Learn to invest

Plain guides for new investors, and research from regulators, index providers and research firms for experienced ones.

From Harust

What a brokerage account is, how buying a fund works on a phone, which apps people use, and the path from signup to a filled order.

You don’t own the companies directly, and that is mostly a good thing. A plain walk through where your money goes.

Most of what your portfolio does comes down to how it is split between these three. What each one is good at, and what it costs you.

Fund fees come out quietly, as a small percentage. How to find them, what they add up to, and the other costs worth checking.

Choosing a fund is the easy part. These questions decide whether investing will actually work for you.

These open on the publisher’s site.

The US regulator’s plain explanation of how ETFs and mutual funds differ: how you buy them, what they cost and how they are taxed.

Why your split between stocks, bonds and cash matters, and why it should follow your time horizon and how much risk you can live with.

How small yearly fees reduce what your portfolio earns over time, and which costs to look for.

How to compare funds on fees and discounts before you buy, using FINRA’s free comparison tool.

Four principles for long-term investors: clear goals, a balanced mix, low costs and the discipline to stick with a plan.

The standard scorecard of how many actively managed European funds beat their index, by category and time period.

Why investors often earn less than the funds they own, mostly because of when they buy and sell. Short video with a written summary.

A European guide to choosing between ETFs that pay out income and ETFs that reinvest it for you.