Information Guides

These Information Guides are made possible by a grant from the FINRA Investor Education Foundation through Smart Investing @ your library®, a partnership with the American Library Association. The Information Guides plus Worksheets were prepared by Lightbulb Press for the FINRA Investor Education Foundation

Information Guides - Table of Contents / Módulos de Contenido

1 - Preparing to Invest / Preparándose para invertir   (More web and library resources)

  1. Introduction: Saving and Investing
  2. Create a Budget—and Pay Yourself
  3. Set Investment Goals
  4. Establish an Emergency Fund
  5. Choose Investments Wisely
  6. Practice Good Habits

2 - Key Investment Concepts / Conceptos clave para la inversión   (More web and library resources)

  1. Introduction
  2. Return and Rate of Return
  3. The Risk-Return Relationship
  4. Time and Your Portfolio
  5. Allocating Your Portfolio
  6. Diversifying Your Portfolio
  7. Rebalancing Your Portfolio
  8. Dollar Cost Averaging
  9. Investing Tax Strategies

3 - Bank Products  / Productos bancarios   (More web and library resources)

  1. Introduction
  2. Safety in Banking: FDIC Insurance
  3. Transaction Accounts
  4. Deposit Accounts
  5. International Remittances
  6. Beyond Banking

4 - US Treasury Securities  / Valores del Tesoro de los Estados Unidos   (More web and library resources)

  1. Treasury Debt
  2. Marketable Securities: Bills, Notes and Bonds
  3. Investment Risk
  4. Buying and Selling Treasuries
  5. Using Treasuries
  6. Nonmarketable Securities: Savings Bonds

5 - Common Types of Investments / Tipos comunes de inversiones   (More web and library resources) [quick definitions]

  1. Introduction
  2. Stock
  3. Bonds
  4. Mutual Funds
  5. Exchanged Traded Funds
  6. Real Estate Investment Trusts

6 - Retirement Savings Vehicles / Vehículos de ahorro para la jubilación   (More web and library resources)

  1. Introduction
  2. Individual Plans
  3. Employer-Sponsored Plans
  4. Small Business Plans　

7 - Choosing the Right Investments / Eligiendo las inversiones correctas   (More web and library resources)

  1. Introduction
  2. General Rules of Investing
  3. Planning for Your Financial Goals
  4. Investing for Short-Term Goals
  5. Investing for Medium-Term Goals
  6. Investing for Long-Term Goals
  7. Your Risk Tolerance
  8. Managing Your Portfolio
  9. Investing in Your Twenties
  10. Investing in Your Thirties and Forties
  11. Investing in Your Fifties
  12. Investing in Your Sixties and Beyond

8 - Managing Investment Risk / Manejando el riesgo de inversión   (More web and library resources)

  1. Introduction
  2. Why Take Risks?
  3. Types of Investment Risk
  4. Assessing Risk
  5. Investing to Minimize Risk
  6. Modern Portfolio Theory
  7. Risk Protection

9 - Evaluating Performance / Cómo evaluar el desempeño de sus inversiones   (More web and library resources)

  1. Introduction
  2. Yield
  3. Return
  4. Capital Gains and Losses
  5. Tracking Performance
  6. Reading Your Statement
  7. Using Research

10 - Investment Professionals / Expertos en inversiones   (More web and library resources)

  1. Introduction
  2. Types of Investment Professionals
  3. Choosing an Investment Professional
  4. Checking an Investment Professional’s Background
  5. Working with an Investment Professional
  6. Discretionary vs. Non-Discretionary Accounts

11 - Safeguarding Your Investments / Cómo proteger sus inversiones  (More web and library resources)

  1. Introduction
  2. Recordkeeping
  3. Protecting Your Investments
  4. Investor Rights and Protections
  5. Investment Scams
  6. Filing a Complaint

Worksheets:

More investment information resources

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