Investment Choices
Building your portfolio shouldn't be like ordering off the kids' menu. You want choices. You want opportunity. You want to explore. Well, that all starts here-with our full range of investment choices.
Building your portfolio shouldn't be like ordering off the kids' menu. You want choices. You want opportunity. You want to explore. Well, that all starts here-with our full range of investment choices.
Stocks are purchased in "shares." Each share is a small piece of the company, which makes you a part owner. Share prices are constantly going up and down, so stocks can be traded throughout the day.
Options give you the right to buy or sell a stock at a set price, on or before an expiration date. The two most common are "puts" where the owner believes the stock's price will fall, and "calls" where the owner believes the stock's ...
Futures let you lock in a price today for a security you would like to buy or sell on or before a set date in the future. Because futures contracts are less expensive than the underlying investment, you can buy or sell more with less upfront cost.
ETFs-or exchange-traded funds-are diversified "baskets" of investments that you can buy for one set price. ETF prices go up and down all day, so ETFs can be traded similar to stocks.
Mutual funds are "baskets" of stocks and bonds that can be purchased for one set price, known as the net asset value. Unlike ETFs, whose prices go up and down throughout the day, mutual fund prices only change once, .
Think of bonds and CDs as loans you provide to an institution, such as the U.S. Treasury, a corporation, or a state or local government. They are designed to pay you interest, and return your initial investment 100% by their date of maturity.