Funance

This week we take a look at: Indexes. When the markets go up or down-what are you really looking at? Indexes! Got it? So, what are they and why are the Dow-Jones and S&P 500 bad barometers of the markets? We’ll take a look.

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This week on Wall Street, the words of one politician sent the markets skyward, only to have another politician drag them back down. How politics gave the indexes a wild ride.

This week we take a look at: Interest Rates. These invisible hands create the tug of war in the markets. Who sets interest rates and why? How does that baseline affect you? Interest rates touch just about every part of the markets. Even as low as they are-any change can turn the direction of the market in a second.

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Speaking of interest rates, the markets are hanging on Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s every word. What word did he say this week? Because the markets took a tumble...

This week we take a look at: Dividends. There is a simple way to earn money without selling stocks: dividends. These quarterly paychecks are practically as old as the market itself. Sure, there's nothing sexy about slow growing income, but there is something safe about it. We'll explain what they are, how they work, and what role they play in a company and the stock market.

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For the second week in a row, value stocks trump growth stocks. While your Facebook and Google stocks took a hit-what went up and why?

This week we take a look at: Options. These creations of the late 70's market don't even have their own exchange. Options function like a side bet on the stock market. Somehow, this section of the market holds the attention of Wall Street. If you were following the "GameStop" stock rise-it was thanks in part to Options Trading. So listen up, learn about them. 

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This week in the markets: the Dow Industrial breaks back through the 30,000 point barrier again, but the NASDAQ tanks-what gives?

This week we take a look at bonds. How did these official "IOUs" become a tradeable asset? How do they work? How can you invest in them? What makes a bond more attractive than a stock? Learn something.

Plus, the DOW tanks-what is behind the rough week on Wall Street?

This week we look at a creation of the modern market: the fund. Whether it's a mutual fund or an index fund-you're probably invested in one and don't even know it. They are the back bone of retirement plans and one of the easiest ways to diversify your portfolio. It helps to understand them.

Plus--the markets have a roller coaster week as two things come into play: interest rates and earnings reports. 

This week we take on your retirement: The 401(k)! You get one through your employer, but what is it? How does it work? Why did we ever give up on pensions?! 

This week we take on the most basic of Wall Street questions: What is a stock? Do you actually know what it represents? What are the signs of a healthy stock? Why are stocks still valuable in this byzantine trading world? We also look at why Wall Street is showing signs of optimism in the middle of the pandemic. Spoiler alert-it's not because of vaccines.