Today With as Little as Five Dollars If you have survived the economic downturn, you may be happy just to be paying your bills on time. Investing for your future might not even be on your radar and many folks assume that if they do not have large amounts they [...]
Investing Made Easy With Betterment – Plus a $25 Bonus
Tweet Do you know what prevents most people from getting started with investing? The fear of choosing the wrong investment. This fear delays the decision to get started for weeks, months, and often even years. After all, when it comes to your hard-earned money, the last thing you want to do is see it vanish [...]
Should You Invest in the Stock Market or Hold Cash?
Tweet Let me paint a picture for you really quick. A man is sitting at his desk looking at his Scottrade account. He’s been noticing the volatile market swings and doesn’t know what to do with his money. He start sweating. He starts to wonder if he should place his money under his mattress instead. [...]
How to be a Conservative Investor
Tweet When most people think about being a conservative investor, thoughts of keeping money locked away in an FDIC insured savings account, parked in CDs, or in government bonds. After all, what could be more conservative than that? The problem is that there is a difference between conservative investing and no-risk investing, but many people [...]
Receive free email updates and get my free Invest Like a Pro eBook.