This video describes what brokerage accounts are and the criteria to consider when selecting one. What Should You Do Next? A successful investment portfolio will have multiple return drivers. That means it will have a variety of asset categories whose returns will differ from one another as the factors that determine their long-term returns differ. Now that you understand different investment vehicles, the next step is to learn about asset classes you can add to your investment … [Read more...]

This lesson describes what bonds are, how to analyze them, and how to use them in your portfolio. Topics include: Additional Resources The lesson briefly mentions inflation. For a more extensive discussion on inflation, please see this complete guide on inflation. For more information on bond investing, check out Episode 418: Bond Investing Masterclass How to Invest in Bonds Module You can find the older how to invest in bonds module and lessons … [Read more...]

This video lesson covers the pros and cons of open-end and closed-end mutual funds and how to use them in your portfolio. This guide provides additional information on how to invest in closed-end funds Transcript Download the transcript This lesson is on mutual funds. A mutual fund is a registered, co-mingled vehicle led by a professional portfolio management team that selects the underlying holdings. Mutual funds are indirect public investment vehicles. There’s a professional … [Read more...]

This lesson covers the pros and cons of ETFs and how to use them in your portfolio. Transcript Download the transcript This video lesson provides an overview of exchange-traded funds, what are the pros and cons, and how to use them in your portfolio. Exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, are marketable securities that trade on an exchange and seek to track a specific index or a segment of the capital markets, such as large company stocks, bonds, or real estate investment … [Read more...]

This lesson covers the types of investment vehicles, how they should be evaluated, and how to think about investment vehicles when structuring your investment portfolio.  Transcript Download the transcript This video is on investment vehicles. The types of vehicles, how we evaluate them, and how to consider them when structuring your investment portfolio. Here's a broad overview of the types of investment vehicles.  There's direct investment vehicles, where you hold the … [Read more...]

This lesson provides an overview of what stocks are, what determines their returns, and how to use them in your portfolio. Topics covered include: Common stock return driversIntrinsic valueIndividual stocks versus ETFs and mutual fundsFactor investing and smart betaStock riskHome country biasActive versus passive Smart Beta and Factor Investing If you would like to learn more about factor investing and smart beta strategies, here is an older course that covers those … [Read more...]

This lesson describes the characteristics of inflation-indexed bonds. This guide gives you more detailed information on investing in TIPS and Series I Savings bonds. … [Read more...]

There are two versions of the Money for the Rest of Us Plus Retirement Spending Calculator. The online version can be found here. This version has a larger graph and the output can be saved as a PDF. The Retirement Spending Calculator can also be downloaded as a spreadsheet. Click Here To Download the Retirement Spending Spreadsheet … [Read more...]

This lesson discusses the steps to selecting a new portfolio mix and transition an existing portfolio to the new allocation. Topics covered include: Transcript Download the transcript This video is on how to implement a new portfolio structure. There are four portfolio implementation steps.  The first is to categorize your existing portfolio, both by account type, as well as by asset category. The second step is to select a new target allocation. Third, determine the … [Read more...]