Kevin Johnston

A Certificate of Deposit or CD allows you to deposit money for a fixed period of time in return for a higher interest rate than you’ll get from a regular savings account. A CD ladder allows you to gain that higher interest rate without the risk of…

Robo-advisors provide professional investment advice at a fraction of the cost of a traditional investment manager. They have become a popular option for many non-professional investors. Betterment and Wealthfront are two of the most prominent…

Knowing the difference between stock options and ESOPs will help you evaluate them and decide what they are really worth as part of your compensation package. How Do Stock Options Work? Stock options are routinely used to attract potential employees…

Many companies allow their employees to own stock in the company. They do this to give employees an incentive to perform well and to offer a more attractive pay package without having to put up more cash. Stock options are one popular way for…

The Eurozone debt crisis of 2008 to 2012 still affects the European Union today and had implications for the world economy as well. A closer look at the crisis offers insights into ways to prevent the crisis that is currently looming. What Is the…

Stock compensation is a non-monetary payment to employees, providing them with shares or giving them the opportunity to buy shares as part of their compensation. Many public companies and some private companies offer this benefit. Stock compensation…

Most beginning investors have heard this common advice: just buy an index fund. It’s not necessarily bad advice, especially for beginning investors who don’t feel confident assembling a portfolio. If you’re looking at the investment options in a…

If you’re starting out with investing or selecting investments for your IRA or 401(k), you’ve probably looked at a number of fund options. You’ve probably also come up against a basic distinction: ETFs vs mutual funds. The terminology can be…

When teens get all their money from parents, they may not understand the balance of income and expenses that goes into a budget. However, as they get older, they have to make spending and saving decisions. An early start on that part of their education can prevent many financial problems in their young adulthood and ...

Interest rates have been so low for so long that many people take them for granted. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has promised to keep rates low through 2014, but after that, rates could begin to rise. This will make for some interesting changes in how banks do business and how much profit they can expect. Low ...

No one can blame you for seeking certainty for your investments in a murky financial environment -- you need some return on your money. Get both safety and yield by investing in money market funds or fixed-income funds. "Fixed income" is investor lingo for bonds. Money market funds invest in ...

When you open an investment account with a broker, you actually get two accounts. Your portfolio holds stocks, bonds and other equity investments, while your cash management account holds cash. The two accounts are connected so that when you buy…

You may have heard that “we are in a bear market.” It is essential to know what that means and understand the implications for your investments. Should you just hang on? How to invest during a bear market? Are there moves you should be making? What…

The “S&P 500” or “SPX” is to Standard & Poor’s index of the stocks of the 500 largest corporations in the United States. These 500 stocks serve as a barometer of how the stock market is doing. There are indexes that track all kinds of stocks, from…

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Reading Time: 4 minutes Investing in commodities can seem a bit exotic to the average trader. But it is easy to get into it and learn to trade profitably. Commodities can be a good way to invest in something besides stocks, bonds, and real estate.…

Reading Time: 5 minutes An ETF portfolio is easy to understand once you understand the idea of pooling stocks. A single ETF is a group of stocks gathered together in a single investment. For example, the ETF known as SPY contains all the stocks of…

Reading Time: 4 minutes Investors increasingly demand that their investments go to companies that demonstrate ethical behavior while contributing to the well-being of society and the planet. The term “responsible investing” has become a catch-all…

The days of managing people with severe threats and hard-nosed orders are gone. These tactics may make a leader look “strong,” but today’s managers are more interested in being effective. Those practicing modern leadership realize that helping…

If you think you may have a tax refund coming, you can take steps to increase it by investing it. By choosing an investment vehicle for the money, and opening an account now, you can turn your tax refund into a wealth-boosting asset. Add to or Start…