Year: 2014

What Are Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs)?

What are Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs)? This summary discusses only Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) that are registered as open-end investment companies or unit investment trusts under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”).  It does not address other types of exchange-traded products that are not registered under the 1940 Act, such as exchange-traded commodity funds or exchange-traded […]
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What are Real Estate Investment Trusts? (REITs)

What are Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)? Real estate investment trusts (REITs) allow individuals to invest in large-scale, income-producing real estate. A REIT is a company that owns and typically operates income-producing real estate or related assets. These may include office buildings, shopping malls, apartments, hotels, resorts, self-storage facilities, warehouses, and mortgages or loans. Unlike other […]
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What Are Money Market Funds?

Money market funds are a type of mutual fund developed in the 1970s as an option for investors to purchase a pool of securities that generally provided higher returns than interest-bearing bank accounts. They have since grown significantly and currently hold more than $2.9 trillion in assets, the majority of which is in institutional funds. […]
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What Are Mutual Funds?

A mutual fund is a company that pools money from many investors and invests the money in securities such as stocks, bonds, and short-term debt. The combined holdings of the mutual fund are known as its portfolio. Investors buy shares in mutual funds. Each share represents an investor’s part ownership in the fund and the […]
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What Are Stocks?

What are stocks? Stocks are a type of security that gives stockholders a share of ownership in a company. Stocks also are called “equities.” Why do people buy stocks? Investors buy stocks for various reasons. Here are some of them: Capital appreciation, which occurs when a stock rises in price Dividend payments, which come when […]
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Need a Business Idea? 55 that are Less Than $5,000

In  addition to some of the business ideas I have added, this article has been excerpted from 55 Surefire Home Based Businesses You Can Start for Under $5,000 by Entrepreneur Press & Cheryl Kimball. Today, tens of thousands of people are considering starting a side or home-based business. In the past, people would stick with one job […]
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How to Make More Money

How to Make More Money in 2015

Every year you should take the opportunity to reevaluate your investment accounts and strategy. Many people make the mistake of thinking they need a large sum of money in order to start investing. The most important thing however is to invest consistently regardless of the amount. Tony Robbins in an interview with Warren Buffett asked what […]
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Social Security

Retirement Planner: Full Retirement Age

Full retirement age is the age at which a person may first become entitled to full or unreduced retirement benefits. If your full retirement age is older than 65 (that is, you were born after 1937), you still will be able to take your benefits at age 62, but the reduction in your benefit amount will be […]
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