Investment | United Financial Center

Investing should be easy – just buy low and sell high – but most of us have trouble following that simple advice. There are principles and strategies that may enable you to put together an investment portfolio that reflects your risk tolerance, time horizon, and goals. Understanding these principles and strategies can help you avoid some of the pitfalls that snare some investors.

The Cycle of Investing

Understanding the cycle of investing may help you avoid easy pitfalls.

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What Smart Investors Know

Savvy investors take the time to separate emotion from fact.

Asset Allocation

Consider how your assets are allocated and if that allocation is consistent with your time frame and risk tolerance.

What Can a Million Dollars Buy You?

$1 million in a diversified portfolio could help finance part of your retirement.

Inflation and the Real Rate of Return

Learn about the role of inflation when considering your portfolio’s rate of return with this helpful article.

It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times

Learn about key investment principles that will help you navigate the unpredictability of the financial markets.

Separating the Signal From the Noise

A good professional provides important guidance and insight through the years.

A Primer on Dividends

A company's profits can be reinvested or paid out to the company’s shareholders as “dividends."

Value vs. Growth Investing

Among stock-market investors there’s long been a debate between those who favor value and those who favor growth.

What It Takes to Become an Accredited Investor

What does it take to be an accredited investor? Explore the details, & the types of investments offered to those who qualify.

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Contributing to an IRA?

Determine if you are eligible to contribute to a traditional or Roth IRA.

What Is My Risk Tolerance?

This questionnaire will help determine your tolerance for investment risk.

Impact of Taxes and Inflation

Estimate the potential impact taxes and inflation can have on the purchasing power of an investment.

Saving for College

This calculator can help you estimate how much you should be saving for college.

What Is the Dividend Yield?

This calculator helps determine your pre-tax and after-tax dividend yield on a particular stock.

How Compound Interest Works

Use this calculator to better see the potential impact of compound interest on an asset.

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Behavioral Finance

An amusing and whimsical look at behavioral finance best practices for investors.

Where Is the Market Headed?

We all know the stock market can be unpredictable. We all want to know, “What’s next for the financial markets?”

It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times

All about how missing the best market days (or the worst!) might affect your portfolio.

Bursting the Bubble

Tulips were the first, but they won’t be the last. What forms a “bubble” and what causes them to burst?

The Real Cost of a Vacation Home

What if instead of buying that vacation home, you invested the money?

Global and International Funds

Investors seeking world investments can choose between global and international funds. What's the difference?