Terms of Use Need some help finding the right path for your financial future? You've come to the right place. We've put together an itinerary that takes in all the basics for your journey to learn more about saving and investing. Traveling down the right road to achieving financial well-being is one of the most important trips that you'll ever make in life. Y ou don't have to be a genius to do it … and you don't have to be rich … you just need to hit the road   More...

Terms of Use The credit rating for a bond reflects the degree of risk associated with the bond issuer defaulting on the loan. There are several rating agencies that rate bond issuers. Credit ratings are based on in-depth analysis of the issuer's financial condition and management, economic and debt characteristics, and the specific revenue sources securing the bond. The highest ratings are AAA (S P and Fitch) and Aaa (Moody's). Bonds rated in the BBB category or higher are considered inv  More...

Terms of Use Determine Your Risk Tolerance This knowledge article is part of a series of knowledge articles aimed to help you define your roadmap to savings and investing. To review the previous knowledge article in this series, click here . To review the table of contents for the articles, click here . You are approaching the half-way point in your journey to saving and investing. This is a good point to make sure that you understand some key concepts: Savings Your savings are usually put i  More...

Terms of Use Define Your Goals This knowledge article is part of a series of knowledge articles aimed to help you define your roadmap to savings and investing. To review the table of contents for the articles, click here . What are the things you want to save and invest for … A home? A new car? Your education or that of a child? A comfortable retirement? The needs of your parents? All of these goals will cost money. To make sure that you will have enough money when you need it, follo  More...

Terms of Use Investors should always take the critical step of reading the financial statements of the companies they've invested in, or intend to invest in, because financial statements contain important corporate financial information that may not be readily apparent from news releases. Recently, some companies have put out press releases using so-called pro forma financial information to highlight what they claim are important portions of their actual financial reports. Investors should  More...

Terms of Use: Make A Financial Plan Figuring Out Your Finances This knowledge article is part of a series of knowledge articles aimed to help you define your roadmap to savings and investing. To review the previous knowledge article in this series, click here . To review the table of contents for the articles, click here . You can never take a journey without knowing where you're starting from, and a journey to financial security is no different. You'll need to figure out on paper your current s  More...

Terms of Use The three main categories of mutual funds are money market funds, bond funds, and stock funds. There are a variety of types within each category. Money Market Funds have relatively low risk compared to other mutual funds. They are limited by law to certain high-quality, short-term investments. Money market funds try to keep their value (NAV) at a stable $1.00 per share, but NAV may fall below $1.00 if their investments perform poorly. Investor losses have been rare, but they are  More...

Terms of Use: This knowledge article is part of a series of knowledge articles aimed to help you define your roadmap to savings and investing. To review the previous knowledge article in this series, click here . To review the table of contents for the articles, click here How To Pick A Financial Professional Are you the kind of person who can go solo on the journey of saving and investing? Do you have a firm command of your investment choices and how to go about making them? Maybe you&#  More...

Terms of Use There are several different types of bonds and bond issuers. Bonds can have fixed rates, variable rates and may be pre-paid by the bond issuer at any time. Some bonds even have fixed rates for a portion of their term and variable rates for another portion of the term. The particulars of how a bond functions are found in the bond's prospectus. When you buy a bond issued in US dollars, you are assuming two different types of risk. You are assuming the credit risk that the  More...

Terms of Use: This knowledge article is part of a series of knowledge articles aimed to help you define your roadmap to savings and investing. To review the previous knowledge article in this series, click here . To review the table of contents for the articles, click here . How To Avoid Problems Choosing someone to help you with your investments is one of the most important investment decisions you will ever make. While most investment professionals are honest and hardworking, you must watch ou  More...