Investing News

For investors with limited time to spend watching the ups and downs of the markets, mutual funds offer a good alternative. Here are a few reasons to give up individual stock picking and turn to mutual funds. Diversification One golden rule of investing for both large and small investors is to go for asset diversification.

The correlation coefficient has limited ability in predicting returns in the stock market for individual stocks. Still, the statistical measurement may have value in predicting the extent to which two stocks move in relation to each other because the correlation coefficient is a measure of the relationship between how two stocks move in tandem with

What Is the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX)? The CBOE Options Exchange calculates a real-time index to show the expected level of price fluctuation in the S&P 500 Index options over the next 12 months. Officially called the CBOE Volatility Index and listed under the ticker symbol VIX, investors and analysts sometimes refer to it by

Revocable Trust vs. Irrevocable Trust: An Overview A revocable trust and living trust are separate terms that describe the same thing: a trust in which the terms can be changed at any time. An irrevocable trust describes a trust that cannot be modified after it is created without the beneficiaries’ consent. A trust is a

If you have some spare cash to save or invest, there are many options open to you. Two of these are a certificate of deposit (CD) or investing in an exchange-traded fund (ETF). At first glance, both investments appear to offer similar advantages to investors—both are often presented as relatively low-risk ways of putting money

Value at Risk (VaR) has been called the “new science of risk management,” and is a statistic that is used to predict the greatest possible losses over a specific time frame. Commonly used by financial firms and commercial banks in investment analysis, VaR can determine the extent and probabilities of potential losses in portfolios. Risk

Despite appearances, we are running out of sand. While that might seem farfetched – sand is seemingly everywhere – there is not only a thriving international trade in the commodity, but it’s the second-most heavily exploited natural resource after water and, by volume, the most heavily extracted solid material in the world. Like any commodity, sand

So you’re a little low on your retirement savings? A lot of people have the same problem. In fact, one in four Americans don’t save any of their income for retirement, according to the 2021 Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households report from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. If you’re in that

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) signed by President Biden on Nov. 15, 2021, retroactively eliminated the ability of most employers to claim an Employee Retention Credit (ERC) for wages paid after Sept. 30, 2021. That meant that the maximum ERC per employee for most employers was $21,000, not $28,000, for the tax year

The financial sector is rapidly changing in many ways. But what does the future hold from here? Although it is impossible to say for certain, several recent trends have quickly gained traction in the marketplace and are likely to play themselves out within the next decade. Financial advisors need to get ready for them now.

Among the middlemen tasked with making today’s healthcare efficient and cost-effective is UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH), the largest healthcare company in the United States and Canada by revenue. UnitedHealth Group generates revenue from a variety of sources, including premiums on risk-based products, fees from various services, sales on healthcare products, and services and investment. UnitedHealth Group began

Large companies flush with cash have been repurchasing stock shares to boost share prices and provide shareholder value over the last few decades. Some investors view repurchases as a bad practice, while others view it as good for both the company and investors. But which is it? As it turns out, stock buybacks have advantages and

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler has again called for cryptocurrencies to be classified as securities and urged crypto companies to register with the agency. In an event organized by the Practising Law Institute on Sept. 8, he said the crypto industry doesn’t need new guidelines and that the SEC’s existing rules apply to

The Governing Council of the European Central Bank (ECB) voted to raise three key interest rates by 75 basis points (bp) each on Sept. 8, 2022, to take effect on Sept. 14. The goal is to bring annual inflation back down to the ECB’s medium-term target of 2%. The ECB’s Governing Council indicates that, during

Investing in real estate is nothing like investing in stocks and bonds. With the latter two, depending on the type of investment, you may be able to dive right in with perhaps as little as $100. You can exit whenever you wish. It’s not that easy when you’re dealing with real estate. In fact, real

Many financial advisors get paid a base salary plus any performance-based bonuses they may have earned that year. However, it really depends on whether the financial advisor is employed by a large company or is a self-employed registered investment advisor (RIA). Salary As of May 2021, the median annual salary for financial advisors was $119,960, according

Welcome to the Green Investor, powered by Investopedia. I’m Caleb Silver, the Editor-in-Chief of Investopedia, and your guide and fellow traveler on our journey into what it means to be a green investor today, and where this investing theme is headed in the future. On the show this week, an energy crisis is gripping Europe

As of September 8, 2022, Investopedia’s mortgage lender survey reported that mortgage rates were 6.31% for a 30-year fixed, 5.54% for a 15-year fixed, and 6.05% for the first five years on a 5/6 adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM). These are national averages; mortgage rates vary by location and are highly dependent on your credit score. So

As Ethereum is set to execute ‘The Merge’ between September 10 and 20, major crypto exchanges have begun to offer users the ability to stake their Ether. Binance, Coinbase, and Kraken have all announced Ether staking services, offering incentives to attract users to the service. After ‘The Merge,’ the Ethereum blockchain network will go from

Most taxpayers either hope to pay as little income tax as is legally possible or try to receive the most money back as a refund after filing their income tax return. However, when tax season comes around, some taxpayers have not researched how they can minimize their income taxes. It’s possible that they may end up paying