Pop quiz: If someone wanted to charge you $600 for something you could get for $10 elsewhere, who would you buy it from? Sounds like a no-brainer. But when people buy mutual funds, they often end up paying the $600 price instead of the $10 one.
It's going to be another interesting holiday shopping season as retailers jockey for position for the seasonal spending sprees. Where will buyers go? What will they buy? Let me go out on a limb and predict a few things.
Talk about volatility: Since Oct. 1, there has been only one trading day where the market hasn't swung by at least 1% between its low and high points. This sort of market leads many investors to make big mistakes, but we have some time-tested tactics that will help you avoid the pitfalls.
Despite how difficult and intimidating professional money managers and Wall Street talking heads make it seem, math for investing is material that most 10-year-olds have learned upon graduating fifth grade. Let's consider two key metrics that you'll want to consider before buying shares of any company.
A marvel of natural talent and technical training; impressive in its achievements, seemingly well-suited for its tasks, but nonetheless prone to embarrassing stunts with disconcerting frequency. Here are some notable ways our brains can trip us up, with respect to investing. Learn to avoid the hazards -- unlike Tiger.
There are now tens of millions of fantasy football players, hoping that dissecting the latest details on Peyton Manning's neck or the quarterback situation in Jacksonville will give them an edge over other friends in their leagues. Sounds a lot like investing, doesn't it?
It you're feeling sick to your stomach, you're not alone. The stock-market roller coaster of the last couple of weeks -- culminating with Thursday's 500-point plunge on the Dow -- has been enough to make even the most stoic investors sweat. But here's how you can turn uncertainty into opportunity.
Legendary investor Peter Lynch espoused the philosophy "Buy what you know." Well, who doesn't know restaurants? We know where the crowds are, and we know what we like to eat. Here are five chains that managed to grow during the market lull, positioning themselves perfectly for the future.
America's urban schools don't do nearly enough to teach kids about personal finance and investing, and the effects permeate through America's minority communities. The ING-Girls Inc. Investment Challenge changing that, one virtual portfolio and one girl at a time.
Investing is prone to manias and panics. Investors get excited as prices rise, and end up buying today what they should have bought years ago. The recent commodities sell-off reminded me of the rule I follow for commodities investing. Had you followed it, you'd have saved loads of money in 2008 and 2009 and made tons recently.
Market turbulence and economic uncertainty create fear and anxiety among investors. Unfortunately, many turn to advice freely dispensed by self-styled investment gurus -- who claim they can predict the direction of the markets or pick outperforming stocks.
Mergers and acquisitions are becoming ever more popular, with activity up 24% in the first two months of this year -- after already growing 23% in 2010. Here's how your portfolio can benefit from this trend.
Some investors have been running scared after the quake and tsunami that devastated parts of Japan and left it with an ongoing nuclear crisis. But when there's gloom in the air, there's also opportunity to buy on the dip and gain from the rebound.
Skyrocketing prices don't have to bring only pain. Investors can also find some relief with investments that can benefit from oil's recent -- and likely future -- increases. Here are some ETFs and mutual funds worth considering, based on performance, risk and cost.
He may be one of America's richest men, but should small investors try to do what Berkshire Hathaway's legendary CEO does? Some analysts say no: The "Warren Buffett way" often doesn't translate to what's best for individuals, especially today.