The collection
How the main types of investments work, from owning shares and lending money through bonds to pooled funds, and what drives the value of each one.
Stocks, Bonds and Funds
Single bonds have a maturity date and a face value repaid at maturity, while bond funds have no end date. Compare diversification, costs, liquidity and how each reacts when interest rates change.
Stocks, Bonds and Funds
A bond is a loan that pays fixed coupon interest until maturity. Learn how coupons, maturity dates and credit risk work, and why a bond's market price can change before it matures.
Stocks, Bonds and Funds
Dividends are payments a company makes to shareholders and part of a stock's total return. Learn how ex-dividend dates, yield and price changes work together, and why a high yield can be a warning.
Stocks, Bonds and Funds
Bond prices generally fall when market interest rates rise, because fixed payments look less attractive. See a worked example, what duration means and why longer bonds usually react more.
Stocks, Bonds and Funds
A share is a unit of ownership in a company. This explains how companies issue shares, what shareholders own and vote on, where returns come from and what is not guaranteed.
Stocks, Bonds and Funds
Index funds track a benchmark while actively managed funds try to beat one. Compare what each aims to do, how their costs differ, what research generally shows and how taxes come into it.
Stocks, Bonds and Funds
Share prices reflect expected earnings, interest rates, industry conditions and investor sentiment. This explains each driver and why short-term moves are so hard to predict.