Mar 28, 2018

Videos, Videos, Videos: Stocks and Bonds 101, Explainer on the Bond Market, Why There Aren't More Billionaires

Three videos that have caught my attention recently: 

  • Bond market explainer (from Marketplace): In this brief 1:34 video, Kai Rysdall describes in plain English what the government bond market is and what it can tell us about the economy.
    • In your own words, what is the bond market?
    • What signals does the bond market provide about the overall economy?
    • How does inflation affect the value of bond investments? 
  • This 5:00+ video starts with a question "Where are all the billionaires?" and describes two main reasons that investors fall short of earning the market return, including behavioral elements. 
    • What's the cost (in percentages) of investing actively?
    • What is "return chasing" and how does it impact investor returns? 
    • What advice does he offer to younger investors? Do you agree? 
  • Backgrounder on the relationship between risk and return
    • What are some examples of investments that are described? 
    • What is the risk of a stock? 
    • What is the relationship between risk and reward (or gain)? 
    • Does taking on greater risk mean you will always earn a greater return? 
  • Good basic 2 minute primer on stocks and bonds (from Fidelity)
    • What does in mean to own stock in a company? 
    • What are two ways that investors make money on stocks?
    • How do investors make money on bonds? 

 

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.

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