Articles Index

How Bond Spreads Can Really Hurt Investors

There is a hidden cost that new bond investors face that many don't even know exists. It comes from the spread that brokers charge clients who buy bonds and, in some cases, can be several percentage points or many thousands of dollars.

Why Is the Interest I Earn on my Bonds Called a Coupon?

Have you ever asked yourself, what is a bond coupon? This term is from more than a century ago when bonds actually came as physical engraved certificates. Although it's not used any more, but the origin of the term bond coupon is interesting. Take a few seconds to learn.

What's The Easiest Way to Track My Investments?

Have you ever wanted to know the easiest way to keep track of your investments? If you're tired of stacks of paperwork, looking in filing cabinets, or trying to call a company to get your current balance, there is a better solution out there for you. Here, we'll share some of the more popular ways to track your investments now that Microsoft has discontinued its famous Microsoft Money software program.

Margin 101

Speculating or investing on margin is the practice of using borrowed money to acquire shares of stock or other financial instruments. This article discusses the risks, power and logistics of utilizing margin and why it's normally a mistake to buy stocks on margin for the average investor.

Canadian Gold Maple Leaf Coins

Canadian gold maple leaf coins are guaranteed in purity by the Canadian Government and serve as the official gold bullion coin of the nation. Canadian gold maple leaf coins were introduced as a result of the efforts of a man named Walter Ott, who wanted to provide a gold bullion coin alternative to the South African Krugerrand. The gold bullion in each Canadian gold maple leaf coin comes from gold mines within Canada.

American Eagle Gold Bullion Coins

American Eagle gold bullion coins are a great way for investors to acquire a small position in gold bullion for their portfolio. This article discusses American Eagle gold bullion coins and how you can add them to your holdings if you want add a liquid form of gold in increments of one Troy ounce or less to your precious metals portfolio.

Investing in Gold Krugerrand Coins

Gold Krugerrand coins are a type of investment grade gold bullion coins available for private investors who want to add precious metals to their portfolio. Like their American counterparts, the South African Gold Krugerrand coins are 22 karat gold with the remaining 2 karats consisting of copper to strengthen the coin.

Over-the-Counter Options

For the wealthy and well connected, derivative choices aren't limited to standarized exchange-traded options such as puts and calls that trade through clearinghouses. These so-called over-the-counter options pose their own threats and risks and are, in a large part, responsible for the global economic meltdown of 2007-2009. Discover how the over-the-counter options differ from their traditional counterparts in this special article.

What Is an Investment Bank

Many investors are not familiar with an investment bank and how it differs from the more traditional commercial bank. Put simply, an investment bank handles the equity and debt issuance, as well as proprietary trading with its own capital, rather than taking on deposits and lending out money for car loans, student loans, mortgages, and more.

An Introduction to Capital Structure

A company's capital structure is one of the most important decisions management has to make because it influences everything from the firm's risk profile to the financial ratios such as return on equity and interest coverage. In this resources, we examine why capital structure matters and the components that make up the capital structure of any company, no matter how large or small.

Understanding the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA)

Have you ever wondered how the Dow Jones Industrial Average is calculated? Or how about the name of the thirty Dow components that make up the DJIA? In a few minutes, you'll discover the history of the Dow Jones and how it continues to influence the global investing world today.

How to Start Investing

If you are knew to Wall Street, you may wonder how to start investing. This to-the-point article lists the ways to begin investing, as well as provides links to more than half a dozen other articles and resources that will make the process of starting to invest easier and more enjoyable.

Is It Better or Worse to Start Investing in a Recession?

Should you begin investing during a recession or wait until the economy improves? Are the rules for investing in a recession different for small businesses than they are for stocks? Get a quick answer to this often asked question by reading our response.

What Is a Derivative?

With the word derivative being thrown around every night on the news, you feel left out if you don't know what it means. Don't worry! In a few seconds, you're going to learn what a derivative is, the different types of derivatives, and why derivatives can be dangerous to the overall financial system if left unchecked.

Saving vs. Investing

There is an important balance that needs to be struck between saving and investing. Both have vital roles to play in your financial life, but very few people know why each is important or, frankly, the difference between the two.

If One of the Companies I Invested In Goes Bankrupt, Will I Owe Money?

Have you ever wondered what happens if a stock you owns goes bankrupt? Will you owe money? What happens to your holdings? Get the answers to these often asked, but rarely answered, questions.

How Much Should I Be Saving?

Have you ever asked yourself the question - How much should I be saving? If you have, we've taken a detailed look at the questions you need to ask yourself before you can tackle that important question.

What Is a Hedge Fund?

Have you ever asked yourself the question what is a hedge fund or wondered how they operate? In this basic introduction, we answer the question what is a hedge fund and help you learn how the hedge fund managers are paid, how their compensation is calculated, and why the term originally developed.

Things to Remember Before You Buy Your First Investment

Buying your first investment can be overwhelming. These keys and tips will help you think about some important things to consider before you sign your name to the check. Even though they are designed to be read before you've bought your first investment, they are still useful to even the most experienced financier!

Real Estate vs. Stocks – Which Is the Better Investment?

Should you invest in real estate or stocks? The average investor has asked that question for decades, perhaps not truly understanding the difference between the two asset classes. Although both real estate and stocks offer substantial advantages, each come with their own risks. We examine these risks and discuss some of the other factors you may want to take into consideration when deciding on real estate vs. stocks.

I Want to Buy a House. What's the Best Investment for Me?

Saving for a home is hard enough. With the potential for investment losses lurking bheind every corner, where is the safest place to invest your down payment money? In this article, we address three or four of safest, most practical places to invest your down payment money so you can focus on affording the house you want - not recovering from investment losses.

The Four Ways to Make Money

According to research, only 10% of American millionaires inherited their money with the rest going out and earning it. How did they make money? In this article, we'll discuss the four ways to make money that serve as the foundation of nearly every fortune in the history of the world other than inheritance, theft, and other methods that simply aren't practical to the average person.

If You Can’t Beat ‘em, Join ‘em

Low cost index funds can be a great investment, providing superior returns to actively managed mutual funds over the long term. This article explains the basics and benefits of investing in index funds.

Eight Ways to Avoid the 10% Early Withdrawal Fee on Your IRA

Learn eight ways to avoid the early withdrawal fee on your individual retirement account (IRA) in this article from Investing for Beginners.

Import Genius - A Great New Tool for Investors and Business Owners

We discovered a great new tool called Import Genius that lets investors and business owners search the import export records of the United States using an online hosted database. Import Genius requires a twelve month subscription but offers tiered pricing with different features depending on the data level you need for import export records.