Investing for Beginners

If a stock makes you a part-owner of a company, a bond makes you a lender. You hand over money for a set period, the borrower pays you interest along the…

“Buy stocks” is some of the most common financial advice out there, but a lot of people start investing without ever getting a clear, plain-language…

Mutual funds are one of the oldest and most widely used ways ordinary people invest, often showing up as the default option inside a 401(k) or the first…

ETF is one of the most common acronyms in investing, and you’ve likely seen it recommended right alongside index funds as a simple way to start building a…

Index funds are one of the most commonly recommended starting points for new investors, and for good reason — they’re simple, low-cost, and don’t require…

Annuities get pitched hard by financial salespeople and criticized just as loudly by financial commentators, which leaves most people confused about what…

If you’ve ever opened your 401(k) and seen a fund named something like “2060 Retirement Fund,” you’ve already met a target-date fund — probably without…

If your employer’s enrollment portal shows both a “401(k)” and a “Roth 401(k)” option and you picked one without really knowing the difference, you’re not…

If you work for a small business or run one yourself, you may have come across the SIMPLE IRA as a retirement option instead of the more commonly discussed…

If you work for a public school, hospital, church, or another nonprofit organization, chances are your employer offers a 403(b) instead of a 401(k) — and if…