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Investing basics

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Investing basics

Learn more about investing so you can make choices that are really
right for you.

Estimating your investment return

Saving for a child’s education? Take these three steps.

Learn more about stock market investments

Smart investors do their homework. This is a great place to learn more about investing so you can make choices that are really right for you.

How do I decide what investments to make?

Chapter 1:
What are the five basic steps in investing?
Chapter 2:
What kind of investor am I?
Chapter 3:
How do I build an investment portfolio?
Chapter 4:
How do I choose investments for my portfolio?
Chapter 5:
What mix of investments is right for me at my stage in life?

How much can I make investing?

Chapter 1:
What are three ways to make my money grow?
Chapter 2:
How much interest will I make investing?
Chapter 3:
How much will I make investing in stocks or mutual funds?
Chapter 4:
What can past results tell me about the future?
Chapter 5:
How will my asset mix affect my results over time?

What do I need to understand about interest and return on investment?

Chapter 1:
What are the top investing mistakes to avoid?
Chapter 2:
What is return on investment?
Chapter 3:
Which investments guarantee what I will make?
Chapter 4:
How does compounding make my money grow faster?
Chapter 5:
How do costs and taxes affect what I make when I invest?

How do I get a steady stream of income from my savings and investments?

Chapter 1:
How do I invest for income?
Chapter 2:
What low-risk investments will give me steady income?
Chapter 3:
What investments will give me both income and growth?

What does it cost to buy & sell investments?

Chapter 1:
What are some common costs when investing?
Chapter 2:
What are some unexpected costs when investing?
Chapter 3:
How do costs affect whether I should keep or sell an investment?
Chapter 4:
What taxes will I pay when I invest?
Chapter 5:
Are there ways to reduce or defer taxes when I invest?
Chapter 6:
What are some tax-sheltered investment plans?

How can I borrow money to invest?

Chapter 1:
What are the dangers of borrowing to invest?
Chapter 2:
Should I borrow money to buy investments?
Chapter 3:
What are the real costs of borrowing to invest?
Chapter 4:
Should I borrow money to buy a business or real estate?
Chapter 5:
How does buying on margin work?
Chapter 6:
How does short selling work?

How do I watch my investments?

Chapter 1:
Why do I need to watch my investments?
Chapter 2:
How can I find out how my investments are doing?
Chapter 3:
When should I sell or change my investments?
Chapter 4:
How can I judge how well my investments are performing?

How do I follow the stock market?

Chapter 1:
Where can I find information about how my stocks are doing?
Chapter 2:
What does a newspaper stock table tell me?
Chapter 3:
Where can I learn more about stock market investments?
Chapter 4:
What advanced stock market terms might I read about?

How can I become financially literate?

Chapter 1:
Pass or fail: how smart are you about money?
Chapter 2:
What is financial literacy?
Chapter 3:
Why is financial literacy so important for Canadians?
Chapter 4:
What can you do to improve your financial literacy?

How do I learn more about investing?

Chapter 1:
Where can I learn more about personal finance on the Internet?
Chapter 2:
Can I trust the information on a company's website?
Chapter 3:
Do I need a financial adviser, or should I do my own research?
Chapter 4:
What are some common investment strategies I may read about?
Chapter 5:
Where can I find courses about investing?
Chapter 6:
What resources can I use to make better investment decisions?

How can I do business with my adviser or financial institution?

Chapter 1:
How can I work with my adviser or financial institution?
Chapter 2:
When should I use personal contact to deal with my adviser?
Chapter 3:
How do pre-authorized debits (PADs) work?
Chapter 4:
How do I use the telephone for banking and investing?
Chapter 5:
How do I use the Internet for banking and investing?
Chapter 6:
Am I ready to use an online brokerage service?

How do our finances change now that we are married?

Chapter 1:
How will getting married change the way we handle money?
Chapter 2:
Should we put our money together or keep it separate?
Chapter 3:
Love and money: How do you and your mate relate?
Chapter 4:
How do we plan our financial future as a couple?
Chapter 5:
Love and paperwork: a checklist for newlyweds and other couples

How do our finances change now that we have a growing family?

Chapter 1:
How will a growing family change the way we handle money?
Chapter 2:
What happens if two incomes become one?
Chapter 3:
How do children change the way we plan our finances?

How do I save for my child's/grandchild's education?

Chapter 1:
What should I ask before I choose an education savings plan?
Chapter 2:
Why is an RESP a good way to save for a child's education?
Chapter 3:
What are some other ways to save for a child's education?
Chapter 4:
Can I use an unsheltered account to save for education?
Chapter 5:
How do I develop a plan to save for a child's education?

What do I need to do about savings & property after a divorce or separation?

Chapter 1:
What are the big money dangers for couples who divorce?
Chapter 2:
How do I prepare financially for divorce?
Chapter 3:
Where can I get advice about money matters when I divorce?
Chapter 4:
What should I do with my money after a divorce?
Chapter 5:
Where can I learn more about divorce and how to get help?

Related tools & topics

	Video: Good and bad portfolio building blocks
	Case study: The power of your asset mix
	Worksheet: Investment planning worksheet
	Video: Diversification
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