Investing

The 401(k) plan is one of the most widely used retirement vehicles. Find out what it is and what it can do for you.

Return on assets is one of the basic metrics used to evaluate a company's stock. Find out what it can tell you about a stock and learn how to calculate it here.

Beta is a measure of volatility. Find out what this means and how it affects your portfolio.

Compound interest is often called one of the most powerful concepts in finance. Find out what it is and how it can work for you.

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) offer investors the ability to diversify over an entire sector or market segment in a single investment. Find out how they are created and what they can do for your portfolio.

Flipping is a real estate investment strategy that can produce a large profit over a relatively short time period. Find out how this technique works and what pros and cons investors should consider before jumping in.

Fundamental analysis is one of the basic ways to evaluate stocks. Find out what it is and how it can work for you.

Mutual funds are the starting point for many individual investors because they offer a balanced portfolio in a single investment. Find out how mutual funds work and whether they are the investment for you.

Futures contracts are one of the most important financial innovations in history, but they are often misunderstood. Find out this contract is used to transfer risk between different parties.

Stocks are one of the most popular financial instruments in the world, but what does a stock actually represent? Find out how and why stocks are created, and what buying a stock means for investors.

Did you know that inflation is silently eating away at your savings? Learn more about this sneaky financial phenomenon and what causes it.

The time value of money is a fundamental concept in finance - and it influences every financial decision you make, whether you know it or not. Learn the basics here.

Income investors love them and growth investors rarely expect them, but just what are dividends? Learn the story behind these payouts and why they are (or aren't) offered to investors.

Ever wondered why a candy bar no longer costs 50 cents? The answer is monetary inflation. Find out what this means and how it affects your purchasing power.

Put option allow investors to hedge an investment they own or speculate in an investment they don't own. Find out more about this type of option and how it can work in an investor's favor.

Call options offer investors a way to leverage their capital for greater investment returns. Find out more about these financial contracts and how they work.

The compound annual growth rate is an important tool for measuring investment performance and comparing it across asset classes. Discover how it is calculated and how it can inform your investment decisions.