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How Emotional Investing Decisions Are Costing You a Fortune

According to one old adage, making money in stocks is simple: Just buy low and sell high. Unfortunately, most people do the exact opposite -- buy high and sell low -- and pay dearly for it. Here's why we do that, and how you can avoid making those mistakes in the future.

Her Financial Goal: Get a Handle on Retirement Planning

Everyone has things they want to improve about their financial lives -- and we in the AOL newsroom are no exceptions. So we asked money expert Jean Chatzky for advice on how to reach our goals. Today: A music editor who wants to understand more about her 401(k).

Gay Marriage, Good Business: A Financial Argument for Equality

Arguments in favor of gay marriage are typically centered on ideas of justice. But there's also a strong financial case to be made for giving gay and lesbian couples marriage equality, and that case is winning support from major business leaders.

The Dangerous Problem Behind ETFs' Big Asset Surge

Thanks to their lower fees, most ETFs do better for investors than similar mutual funds, and investors have noticed: They poured $154 billion into ETFs in 2012, while yanking more than $119 billion out of stock mutual funds. Just one problem: Most of that money went into the wrong kind of ETFs.

529 College Savings Plans: The Good, the Bad and the Unranked

Morningstar has published its annual analysis of America's best and worst 529 college savings plans, and while there are good options out there, a lot depends on where you live. If you have kids -- and higher-education-related hopes for them -- here's what you need to know.

Cramer Explains: The 3 Troubles With Target-Date Funds

Target-date funds are probably better than defaulting to a money market fund or throwing darts to pick your 401(k) options. But like any heavily hyped investment, these things are flawed. Extremely flawed. Let me count the ways:

529 College Savings Plans: What You Need to Know

What might be the most accessible and simplest way to save for college -- a 529 savings plan -- is also one of the most widely misunderstood financial tools among consumers. Let us clear up some of that confusion.

Morningstar Breaks Its Own Rules on Splitting the Top Jobs

Investment research firm Morningstar is steadfast in its view that the chairman who oversees a CEO shouldn't also be the CEO: Separation of the roles is a key point on its corporate governance checklist ... except when it comes to its own founder, Joe Mansueto.

Follow the Female Leaders to Faster Portfolio Growth

Executives ask themselves daily: "What can I do to give my company an edge?" Studies show that the answer may be as simple as hiring more women for executive and board of director roles. So you just might want to invest in these six companies that have done just that.

Investing on the Go: There's a Host of Apps for That

There are mobile apps to help us with just about every chore, and investing is no exception. Whether you want to track a basic portfolio or delve into corporate reports and balance sheets, options are available.

10 Firms in the 'Ultimate Stock Pickers' Portfolio

There's a lot of overlap among the holdings of Morningstar's 26 highly rated funds, and these 10 stocks top the list. So if you want to follow the pros, consider these -- all of them mega-cap stocks and ultra-conservative buys.

The S&P 500's 10 Best Performers of 2012 (So Far)

The S&P 500 gained 4.4% in January, the biggest increase for that month in 15 years. But the 10 best performers in the index had share gains for the month from 27% to a whopping 77%. Which are these rising stars -- and which might have more room to rise? Read on:

Five Reasons I Hate Target Date Funds

A tsunami of money -- $2 trillion within the next decade -- is flowing into target date funds, a type of retirement account that's supposed to make investing for our post-work years simple. But the way those funds are run isn't always in our best interest. Laura Rowley explains.