- What Is the Series 66 License?
The Series 66 license is required to work as an investment advisor in the United States. To obtain it, you must pass a rigorous exam covering methods of delivering investment advice and other topics. Below, we’ll tackle what the exam… read more…
- GDP: Definition, Examples and Economic Usage
Gross domestic product (GDP) measures the market value of all goods and services a country produces in a specific time frame. It’s used to gauge a nation’s economic growth and its people’s standard of living. GDP also guides investment decisions… read more…
- How to Use TreasuryDirect to Buy Government Bonds
Government bonds are one of the safest places to park cash. This is because they are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, so there’s virtually no risk of default. The tradeoff for safety, of course,… read more…
- Series 7 Exam: Qualifications and Preparation
The Series 7 exam is one of two exams that registered representatives of broker-dealers must pass to sell and trade most securities as a financial services professional. The exam mainly covers information about investments, their suitability for different investors, record-keeping… read more…
- What Is the Series 57 License?
A Series 57 license allows brokers to trade equities and convertible debt securities in the U.S. To obtain one, you must pass the Series 57 exam. This test covers topics like equity trading concepts and regulations around the financial services… read more…
- Ken Fisher: Everything You Need to Know
Ken Fisher, an investment analyst and self-made billionaire, is perhaps best known for founding Fisher Investments. The financial advisor firm based in Camas, Washington manages more than $96 billion for more than 40,000 clients, mostly high-net-worth individuals and institutional investors. Fisher currently serves as the firm’s executive chairman and co-chief investment officer. However, he has… read more…
- Should I Pay Down My Mortgage or Invest?
If you find yourself with some extra money, then you’ll need to decide what to do with it. If you have a mortgage worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, it may be tempting to put your windfall toward making extra… read more…
- What Is EBITDA and How Do You Calculate It?
EBITDA is a popular metric that analysts and investors use for determining the current performance of a company. It measures a company’s earnings minus certain expenses, including taxes, interest, depreciation and amortization. As a result, EBITDA can give you an… read more…
- Free Investment Classes for Learning How to Invest
As you aspire toward a secure retirement and other financial milestones, investments become an increasingly important financial topic to know about. But those looking to gain knowledge about investing may have issues finding reliable sources. Luckily, the internet is home to many… read more…
- A Guide to Dividend Reinvestment Plans
A dividend reinvestment plan, or DRIP, is a vehicle that reinvests the money shareholders get from companies in cash dividends. Many investors favor DRIPs because of their ease, low-to-nonexistent fees and ability to strengthen returns over a long time horizon. By… read more…
- Saving for College With a Coverdell ESA: Weighing the Pros and Cons
A Coverdell ESA, formerly known as an Education IRA, is a tax-advantaged savings vehicle designed to help parents pay for the educational expenses of a child under the age of 18. It offers several benefits, but it’s not the only… read more…
- Finviz Stock Screener Review
Finviz is a browser-based platform offering a free stock screener, market research, financial news and more. Most of its services are free, but it also offers a subscription package with enhanced features like that allow you to test your trading strategies before deploying them in the real world. We’ll explore the benefits of Finviz as well… read more…
- How to Invest Your Money
Investing can be an intimidating venture, but learning how to navigate the investment market is a life skill with plenty of upside. You can use the returns you earn from your investment portfolio to achieve a number of goals, such… read more…
- What Is Trend Investing and How Do You Do It?
Trend investing is the process of putting your money in stocks, industries or markets expected to boom consistently in the future. The idea is to ride the trend up until it’s the right time to jump off and exit that… read more…
- The Income Statement: A Guide for Investors
Income statements are financial statements that show how a business did financially over a certain period of time. Generally, they show revenue minus expenses and losses to give a company’s profit or loss over that time period. Income statements are… read more…
- An Investor’s Guide to Long-Term Investing
Long-term investing is often the best way to build wealth that stands the test of time. It’s how you plan for retirement and build a legacy to pass on to your children and grandchildren. Long-term investments require patience, but they… read more…
- 7 Short-Term Investment Options to Consider
Short-term investments are generally defined as investments that pay off in less than five years (sometimes even less time, perhaps within a year). Whereas long-term investments are generally made with the goal of building overall wealth and preparing for retirement,… read more…
- What Type of Investment Account Should You Open?
Investing in the stock market has been a great way to build long-term wealth for almost as long as the United States has been a country. And as retirements continue to increase with people’s lifespans, it’s becoming more and more… read more…
- Balance Sheet: What It Shows & How to Read One
A balance sheet is a financial document that a company releases to show its assets, liabilities and overall shareholder equity. Balance sheets are useful tools for potential investors in a company, as they show the general financial status of a… read more…
- Opportunity Cost: Definition and Examples
Opportunity cost is the benefit you miss out on when you choose to do something else. Every choice you make — from investing choices to career decisions to something as simple as where to eat dinner — comes with some form… read more…
- What Is an Investment Simulator?
Investing is risky. When you put your money in the market, you’re taking a chance with real money. This is the same money that you might need to pay your mortgage, feed your family and cover the other basic costs… read more…
- How (and Where) to Invest in Cryptocurrency
Although cryptocurrency has only been around for a short time, it has expanded into a wide, convoluted universe that can be difficult to understand for the uninitiated. But with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies seeing wild fluctuations in price, there’s an… read more…
- Dow Futures: Betting on Whether the Stock Market Index Will Go Up or Down
Trading Dow Futures is a bit like making a color bet in roulette, where you are picking red or black instead of an individual number. Similarly, with a Dow Future contract, you are betting that the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) will… read more…
- 11 Common Types of Investments and How They Work
Investing can intimidate a lot of people because there are many options and it can be hard to figure out which investments are right for your portfolio. This guide walks you through ten of the most common types of investments,… read more…
- Ways to Invest $30,000
If you have $30,000 to invest, you have many options. Some things, like making the down payment on a house, might be a bit out of reach, but you can still invest in securities ranging from stocks to treasury bonds.… read more…