AFTER HOURS
Investopedia Offers a Wealth of Financial Information and Advice
by Thomas Pack
In the world of finance, do you know what a J-curve is? Are you familiar with Porter’s Five Forces and SEC Release IA-1092? Do you understand the January effect and Nash equilibrium?
You can find detailed but easy-to-follow explanations for all of these financial terms and concepts—and thousands more—in an online dictionary at Investopedia (investopedia.com). The site also offers a wide range of other resources that can help you build financial knowledge and ramp up your investing skills.
FACILITATING FINANCIAL LITERACY
Entrepreneurs Cory Janssen and Cory Wagner founded Investopedia in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, in 1999. Now part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family, the site has evolved to become a comprehensive financial education resource offering news, how-to articles, guides, reviews of financial products, a stock simulator, and multimedia content. “We don’t make recommendations for you to buy, sell, or hold securities or investments,” notes the About Us page. “We offer independent and unbiased product and service evaluations, and we provide relevant analysis, context, insights, and educational information to help you make smarter, better-informed decisions.”
With more than 44 million monthly readers, Investopedia also maintains a commitment to inclusive content. According to a statement on the homepage, “Financial education needs to serve readers of all backgrounds. We aspire for our content, staff, contributors, and partner organizations to further the financial empowerment of those from all ethnicities, genders, generations, sexual orientations, abilities, and socioeconomic backgrounds, particularly those who may be disadvantaged.”
ARTICLES AND INSIGHTS
Investopedia’s homepage greets you with the latest financial news and analysis, including information on market trends, economic indicators, and company earnings. You also can find details on mergers and acquisitions, political news that affects the financial world, and a range of other real-time information that could impact your portfolio. Other content on the site is divided into several categories, including Investing, Banking, and Personal Finance. Articles and guides in these sections focus on practical advice. Examples in the Investing section include “How to Invest in Uncertain Times,” “How to Earn $1,000 of Monthly Income From Dividend Stocks,” and “Exchange-Traded Fund Guide for Beginners.”
EDITORIAL AND ADVERTISING POLICIES
Investopedia is up front about how it makes money. According to a note in the site’s Editorial Policy page, “The way that we’re able to offer over 30,000 articles of great content on our website for free is by partnering with advertisers and affiliate partners who are looking to reach consumers.” These partnerships can take different forms, including ads and affiliate links, but Investopedia also says, “It’s important to note that we maintain strict editorial independence for all of our content, particularly on reviews and recommendations. If a product is great, we’ll tell you even if we don’t have an advertising relationship. If we think a product is bad, we’ll tell you that, even if we DO have an advertising relationship with them.”
COOL TOOLS
One of the website’s standout tools for budding investors is the free Stock Market Simulator, which lets you use virtual money to build real trading skills. Practicing with more than 6,000 equities on the NYSE and Nasdaq, you can trade by yourself or compete with hundreds of thousands of other users in the online market simulation.
Investopedia notes that millions of users have accessed the simulator since its launch to learn the basics and practice day-trading strategies. Other cool tools on the site include specialized financial calculators, such as a Mortgage Calculator, Loan Amortization Calculator, and Auto Loan Payment and Interest Calculator.
MULTIMEDIA
Besides articles, guides, and tools, Investopedia offers a podcast series called Investopedia Express, which covers important economic stories and provides analysis of news that moves markets. Hosted by Caleb Silver, Investopedia’s editor-in-chief since 2016, the episodes often include interviews with financial experts. You can subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or PlayerFM.
Silver also hosts a video series called Investopedia Explains, which launched late last year. These videos are just about a minute each, but in that short amount of time, they pack in a lot of information about topics such as buying a home, saving for retirement, getting a student loan, and understanding the pros and cons of different types of investments. You’ll find the videos sprinkled throughout the website. For instance, the video “How to Choose the Right Real Estate Broker” is part of Investopedia’s Complete Homebuying Guide, but you can access all of the videos in one place at investopedia.com/featured/original/investopedia-explains . The addition of videos is just the latest example of how Investopedia has been growing for more than a quarter of a century to provide resources that not only facilitate general financial literacy, but also help people improve their own personal finances. |
