A beginner's guide to online stock trading

Explore a step-by-step guide for getting started as a retail investor

Instead of purchasing individual stocks and bonds, new investors may want to start in funds that track an index—like the S&P 500—or that hold a group of themed stocks.

Charles Schwab kick-starts zero-commission era for retail investors

Throughout history, retail investing was often too expensive for many individuals. That’s because investors owed the cost of the trade as well as the commission and fees due to the broker. Charles Schwab revolutionized the retail investing landscape in 2019 when it announced it would slash all fees on stock trading. This quickly prompted other brokerages to follow suit. Read more in this article.

Key moments in fintech history include the transatlantic cable’s invention and E-Trade’s founding

Founded in 1982, E-Trade was the first-ever online brokerage, pioneering a method of investing that is common today. Its story is part of a timeline that the New York Times put together of key moments in early fintech history.

The best investing advice for new college grads

While new college graduates typically don't have much money to invest, creating a plan for the money they earn from their first job can set them up for a promising financial future. This list of investing advice for new grads includes recommendations like enrolling in their company's retirement plan as soon as possible, prioritizing building an emergency fund, and more. Read the full list here.

Use this day trading simulator to practice buying and selling stocks while leveraging real-time data and trading charts

Want to try day trading but don't want to risk losing cash? This simulator gives users access to "unlimited" fake money, as well as the option to convert their simulation accounts to the real deal later on.

Cryptocurrency wallets for beginners

Cryptocurrency wallets come in many types. Here, we present the details, comparing the wallets’ features so that you can choose the best crypto wallet for your needs.

Learn how to read a prospectus, the juicy document that any company must file with the SEC before going public.

A beginner's guide to creating your own NFT

It took 12 hours and three different Apple devices, but this 30-something poet successfully minted her first NFT, and so can you. Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating an NFT.

Addressing psychological barriers to building wealth

Almost half of adults in the US report owning no investable assets. For many, the barrier to entry is the belief that investing is too complex for them to get involved. Consulting with a financial psychologist, this article addresses the cognitive bias that causes so many people to miss out on financial opportunities, and offers tips on how to get past the anxieties and just begin.

40 key stock market terms, explained

Liquidity. Forex. Capitalization. Blue chip stocks. These are just a few pieces of stock market vocabulary most people who don't spend all day on a trading floor might not know. Thankfully, we found a fun infographic that makes it easier to learn what 40 key stock market terms mean and why each of them matters.

Investors need a 'margin account' to short sell stock

Margin accounts are leveraged accounts through brokerage firms that allow investors to make trades without the full amount of capital on hand. Similar to a secured loan, margin accounts often require some form of collateral and typically have a cap on how much investors can borrow. However, trading with a margin account is much riskier than a traditional investment account. Fees and charged interest are due on margin accounts, regardless of trade performance, meaning it's possible for investors to lose more money than just their initial investment.

Crypto exchanges are online platforms to buy, sell, and exchange cryptocurrencies

Crypto exchanges have grown alongside and fueled the boom in digital currencies. Popular exchanges like Coinbase, Kraken, and Binance each have separate features, fee structures, and more. You can learn how to begin with the platforms, how to carry out research, and when to be aware of the associated risks.

A guide to emotionally preparing to found a company

Founding a company comes with more than just logistical challenges—it's a daunting emotional task, too. In this article, a psychologist breaks down how first-time founders can prepare for the mental pressure of starting a company.

A beginner's guide to the books of John Steinbeck, one of America's great novelists.

Five steps to start your credit union journey

Once you’ve decided you want to start banking with a credit union, you’ll need to fill out an application. This will ensure that you meet all of the institution’s membership requirements. You’ll need to hand over basic information like your name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, and your driver’s license. This tutorial walks you through the process so that you can make your first deposit in no time.

A guide to the homebuying process

From searching for the home itself to writing an offer letter to closing on the home, there are specific steps involved in becoming a homeowner. This checklist from a Tennessee real estate broker provides a visual outlining the basic steps of the process.

What it's like to do your own taxes for the first time

Most Americans across the country have one thing in common: They hate doing their taxes. Many use an accountant or an online service like TurboTax to avoid doing taxes themselves. In this video, two journalists decide to do their taxes on their own for the first time.

Study up on capital gains basics

Common capital gains tax tips include making sure you have money set aside for your capital gains tax burden and considering making estimated payments throughout the year.

Steps for buying your first hearing aids

Hearing aids have advanced in aesthetics, simplicity, and cost in recent years, but acquiring them can be daunting for first-timers. Experts suggest finding a high-quality audiologist and knowing your rights with medical services. They also recommend buying them sooner rather than later, as hearing issues can compound and grow more costly over time.

While the first exchange-traded fund (a 'basket' of different assets that can be bought and sold on a stock exchange) in the US only launched in 1993, the global ETF market has grown to more than $10T in the short time since.

How fee-free Robinhood makes money

Robinhood is both loved and hated by retail investors. Although its mobile app is easy to use and transactions on its platform are fee-free, many individuals have taken issue with a controversial practice that drives 75% of its revenues. Robinhood uses payment for order flow, essentially taking payment from other brokerages to redirect users’ trades. Read up on how PFOF works here.

Seed funding is often the first round of capital that a startup raises

Early-stage startups often try to secure seed funding from investors in order to take their idea from concept to reality.

A guide to what you need to get started in VR

From Oculus Rift to Google Daydream, VR is getting plenty of hype. But what system should you buy? And what should you play?

What is a 401(k)?

Should you get a 401(k)? To make sense of this obscure piece of tax code, here’s a beginner’s guide to one of the more common forms of retirement savings in the US. Learn the history of the 401(k), how to sign up for one, the different types, and more in this well-organized and concise explainer from Investopedia.

The Reddit forum r/WallStreetBets is a place to discuss high-risk trading strategies

r/WallStreetBets is a forum (aka a “subreddit”) on the social media platform Reddit that was started in 2012. Later, r/WallStreetBets evolved into a place where unconventional investment approaches were not just tolerated, but planned and celebrated. It’s perhaps most famous for its role in the GameStop saga.

Many gig economy jobs are easy to sign up for, with a low barrier to entry

That doesn’t mean being a gig worker is an easy career, however. This article provides a framework for how to succeed in the gig economy, such as getting routines in place to streamline workflows, avoiding burnout, and creating a solid network.

Special-purpose acquisition companies let companies skirt the IPO process

A video explains how private companies have taken advantage of this loophole, why investing in these companies isn’t always a good idea, and how blank-check companies (as they’re commonly called) work.

The first steps to rebuilding your credit score include getting to know exactly what's on your credit report and figuring out how far you are from the '700 club,' or 'good score' range.

Warren Buffett's former professor Benjamin Graham is known as the 'father of value investing,' a strategy in which investors seek to buy stocks trading below their intrinsic worth.

Hedge funds, the private investment firms that trade a wide swath of financial assets, make money by imposing steep fees on investors and from the fund's investment performance.

Dozens of S&P 500 stocks, including Coca-Cola and Walmart—known as the dividend aristocrats—have increased dividends every year for 25 years

Play the role of a student in a game where you try to navigate college and remain debt-free, selecting different income levels, high school experience, race, ethnicity, and more.

This site reaches millions of visitors who are tired of AI chatbots and seeking human connection. Pretend to be an AI chatbot and ask questions, provide answers, and draw for people in real time.

Watch how algorithms can be designed to train themselves and self-improve without human input, to the point where the optimized code is too complex for programmers to understand.

Telehealth demand for GLP-1s for weight loss is booming as consumers seek easier access.

How Amazon operates a 'flywheel' business model, a self-reinforcing cycle that drives continuous growth

The first image of a black hole was captured by creating an Earth-sized virtual observatory from a network of eight radio telescopes.

Up to a million Girl Scouts sell about 200 million cookie boxes every spring, generating $800 million, largely because refusing a child is frowned upon

Art theft is the third-largest source of criminal revenues worldwide, thanks in part to the subjective nature of valuing a work of art.

Explore a list of the 100 best novels of all time, compiled by some of the world's best living writers, including Salman Rushdie, Stephen King, and Jennifer Egan.

See a ranking of the best (and worst) Federal Reserve Chairs since 1914 out of the 16 men and women who have held the office since.

Sears sold DIY house kits starting at $600 in its famous catalog from 1908 through the 1940s, resulting in roughly 10,000 'Sears and Roebuck houses' being built.

Animal phobias are likely the most common type of phobias, followed by an extreme fear of heights.

The price of gas is a composite made up of several different factors, with the federal gas tax making up less than 20% of what drivers pay at the pump.

See how each of the more than two million known species relates to each other—and to common ancestors—in this zoomable tree of life.

Memecoins are a type of cryptocurrency—a form of digital currency with a wide variety of uses—created around popular 'memes,' or viral internet jokes.

Long before Major League Baseball began allowing instant replay for balls and strikes, an umpire reluctantly used the technology to determine whether a hit was a home run, a move that inadvertently ushered in a new era for the sport.

After the Boston Tea Party, colonists switched to coffee, which became the main morning drink for revolutionaries.

Radioactive elements can introduce software errors because the ionizing radiation they produce can detach electrons from atoms, and computer code relies on the distribution of electrons.

The Beatles' US label rejected the band's first two singles, 'Please Please Me' and 'From Me to You,' with one executive calling the band 'dead in the water.'