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When a bond is secured, it means it's protected, i.e. there are assets that would be forfeited if repayment is not made. When it's unsecured... it'...

What are Angel Investors and Seed Funds? Angel investors provide the funds for small start-ups. They are usually family and friends (not institutio...

The Investment Company Act of 1940 regulated and ensured fair dealings in the mutual fund industry.

How are risk and reward related? Take more risk, expect more reward. A lottery ticket might be worth a billion dollars, but if the odds are one in...

What is Counterparty Risk? Counterparty risk is the risk to either party within a transaction that the other will not or be unable to abide by the...

What is the Dow Jones Industrial Average? The Dow Jones Industrial Average is usually just called the Dow. It’s an average of 30 of the most well...

What do you need to retire? Retirement - think: 401k, pension fund, IRA, roth IRA, etc. All of these savings socked away while you worked hard are...

The Wilshire 5000 is an index fund, which is kind of a bummer...it sounded like a cool financial robot.

What are securities? Using the word securities is just a fancy way to say investments, for the most part. These particular investments include stoc...

What is Contingent Liability? Contingent liability refers to a possible liability in the future contingent upon some other event being the trigger....

Power of attorney refers to the authorization to conduct business on legal and financial matters on behalf of another party. So...choose wisely.

What are T-Notes, T-Bonds, and TIPS? T-Notes are debt securities (like bonds) that are issued by the government and mature within one to 10 years....

Are monopolies evil? Should they be regulated? Should they be illegal? Monopolies in and of themselves, are neither good nor evil. How they conduct...

What is liquidity? Think: water. It's liquid. It can be squeezed into little, tiny spaces and infused into large spaces. A defining trait of liquid...

What's a yankee bond, and does it stick a feather in its cap and call it macaroni?

What is a Country Basket (Index Fund)? Investing internationally can be a challenge, as foreign exchange, different accounting rules, time zones an...

What are the differences in S&P’s and Moody’s ratings? Both S&P and Moody’s give ratings that help investors determine if they are making sma...

What is AMBAC? AMBAC stands for American Municipal Bond Assurance Corporation. It provides insurance for municipalities that sell muni bonds, such...

A trust deed lays out the rights and obligations of the bank underwriting the purchase of inventory/assets. That said, it won't catch you in a trus...

Market manipulation is manipulation of the, uh... market. Like...illegally. Yeah, any sort of "scheme" is probably something you want to avoid.