Investing Basics

Start your investing journey with index funds, understand asset allocation, and grow your wealth.

12 Lessons

6 Tools

8 Key Concepts

Key Concepts

investing

Putting money into assets (stocks, bonds, real estate) with the goal of growing your wealth over time.

stocks

Ownership shares in a company. When the company does well, your shares become more valuable.

bonds

Loans you make to companies or governments. They pay you back with interest. Generally safer but lower returns than stocks.

ETF

Exchange-Traded Fund - a basket of investments you can buy like a single stock. Offers diversification at low cost.

index fund

A fund that tracks a market index like the S&P 500. Low fees because it doesn't need active management.

diversification

Spreading investments across different assets to reduce risk. Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

asset allocation

How you divide your investments among stocks, bonds, and cash. The most important factor in determining your returns and risk.

compound interest

Interest calculated on both the initial amount AND previously earned interest. This is how money grows exponentially over time.

Lessons

View all

Investing 101: Making Your Money Work for You

Foundations5 min

Compound Interest: How Money Grows Exponentially

Foundations4 min

ETFs Explained: The Modern Way to Invest

Building6 min

IRA Basics: Your Personal Retirement Account

Foundations5 min

401(k) Basics: Don't Leave Free Money on the Table

Foundations5 min

Index Funds: The Simple Path to Investing

Foundations5 min

Asset Allocation: Balancing Risk and Reward

Building6 min

Roth vs. Traditional: Which Is Right for You?

Building7 min

Dividend Investing: Building Passive Income

Building6 min

The Backdoor Roth IRA: A High Earner's Secret

Wealth7 min

Tax-Loss Harvesting: Turn Losses Into Tax Savings

Wealth6 min

Portfolio Rebalancing: Maintaining Your Strategy

Wealth5 min

Related Tools

View all

Compound Interest Visualizer

Building

See the power of compound growth

Investment Simulator

Building

Practice investing with paper trading

Asset Allocation Helper

Building

Age-appropriate investment mix

Portfolio Tracker

Building

Track holdings with real-time prices and gain/loss

Stock Screener

Building

Filter stocks by sector, market cap, P/E ratio, and dividend yield

Portfolio Analyzer

Wealth

Analyze allocation, exposure, and risk

Explore More Topics

All topics

Retirement Planning

Taxes

Credit & Debt

Budgeting & Saving