Articles

• Building a Savings Nest-Egg - Having a financial cushion is one of the most important things you can do to feel financially secure.
• Choosing the Right Accounts for Your Cash - Here are some thoughts to keep in mind as you create a plan for your cash investments.
• Certificates of Deposit for Your Cash Reserves - Certificates of Deposit (CDs) can be ideal vehicles for investing funds that you do not need in the near term.
• Building a Ladder of Saving Certificates - Choosing the length of savings certificates or CDs is an important decision.
• Use Automatic Savings Programs to Reach Your Financial Goals - One of the simplest and most effective tools you can use for almost any saving goal is an automatic savings plan.
• Fundamentals of Investing - Investing is simply the process of acquiring assets that you hope will grow in value.
• Making Your First Investments - This article focuses on some simple issues you should consider and provides some details on how to take that step.
• Monitoring Your Financial Progress and Measuring Results - Taking control of your financial future is a process. As with any process, it is important to monitor your progress and measure results.
• The Federal Reserve and Interest Rates - Few financial issues receive more attention in the press than the Federal Reserve Board's actions with interest rates.
• Make Your Money Work For You - Your money is an asset, and it should work hard for you in the same way you work hard to earn it.
• Starting to Save Early for Financial Goals - Postponing saving for your retirement or a college education for a child is unfortunately quite easy.
• Bond Values and Interest Rates Changes - Bond values are determined in the marketplace and those values change in the opposite direction of changes in interest rate changes.
• What Is a “Yield Curve” and What Does It Mean? - The term “yield curve” is often used in discussions of interest rates.

Podcasts

• Certificates of Deposit for Your Cash Reserves
• Automatic Savings Programs to Reach Your Financial Goals
• Make Your Money Work for You
• Fundamentals of Investing
• Building a Stock Portfolio
• Investing in Mutual Funds
• Investing in Bonds
• Investing in U.S. Treasuries

Financial Tips

• Starting an Online Investment Account - Online investing has emerged as the fasted growing segment of the investment industry.
• The Value of Dollar Cost Averaging - Your best strategy starting in investment waters may be to use the dollar cost averaging method.
• Cut Management Fees to Increase Return - An easy way to increase returns on your investments is to cut management fees.
• Not Willing to Admit (Short Term) Defeat? - By selling shares that have underperformed, you are not admitting defeat. You are simply adjusting your battle plan.
• Vigilance Can Sometimes Work Against You - When you invest in mutual funds with diversified portfolios, timing the markets can be even tougher.
• The Rule of 72 - Calculating your return is easy but determining what your investments might be worth at some time in the future can be more difficult.

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Articles

• Interest Rate Risk - What is interest rate risk? Find out here.
• How Does Inflation Impact Your Finances - For the past years, inflation has been under control. The overall rate of inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index has been averaging less than 3%.

Financial Tips

• Know Your Limits - Knowing the price at which you want to buy or sell stock can help you avoid big losses if prices fall.
• Get Your Investment Plan Back on Track - It's important to stay invested, otherwise you will just get further off track for your financial goals.
• Investors Lose When They Chase Performance - A sound investment strategy should be a long-term proposition based on your specific investment objectives and reflective of your tolerance for risk.
• How Big of an Investment Return Do You Need? - It is better to focus on long term growth and objective instead of just investment returns.

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Articles

• Mutual Funds and Income Taxes - Consult your tax advisor to get a more complete understanding of how the tax consequences of owning mutual funds may affect you.
• Investing in Bonds - Bonds investments provide diversification and predictable income.
• Comparing Taxable and Tax-Exempt Bond Yields - The Internal Revenue Code allows individuals to treat interest income from most municipal obligations as tax exempt.
• Investing in Municipal Bonds - You may want to consider municipal bonds as part of the fixed income portion of your investment portfolio.
• Investing in U.S. Treasuries - Find out the advantages of owning U.S. Treasuries.
• Investing in Mutual Funds - Mutual funds offer many benefits such as diversification, professional management and convenient purchase options.
• How Well Are Your Stock Investments Doing? - There are two parts of your portfolio's performance that you should examine.
• Make Sure Your US Savings Bonds Are Still Paying Interest - United States Savings Bonds have been one of the most popular ways for Americans to save for over 60 years.
• Investing in Exchange Traded Funds - ETFs are investment funds that offer many benefits like mutual funds such as diversification and professional management.

Podcasts

• Investing in Mutual Funds
• Investing in Bonds
• Investing in US Treasuries

Financial Tips

• Why You Should Own Dividend Stocks Right Now - You can buy dividend stocks individually, or through mutual funds or through exchange-traded funds that invest exclusively in dividend stocks.
• Buying Gold - Without Worrying about Storage - If gold is your investment of choice, consider an Exchange Traded Fund.
• Fee-Free Investing - Once you own a stock, you can purchase more shares by using a dividend reinvestment plan (DRIP).
• Exchange Traded Funds - Better than Mutual Funds? - Exchange-Traded Funds, or ETFs, are a type of index fund that trades like stocks on the major stock exchanges.
• Looking for a Sure Thing? Here's a TIPS - Any discussion of inflation hedges should include Treasury Inflation Protection Securities (TIPS).
• How to Buy Gold - If you are considering this as an opportunity to add gold to your portfolio, it would be important to know your options for purchasing and holding gold assets.

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Articles

• Financial Market Indicators - What to Watch - Three key areas to monitor are stocks, interest rates and inflation rates.
• The Dow Jones Industrial Average - The most often quoted stock market indicator is the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA).

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• Why Using Your Smart Phone to Trade Stocks Is a Bad Idea - Studies have shown that investors using smart phones are 25% more likely to make impulsive decisions and pull the trigger on a stock investment.

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Articles

• Asset Allocation - How you divide your investment portfolio among stock, bond and cash investments is called asset allocation.
• Investment Portfolio Diversification - There are too many unknowns and too many changes always taking place in stock investing that is one of many reasons to diversifying your stock portfolio.
• Building a Stock Portfolio - To reduce risks and to try to maximize the returns on your stock investments, it makes sense to carefully build a portfolio of stocks carefully.
• Dollar Cost Averaging - One way to make sure you do not buy at the top of the mutual fund market is to use a strategy called dollar cost averaging.

Calculators

• Asset Allocation Calculator
• Investment Goal
• Investment Savings and Distributions

Financial Tips

• Stop Loaning the Government Money - You may want to alter your withholding if you are expecting a tax refund.
• No Room Left for your 401(k)? - When you reach contribution limits for a 401(k), consider a Roth IRA or other retirement savings plan to help build your nest egg.
• If Your Broker Goes Bankrupt - Most people know that bank deposits are covered by the Federal Insurance Deposit Corporation.

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