{"appState":{"pageLoadApiCallsStatus":true},"categoryState":{"relatedCategories":{"headers":{"timestamp":"2022-05-13T12:31:14+00:00"},"categoryId":34273,"data":{"title":"Personal Finance","slug":"personal-finance","image":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Personal Finance","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34273"},"slug":"personal-finance","categoryId":34273}],"parentCategory":{"categoryId":34224,"title":"Business, Careers, & Money","slug":"business-careers-money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"}},"childCategories":[{"categoryId":34084,"title":"Medicare","slug":"medicare","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34084"},"image":{"src":"/img/background-image-2.fabfbd5c.png","width":0,"height":0}},{"categoryId":34274,"title":"Veterans' Benefits","slug":"veterans-benefits","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34274"},"image":{"src":"/img/background-image-1.daf74cf0.png","width":0,"height":0}},{"categoryId":34275,"title":"Budgeting","slug":"budgeting","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34275"},"image":{"src":"/img/background-image-2.fabfbd5c.png","width":0,"height":0}},{"categoryId":34276,"title":"Charitable Giving","slug":"charitable-giving","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34276"},"image":{"src":"/img/background-image-1.daf74cf0.png","width":0,"height":0}},{"categoryId":34277,"title":"Cryptocurrency","slug":"cryptocurrency","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34277"},"image":{"src":"/img/background-image-2.fabfbd5c.png","width":0,"height":0}},{"categoryId":34278,"title":"Estate Planning","slug":"estate-planning","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34278"},"image":{"src":"/img/background-image-1.daf74cf0.png","width":0,"height":0}},{"categoryId":34279,"title":"Financing Education","slug":"financing-education","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34279"},"image":{"src":"/img/background-image-2.fabfbd5c.png","width":0,"height":0}},{"categoryId":34280,"title":"Insurance","slug":"insurance","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34280"},"image":{"src":"/img/background-image-1.daf74cf0.png","width":0,"height":0}},{"categoryId":34288,"title":"Investing","slug":"investing","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34288"},"image":{"src":"/img/background-image-2.fabfbd5c.png","width":0,"height":0}},{"categoryId":34301,"title":"Loans & Credit","slug":"loans-credit","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34301"},"image":{"src":"/img/background-image-1.daf74cf0.png","width":0,"height":0}},{"categoryId":34308,"title":"Retirement","slug":"retirement","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34308"},"image":{"src":"/img/background-image-2.fabfbd5c.png","width":0,"height":0}},{"categoryId":34309,"title":"Social Security","slug":"social-security","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34309"},"image":{"src":"/img/background-image-1.daf74cf0.png","width":0,"height":0}},{"categoryId":34310,"title":"Taxes","slug":"taxes","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34310"},"image":{"src":"/img/background-image-2.fabfbd5c.png","width":0,"height":0}},{"categoryId":34311,"title":"General (Personal Finance)","slug":"general-personal-finance","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34311"},"image":{"src":"/img/background-image-1.daf74cf0.png","width":0,"height":0}}],"description":"Money, money, money. Whether it's stashed in your sock drawer or invested in complex instruments, we'll help you keep it safe and watch it grow.","relatedArticles":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles?category=34273&offset=0&size=5"}},"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34273"}},"relatedCategoriesLoadedStatus":"success"},"listState":{"list":{"count":10,"total":2277,"items":[{"headers":{"creationTime":"2018-04-04T16:55:30+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-05-12T21:38:23+00:00","timestamp":"2022-05-13T00:01:07+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Personal Finance","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34273"},"slug":"personal-finance","categoryId":34273},{"name":"Loans & Credit","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34301"},"slug":"loans-credit","categoryId":34301},{"name":"Mortgages","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34306"},"slug":"mortgages","categoryId":34306}],"title":"Paying Off a Mortgage Early vs. Investing","strippedTitle":"paying off a mortgage early vs. investing","slug":"paying-off-mortgage-early-vs-investing","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Learn the key factors you should consider if you're weighing whether to put money into prepaying off your mortgage or investments.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"If you talk with others or read articles or books about prepaying your mortgage, you’ll come across those who think that paying off your mortgage early is the world’s greatest money-saving device. You’ll also find that some people consider it the most colossal mistake a mortgage holder can make. The reality is often somewhere between these two extremes.\r\n\r\nEveryone has pros and cons to weigh when they decide whether prepaying a mortgage makes sense. In some cases, the pros stand head and shoulders over the cons. For other people, the drawbacks tower over the advantages.\r\n\r\nAt the crux of the decision is the fact that you’re paying interest on the borrowed mortgage money, but if you use your savings to pay down the loan balance, you won’t then have that money working for you earning an investment return. More importantly, what happens if that rainy day comes along and you need those handy cash reserves?\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Interest savings: The benefit of paying off your mortgage early</h2>\r\nMortgage prepayment advocates focus on how much interest you <em>won’t</em> be charged. On a $100,000, 30-year mortgage at 7.5 percent interest, if you pay just an extra $100 of principal per month, you shorten the loan’s term significantly. Prepayment cheerleaders argue that you’ll save approximately $56,000 over the life of the loan.\r\n\r\nIt’s true that by making larger-than-required payments each month, you avoid paying some interest to the lender. In the preceding example, in fact, you’ll pay off your loan nearly ten years faster than required. But that’s only part of the story. Read on for more.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Quantifying the missed opportunity to invest those extra payments</h2>\r\nWhen you mail an additional $100 monthly to your lender, you miss the opportunity to invest that money into something that could provide you with a return greater than the cost of the mortgage interest. Have you heard of the stock market, for example?\r\n\r\nOver the past two centuries, the U.S. stock market has produced an annual rate of return of about 9 percent. Thus, if instead of prepaying your mortgage, you put that $100 into some good stocks and earn 9 percent per year, you end up with more money over the long term than if you had prepaid your mortgage (assuming that your mortgage interest rate is below 9 percent).\r\n\r\nConversely, if instead of paying down your mortgage more rapidly, you put your extra cash in your bank savings account, you earn little interest. Because you’re surely paying more interest on your mortgage, you lose money with this investment strategy, although you make bankers happy.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">If you’re contemplating paying down your mortgage more aggressively than required or investing your extra cash, consider what rate of return you can reasonably expect from investing your money and compare that expected return to the interest rate you’re paying on your mortgage.</p>\r\nAs a first step, this simple comparison can help you begin to understand whether you’re better off paying down your mortgage or investing the money elsewhere. Over the long term, growth investments, such as stocks, investment real estate, and investing in small business, have provided higher returns than the current cost of mortgage money.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Taxes matter but less than you think</h2>\r\nIn most cases, all of your mortgage interest is deductible on both your federal and state income tax returns. Thus, if you’re paying, say, a 6 percent annual interest rate on your mortgage, after deducting that interest cost on your federal and state income tax returns, perhaps the mortgage is really costing you only about 4 percent on an after-tax basis.\r\n\r\nFor most people, approximately one-third of the total interest cost of a mortgage is offset by their reduced income tax from writing off the mortgage interest on their federal and state income tax returns.\r\n\r\nHowever, don’t think that you can simply compare this relatively low after-tax mortgage cost of, say, 4 percent to the expected return on most investments. The flaw with that logic is that the return on most investments, such as stocks, is ultimately taxable. So, to be fair, if you’re going to examine the after-tax cost of your mortgage, you should be comparing that with the after-tax return on your investments.\r\n\r\nAlternatively, you could simplify matters for yourself and get a ballpark answer just by comparing the pretax mortgage cost to your expected pretax investment return. (Technically speaking, this comparison isn’t as precise as the after-tax analysis because income tax considerations generally don’t exactly equally reduce the cost of the mortgage and the investment return.)","description":"If you talk with others or read articles or books about prepaying your mortgage, you’ll come across those who think that paying off your mortgage early is the world’s greatest money-saving device. You’ll also find that some people consider it the most colossal mistake a mortgage holder can make. The reality is often somewhere between these two extremes.\r\n\r\nEveryone has pros and cons to weigh when they decide whether prepaying a mortgage makes sense. In some cases, the pros stand head and shoulders over the cons. For other people, the drawbacks tower over the advantages.\r\n\r\nAt the crux of the decision is the fact that you’re paying interest on the borrowed mortgage money, but if you use your savings to pay down the loan balance, you won’t then have that money working for you earning an investment return. More importantly, what happens if that rainy day comes along and you need those handy cash reserves?\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Interest savings: The benefit of paying off your mortgage early</h2>\r\nMortgage prepayment advocates focus on how much interest you <em>won’t</em> be charged. On a $100,000, 30-year mortgage at 7.5 percent interest, if you pay just an extra $100 of principal per month, you shorten the loan’s term significantly. Prepayment cheerleaders argue that you’ll save approximately $56,000 over the life of the loan.\r\n\r\nIt’s true that by making larger-than-required payments each month, you avoid paying some interest to the lender. In the preceding example, in fact, you’ll pay off your loan nearly ten years faster than required. But that’s only part of the story. Read on for more.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Quantifying the missed opportunity to invest those extra payments</h2>\r\nWhen you mail an additional $100 monthly to your lender, you miss the opportunity to invest that money into something that could provide you with a return greater than the cost of the mortgage interest. Have you heard of the stock market, for example?\r\n\r\nOver the past two centuries, the U.S. stock market has produced an annual rate of return of about 9 percent. Thus, if instead of prepaying your mortgage, you put that $100 into some good stocks and earn 9 percent per year, you end up with more money over the long term than if you had prepaid your mortgage (assuming that your mortgage interest rate is below 9 percent).\r\n\r\nConversely, if instead of paying down your mortgage more rapidly, you put your extra cash in your bank savings account, you earn little interest. Because you’re surely paying more interest on your mortgage, you lose money with this investment strategy, although you make bankers happy.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">If you’re contemplating paying down your mortgage more aggressively than required or investing your extra cash, consider what rate of return you can reasonably expect from investing your money and compare that expected return to the interest rate you’re paying on your mortgage.</p>\r\nAs a first step, this simple comparison can help you begin to understand whether you’re better off paying down your mortgage or investing the money elsewhere. Over the long term, growth investments, such as stocks, investment real estate, and investing in small business, have provided higher returns than the current cost of mortgage money.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Taxes matter but less than you think</h2>\r\nIn most cases, all of your mortgage interest is deductible on both your federal and state income tax returns. Thus, if you’re paying, say, a 6 percent annual interest rate on your mortgage, after deducting that interest cost on your federal and state income tax returns, perhaps the mortgage is really costing you only about 4 percent on an after-tax basis.\r\n\r\nFor most people, approximately one-third of the total interest cost of a mortgage is offset by their reduced income tax from writing off the mortgage interest on their federal and state income tax returns.\r\n\r\nHowever, don’t think that you can simply compare this relatively low after-tax mortgage cost of, say, 4 percent to the expected return on most investments. The flaw with that logic is that the return on most investments, such as stocks, is ultimately taxable. So, to be fair, if you’re going to examine the after-tax cost of your mortgage, you should be comparing that with the after-tax return on your investments.\r\n\r\nAlternatively, you could simplify matters for yourself and get a ballpark answer just by comparing the pretax mortgage cost to your expected pretax investment return. (Technically speaking, this comparison isn’t as precise as the after-tax analysis because income tax considerations generally don’t exactly equally reduce the cost of the mortgage and the investment return.)","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":8975,"name":"Eric Tyson","slug":"eric-tyson","description":" <p><b>Eric Tyson, MBA,</b> is the author of <i>Investing For Dummies, Personal Finance For Dummies,</i> and <i>Investing in Your 20s and 30s For Dummies</i>. <b>Ray Brown,</b> a real estate professional for more than 40 years, is the best&#45;selling co&#45;author of <i>Home Buying For Dummies</i>. ","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8975"}},{"authorId":9293,"name":"Robert S. Griswold","slug":"robert-s-griswold","description":"Robert S. Griswold, MBA, is a successful real estate investor and property manager with a large portfolio of residential and commercial rental properties. He is the real estate expert for NBC San Diego, the lead columnist for the nationally syndicated columns Rental Roundtable and Rental Forum and coauthor of Real Estate Investing For Dummies.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9293"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34306,"title":"Mortgages","slug":"mortgages","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34306"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Interest savings: The benefit of paying off your mortgage early","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"Quantifying the missed opportunity to invest those extra payments","target":"#tab2"},{"label":"Taxes matter but less than you think","target":"#tab3"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":251554,"title":"How to Improve Your Fico Score","slug":"improve-fico-score","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","mortgages"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/251554"}},{"articleId":251551,"title":"How Does A Reverse Mortgage Work?","slug":"reverse-mortgage-work","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","mortgages"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/251551"}},{"articleId":251548,"title":"How to Pay Off Mortgage Faster","slug":"pay-off-mortgage-faster","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","mortgages"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/251548"}},{"articleId":251545,"title":"Not All Mortgage Insurance is Tax Deductible","slug":"not-mortgage-insurance-tax-deductible","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","mortgages"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/251545"}},{"articleId":251539,"title":"Cash Out Refinance Basics","slug":"cash-refinance-basics","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","mortgages"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/251539"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":251554,"title":"How to Improve Your Fico Score","slug":"improve-fico-score","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","mortgages"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/251554"}},{"articleId":251551,"title":"How Does A Reverse Mortgage Work?","slug":"reverse-mortgage-work","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","mortgages"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/251551"}},{"articleId":251548,"title":"How to Pay Off Mortgage Faster","slug":"pay-off-mortgage-faster","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","mortgages"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/251548"}},{"articleId":251545,"title":"Not All Mortgage Insurance is Tax Deductible","slug":"not-mortgage-insurance-tax-deductible","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","mortgages"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/251545"}},{"articleId":251539,"title":"Cash Out Refinance Basics","slug":"cash-refinance-basics","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","mortgages"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/251539"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282406,"slug":"mortgage-management-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119387794","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","mortgages"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119387795/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119387795/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119387795-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119387795/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119387795/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/mortgage-management-for-dummies-cover-9781119387794-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Mortgage Management For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"\n <p><b data-author-id=\"8975\">Eric Tyson, MBA,</b> is a financial counselor and the bestselling author of <i>Investing For Dummies</i>, <i>Personal Finance For Dummies</i>, and <i>Home Buying Kit For Dummies</i>.</p> <p><b data-author-id=\"9293\">Robert S. Griswold, MSBA,</b> is a successful real estate investor, hands-on property manager, and the author of <i>Property Management Kit For Dummies</i>.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":8975,"name":"Eric Tyson","slug":"eric-tyson","description":" <p><b>Eric Tyson, MBA,</b> is the author of <i>Investing For Dummies, Personal Finance For Dummies,</i> and <i>Investing in Your 20s and 30s For Dummies</i>. <b>Ray Brown,</b> a real estate professional for more than 40 years, is the best&#45;selling co&#45;author of <i>Home Buying For Dummies</i>. ","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8975"}},{"authorId":9293,"name":"Robert S. Griswold","slug":"robert-s-griswold","description":"Robert S. Griswold, MBA, is a successful real estate investor and property manager with a large portfolio of residential and commercial rental properties. He is the real estate expert for NBC San Diego, the lead columnist for the nationally syndicated columns Rental Roundtable and Rental Forum and coauthor of Real Estate Investing For Dummies.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9293"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;personal-finance&quot;,&quot;loans-credit&quot;,&quot;mortgages&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119387794&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-627d9fc35782c\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;personal-finance&quot;,&quot;loans-credit&quot;,&quot;mortgages&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119387794&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-627d9fc3581ad\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"One year","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-05-12T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":251542},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-26T18:24:59+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-05-12T21:13:45+00:00","timestamp":"2022-05-13T00:01:07+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Personal Finance","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34273"},"slug":"personal-finance","categoryId":34273},{"name":"General (Personal Finance)","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34311"},"slug":"general-personal-finance","categoryId":34311}],"title":"How to Ease Financial Uncertainty","strippedTitle":"how to ease financial uncertainty","slug":"how-to-ease-financial-uncertainty","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Life can throw you some financial curveballs, but you don't have to be at the mercy of financial markets even if you're not able to control them. To protect against financial uncertainties, use the following strategies:\r\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Plan for life's certainties and prepare for life's uncertainties.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Invest in and protect your ability to earn money; it's likely your most valuable asset.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Adequately insure yourself, your stuff, and your income stream.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Minimize or eliminate debt, and focus on building a great credit score.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Maintain an emergency reserve fund.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Invest for your goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Diversify your portfolio across a broad mix of asset classes.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Monitor and rebalance your portfolio to maintain your target asset allocation.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>","description":"Life can throw you some financial curveballs, but you don't have to be at the mercy of financial markets even if you're not able to control them. To protect against financial uncertainties, use the following strategies:\r\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Plan for life's certainties and prepare for life's uncertainties.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Invest in and protect your ability to earn money; it's likely your most valuable asset.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Adequately insure yourself, your stuff, and your income stream.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Minimize or eliminate debt, and focus on building a great credit score.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Maintain an emergency reserve fund.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Invest for your goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Diversify your portfolio across a broad mix of asset classes.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Monitor and rebalance your portfolio to maintain your target asset allocation.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>","blurb":"","authors":[],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34311,"title":"General (Personal Finance)","slug":"general-personal-finance","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34311"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":288537,"title":"Financial Security For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"financial-security-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","general-personal-finance"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/288537"}},{"articleId":240164,"title":"How to Write a Check","slug":"how-to-write-a-check","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","general-personal-finance"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/240164"}},{"articleId":208905,"title":"Personal Finance For Canadians For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"personal-finance-for-canadians-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","general-personal-finance"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/208905"}},{"articleId":208797,"title":"Personal Finance in Your 20s and 30s For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"personal-finance-in-your-20s-30s-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","general-personal-finance"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/208797"}},{"articleId":208422,"title":"Personal Finance Workbook For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"personal-finance-workbook-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","general-personal-finance"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/208422"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":0,"slug":null,"isbn":null,"categoryList":null,"amazon":null,"image":null,"title":null,"testBankPinActivationLink":null,"bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":null,"authors":null,"_links":null},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;personal-finance&quot;,&quot;general-personal-finance&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-627d9fc308552\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;personal-finance&quot;,&quot;general-personal-finance&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-627d9fc308f5c\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Solve","lifeExpectancy":"One year","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-05-12T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":178764},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-27T16:57:40+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-05-03T17:25:36+00:00","timestamp":"2022-05-03T18:01:03+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Personal Finance","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34273"},"slug":"personal-finance","categoryId":34273},{"name":"Investing","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34288"},"slug":"investing","categoryId":34288},{"name":"Investment Vehicles","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34290"},"slug":"investment-vehicles","categoryId":34290},{"name":"Stocks","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34298"},"slug":"stocks","categoryId":34298}],"title":"Candlestick Charting For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"candlestick charting for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"candlestick-charting-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Candlestick charts help you make smart stock investing decisions. Learn how to construct candlestick charts and analyze trends and patterns.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Make smart trading decisions using candlestick charting. This cheat sheet shows you how to read the data that makes up a candlestick chart, figure out how to analyze a candlestick chart, and identify some common candlestick patterns.","description":"Make smart trading decisions using candlestick charting. This cheat sheet shows you how to read the data that makes up a candlestick chart, figure out how to analyze a candlestick chart, and identify some common candlestick patterns.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":10522,"name":"Russell Rhoads","slug":"russell-rhoads","description":"Russell Rhoads is a trader and analyst for Peak Trading Group in Chicago. His career in trading and market analysis covers more than 17 years. He has a BBA and MS in finance from the University of Memphis and has completed graduate level work in financial engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Russell also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. ","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/10522"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34298,"title":"Stocks","slug":"stocks","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34298"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":194520,"title":"Constructing a Candlestick Chart","slug":"constructing-a-candlestick-chart","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/194520"}},{"articleId":194496,"title":"Candlestick Chart Analysis and Trading Tips","slug":"candlestick-chart-analysis-and-trading-tips","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/194496"}},{"articleId":194495,"title":"Common Candlestick Patterns","slug":"common-candlestick-patterns","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/194495"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":283116,"title":"10 Reasons Not to Invest in Marijuana Stocks","slug":"10-reasons-not-to-invest-in-marijuana-stocks","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/283116"}},{"articleId":283111,"title":"11 Criteria for Choosing a Cannabis Investment","slug":"11-criteria-for-choosing-a-cannabis-investment","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/283111"}},{"articleId":283105,"title":"Cannabis Investments: Risks Inherent in Momentum Investing","slug":"cannabis-investments-risks-inherent-in-momentum-investing","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/283105"}},{"articleId":283098,"title":"Investing in Cannabis: Spotting Opportunities to Buy or Sell","slug":"investing-in-cannabis-spotting-opportunities-to-buy-or-sell","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/283098"}},{"articleId":283089,"title":"Investing in Cannabis: The Bid-Ask Spread","slug":"investing-in-cannabis-the-bid-ask-spread","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/283089"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282054,"slug":"candlestick-charting-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119869955","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119869951/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119869951/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119869951-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119869951/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119869951/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/9781119869955-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Candlestick Charting For Dummies, 2nd Edition","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"\n <p><b data-author-id=\"10522\">Russell Rhoads</b> is a trader and analyst for Peak Trading Group in Chicago. His career in trading and market analysis covers more than 17 years. He has a BBA and MS in finance from the University of Memphis and has completed graduate level work in financial engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Russell also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":10522,"name":"Russell Rhoads","slug":"russell-rhoads","description":"Russell Rhoads is a trader and analyst for Peak Trading Group in Chicago. His career in trading and market analysis covers more than 17 years. He has a BBA and MS in finance from the University of Memphis and has completed graduate level work in financial engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Russell also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. ","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/10522"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;personal-finance&quot;,&quot;investing&quot;,&quot;investment-vehicles&quot;,&quot;stocks&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119869955&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-62716ddfd9c71\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;personal-finance&quot;,&quot;investing&quot;,&quot;investment-vehicles&quot;,&quot;stocks&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119869955&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-62716ddfda60a\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":194520,"title":"Constructing a Candlestick Chart","slug":"constructing-a-candlestick-chart","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/194520"}},{"articleId":194496,"title":"Candlestick Chart Analysis and Trading Tips","slug":"candlestick-chart-analysis-and-trading-tips","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/194496"}},{"articleId":194495,"title":"Common Candlestick Patterns","slug":"common-candlestick-patterns","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/194495"}}],"content":[{"title":"Constructing a candlestick chart","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Four pieces of data, gathered through the course of a security’s trading day, are used to create a candlestick chart: opening price, closing price, high, and low. The candle in a chart is white when the close for a day is higher than the open, and black when the close is lower than the open. The <i>wicks</i>, lines sticking out of either end of the candlestick, represent the range between the day’s high and low prices. The wick on top shows the day’s high, the wick on the bottom shows the day’s low.</p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/162563.image0.jpg\" alt=\"image0.jpg\" width=\"485\" height=\"400\" /></p>\n<p>Additional information is sometimes displayed with candlestick charts. Don’t be afraid to use it! The following types of information are commonly included on candlestick charts and can be very useful in your analysis:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Volume:</b> The total number of shares or contracts trading during a time period.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Open interest:</b> The total number of open contracts on a futures product.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Moving averages:</b> Lines that represent the average closing price for a time period and a few periods in the past.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Technical indicators: </b>Statistics that can be displayed in a variety of ways on a chart.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Fundamental information:</b> Data that includes dividend dates, days of share splits, or even insider buying and selling!</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Candlestick chart analysis and trading tips","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>If you’re examining or trading a candlestick pattern, keep these guidelines in mind before you decide what to do with your money, so you can make an informed decision:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Determine whether the market is trending up, trending down, or not trending at all.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">If you put on a trade, be prepared to identify the point at which you take a loss, especially when you’re trading against the trend.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Try not to anticipate that a pattern is going to be created by trading before the formation is complete.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Use technical indicators to complement patterns. Indicators help to confirm your opinion of the market trend.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">When putting real money into trading, don’t trade what you can’t afford to lose!</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Common candlestick patterns","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>You can become more familiar with some common and dependable candlestick patterns by checking out the following figures. (Remember, they don’t represent every possible candlestick pattern.)</p>\n<h2>Bullish two-day trend reversal patterns</h2>\n<p>These charts are a few of the most common and reliable bullish two-day trend reversal patterns in an uptrend.</p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/162566.image0.jpg\" alt=\"image0.jpg\" width=\"535\" height=\"280\" /></p>\n<h2>Bullish two-day trend continuation patterns</h2>\n<p>These patterns are common and reliable examples of bullish two-day trend continuation patterns in an uptrend.</p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/162567.image1.jpg\" alt=\"image1.jpg\" width=\"396\" height=\"400\" /></p>\n<h2>Bearish two-day trend reversal patterns</h2>\n<p>These figures shows some of the most common and reliable types of bearish two-day trend reversal patterns in an uptrend.</p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/162568.image2.jpg\" alt=\"image2.jpg\" width=\"535\" height=\"325\" /></p>\n<h2>Bearish two-day trend continuation patterns</h2>\n<p>These reliable two-day trend continuation patterns may show up frequently as you look through your candlestick charts.</p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/162569.image3.jpg\" alt=\"image3.jpg\" width=\"402\" height=\"378\" /></p>\n<h2>Bullish three-day trend reversal patterns</h2>\n<p>Here are a couple common bullish three-day trend reversal patterns.</p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/162570.image4.jpg\" alt=\"image4.jpg\" width=\"397\" height=\"291\" /></p>\n<h2>Bullish three-day trend continuation patterns</h2>\n<p>These two patterns are common examples of bullish three-day trend continuation patterns.</p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/162571.image5.jpg\" alt=\"image5.jpg\" width=\"482\" height=\"346\" /></p>\n<h2>Bearish three-day trend reversal patterns</h2>\n<p>These are a couple of the most common bearish three-day trend reversal patterns.</p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/162572.image6.jpg\" alt=\"image6.jpg\" width=\"458\" height=\"309\" /></p>\n<h2>Bearish three-day trend continuation patterns</h2>\n<p>Here are two common examples of bearish three-day trend reversal patterns.</p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/162573.image7.jpg\" alt=\"image7.jpg\" width=\"388\" height=\"397\" /></p>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2021-06-29T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":209309},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-27T16:53:59+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-05-03T13:58:06+00:00","timestamp":"2022-05-03T18:01:03+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Personal Finance","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34273"},"slug":"personal-finance","categoryId":34273},{"name":"Investing","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34288"},"slug":"investing","categoryId":34288},{"name":"Investment Vehicles","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34290"},"slug":"investment-vehicles","categoryId":34290},{"name":"Commodities","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34292"},"slug":"commodities","categoryId":34292}],"title":"Commodities For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"commodities for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"commodities-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Learn some of the basics related to commodities investing, including the exchanges, regulatory entities, and about risk-adjusted returns.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"The major commodities exchanges trade specific commodities worldwide, and the main regulatory organizations provide information and enforce codes to protect commodities investors. When investing in commodities, use guidelines and advice from the experts to lower your risks.","description":"The major commodities exchanges trade specific commodities worldwide, and the main regulatory organizations provide information and enforce codes to protect commodities investors. When investing in commodities, use guidelines and advice from the experts to lower your risks.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9022,"name":"Amine Bouchentouf","slug":"amine-bouchentouf","description":"Amine Bouchentouf grew up in Casablanca, Morocco, speaking Arabic, English, and French. He teaches Arabic and is also an internationally recognized market commentator, registered investment advisor, member of the National Association of Securities Dealers, and a partner at Commodities Investors LLC. ","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9022"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34292,"title":"Commodities","slug":"commodities","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34292"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":187975,"title":"Matching Commodities with Commodity Exchanges","slug":"matching-commodities-with-commodity-exchanges","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","commodities"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/187975"}},{"articleId":187959,"title":"Growing Interest in Agricultural Commodities","slug":"growing-interest-in-agricultural-commodities","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","commodities"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/187959"}},{"articleId":187956,"title":"Generating Risk-Adjusted Returns","slug":"generating-risk-adjusted-returns","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","commodities"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/187956"}},{"articleId":187957,"title":"Commodities and Emerging Markets","slug":"commodities-and-emerging-markets","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","commodities"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/187957"}},{"articleId":187958,"title":"Consulting Investment Regulatory Organizations","slug":"consulting-investment-regulatory-organizations","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","commodities"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/187958"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":207438,"title":"<b>Investing in Commodities For Dummies</b><b> Cheat Sheet</b>","slug":"investing-in-commodities-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","commodities"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/207438"}},{"articleId":198903,"title":"Understanding the Real Risks behind Commodities","slug":"understanding-the-real-risks-behind-commodities","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","commodities"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/198903"}},{"articleId":198342,"title":"Risks with Investing in Commodities","slug":"risks-with-investing-in-commodities","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","commodities"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/198342"}},{"articleId":198341,"title":"The Role of Commodity Exchanges in Investment Trading","slug":"the-role-of-commodity-exchanges-in-investment-trading","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","commodities"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/198341"}},{"articleId":198213,"title":"How Money Supply Affects Commodity Tendencies","slug":"how-money-supply-affects-commodity-tendencies","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","commodities"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/198213"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282094,"slug":"commodities-for-dummies-2nd-edition","isbn":"9781118016879","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","commodities"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1118016874/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1118016874/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1118016874-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1118016874/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1118016874/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/commodities-for-dummies-2nd-edition-cover-9781118016879-202x255.jpg","width":202,"height":255},"title":"Commodities For Dummies, 2nd Edition","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"\n <b data-author-id=\"9022\">Amine Bouchentouf</b> is an internationally acclaimed author and market commentator. You can follow his market analysis at www.commodities-investors.com. ","authors":[{"authorId":9022,"name":"Amine Bouchentouf","slug":"amine-bouchentouf","description":"Amine Bouchentouf grew up in Casablanca, Morocco, speaking Arabic, English, and French. He teaches Arabic and is also an internationally recognized market commentator, registered investment advisor, member of the National Association of Securities Dealers, and a partner at Commodities Investors LLC. ","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9022"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;personal-finance&quot;,&quot;investing&quot;,&quot;investment-vehicles&quot;,&quot;commodities&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781118016879&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-62716ddf4438c\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;personal-finance&quot;,&quot;investing&quot;,&quot;investment-vehicles&quot;,&quot;commodities&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781118016879&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-62716ddf45614\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":187975,"title":"Matching Commodities with Commodity Exchanges","slug":"matching-commodities-with-commodity-exchanges","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","commodities"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/187975"}},{"articleId":187957,"title":"Commodities and Emerging Markets","slug":"commodities-and-emerging-markets","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","commodities"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/187957"}},{"articleId":187958,"title":"Consulting Investment Regulatory Organizations","slug":"consulting-investment-regulatory-organizations","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","commodities"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/187958"}},{"articleId":187959,"title":"Growing Interest in Agricultural Commodities","slug":"growing-interest-in-agricultural-commodities","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","commodities"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/187959"}},{"articleId":187956,"title":"Generating Risk-Adjusted Returns","slug":"generating-risk-adjusted-returns","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","commodities"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/187956"}}],"content":[{"title":"Matching commodities with commodity exchanges","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>The 20th century saw a proliferation of commodity exchanges around the world, with many based in the money centers of New York and Chicago.</p>\n<p>In the first decade of the 21st century, the industry experienced a major consolidation period — partly driven by electronic-based trading platforms — that dramatically reduced the number of players in the space and increased the product offerings of the remaining exchanges.</p>\n<p>Here are some of the important exchanges in today&#8217;s new environment:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><a href=\"http://www.cmegroup.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME)</b></a><b>:</b> Crude oil, natural gas, ethanol; gold, silver, copper, platinum, palladium; corn, wheat, soybeans, live cattle, lean hogs</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><a href=\"http://www.theice.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Intercontinental Exchange (ICE)</b></a><b>:</b> Crude oil, gas oil, natural gas; cocoa, coffee, cotton, sugar</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><a href=\"http://www.shfe.com.cn/en/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE)</b></a><b>:</b> Fuel oil; gold, copper, aluminum, zinc; rubber</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Commodities and emerging markets","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>One of the driving forces behind the dynamic commodities markets are emerging markets, both from the demand side and also in terms of supply. Keep an eye on Brazil and China, two countries that tend to move markets.</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Brazil:</b> A powerhouse in the commodities markets, Brazil has been blessed with an abundance of natural resources. It&#8217;s one of the top agricultural countries in the world, with leading positions in coffee, cocoa, corn, wheat, eucalyptus, and sugar cane production. In energy, it has large reserves of crude oil in the offshore basins off the Atlantic Ocean. It also has sizable mining reserves with abundant iron ore resources. Since Brazil holds such a dominant position in the supply and production of key commodities, it&#8217;s important to monitor this country very closely.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>China:</b> China has been the miracle story of the beginning of the 21st century. Many analysts compare its rise to the emergence of the United States as an economic powerhouse in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Home to more than 1.3 billion citizens, China is a truly gigantic market. In many instances, it has been the main driving force behind demand increases for important commodities, including steel, copper, wheat, and crude oil. As the Chinese economy continues to expand at eye-popping rates (averaging 9 percent annually during the first decade of the 21st century), expect it to push demand for commodities at even more important levels.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Consulting investment regulatory organizations","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>In the era after the 2008 Global Financial Crisis (GFC), the importance and responsibilities of market regulators have grown exponentially. The GFC exposed many deficiencies in the way markets and market participants operate, so frequently consulting with regulators has become a necessity for any risk-averse market participant.</p>\n<p>These organizations are some of the key regulatory bodies for commodities and other investments:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><a href=\"http://www.sec.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)</a></p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><a href=\"http://www.cftc.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)</a></p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><a href=\"http://www.nfa.futures.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National Futures Association (NFA)</a></p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><a href=\"http://www.finra.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)</a></p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Agricultural commodities","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>The following are some important agricultural commodities, along with their corresponding exchanges:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Grains/cereals:</b> Corn, oats, soybeans, wheat (Chicago Mercantile Exchange)</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Meat products:</b> Feeder cattle, lean hogs, live cattle, frozen pork bellies (Chicago Mercantile Exchange)</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Tropical products:</b> Coffee, cocoa, orange juice, sugar (Intercontinental Exchange)</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Generating risk-adjusted returns","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Investing is all about managing risk, and here are two ways to approach risk management: (1) According to uber-investor Warren Buffet, Rule #1 of investing: Never lose money. Rule #2 of investing: Never forget rule #1; (2) If you focus on protecting your downside, the upside will take care of itself.</p>\n<p>Here are a few key risk variables you should be monitoring constantly:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Volatility:</b> Volatility is the way that investors measure price variation and fluctuation of a given security over time. The higher the variation, the more volatility. For example, if a security trades at $5 on Monday, $15 on Tuesday, and $7 on Wednesday, it&#8217;s exhibiting extreme volatility. If you&#8217;re a novice investor, you should trade these types of securities with extreme care.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Standard deviation:</b> Standard deviation is a statistical measure of the amount of volatility inherent in a security. The standard deviation formula is a complex one, but it&#8217;s extremely powerful and practical. With one number, you can determine just how volatile a security or asset is. The higher the standard deviation, the riskier the asset; conversely a low standard deviation number means the security is more stable from a pricing perspective. A stable Fortune 500 company tends to have a lower standard deviation than a startup tech company. Use this powerful metric to help make better trading decisions.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"One year","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-05-03T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":208627},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-27T16:47:15+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-05-02T18:18:27+00:00","timestamp":"2022-05-03T00:01:09+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Personal Finance","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34273"},"slug":"personal-finance","categoryId":34273},{"name":"Investing","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34288"},"slug":"investing","categoryId":34288},{"name":"General (Investing)","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34300"},"slug":"general-investing","categoryId":34300}],"title":"Dark Pools and High Frequency Trading For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"dark pools and high frequency trading for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"dark-pools-and-high-frequency-trading-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"This Cheat Sheet provides a quick overview of dark pools and high frequency trading, including choosing a good broker, and much more.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Dark pools and high frequency trading (HFT) are contentious subjects in financial markets. Billions of dollars are traded through dark pools, and HFT algorithms with just small, incremental price differences make billions of dollars. And it all can happen in milliseconds. Most importantly, dark pools and HFT are part of the current market environment. Anyone who’s invested in the markets needs to know what they’re involved with and what they’re up against.","description":"Dark pools and high frequency trading (HFT) are contentious subjects in financial markets. Billions of dollars are traded through dark pools, and HFT algorithms with just small, incremental price differences make billions of dollars. And it all can happen in milliseconds. Most importantly, dark pools and HFT are part of the current market environment. Anyone who’s invested in the markets needs to know what they’re involved with and what they’re up against.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9235,"name":"Jay Vaananen","slug":"jay-vaananen","description":"Jay Vaananen is a senior private banker with many years of experience advising clients in their investments across all asset classes. He is also a popular university lecturer and regular commentator in all matters regarding banking, finance and investing.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9235"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34300,"title":"General (Investing)","slug":"general-investing","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34300"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":144053,"title":"Realising the Importance of Speed in High Frequency Trading","slug":"realising-the-importance-of-speed-in-high-frequency-trading","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144053"}},{"articleId":144049,"title":"Choosing a Broker Who Understands and Helps You Navigate Dark Pools","slug":"choosing-a-broker-who-understands-and-helps-you-navigate-dark-pools","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144049"}},{"articleId":144050,"title":"Being Aware of the Risks of Dark Pools","slug":"being-aware-of-the-risks-of-dark-pools","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144050"}},{"articleId":144051,"title":"The Basics of Automated Trading","slug":"the-basics-of-automated-trading","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144051"}},{"articleId":144031,"title":"10 Things You Should Know about Dark Pools","slug":"10-things-you-need-to-know-about-dark-pools","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144031"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":287556,"title":"Options Trading For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"options-trading-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/287556"}},{"articleId":285735,"title":"What Is ESG Investing?","slug":"what-is-esg-investing","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/285735"}},{"articleId":285761,"title":"Just When You Thought It Was Safe: Coronawashing","slug":"just-when-you-thought-it-was-safe-coronawashing","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/285761"}},{"articleId":273978,"title":"Investing For Canadians All-in-One For Dummies","slug":"investing-for-canadians-all-in-one-for-dummies","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273978"}},{"articleId":265694,"title":"Online Investing: Get More with a Discount Broker","slug":"online-investing-get-more-with-a-discount-broker","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/265694"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":281564,"slug":"dark-pools-and-high-frequency-trading-for-dummies","isbn":"9781118879191","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1118879198/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1118879198/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1118879198-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1118879198/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1118879198/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/dark-pools-and-high-frequency-trading-for-dummies-cover-9781118879191-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Dark Pools and High Frequency Trading For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"\n <p><b data-author-id=\"9235\">Jay Vaananen</b> is a senior private banker with many years of experience advising clients in their investments across all asset classes. He is also a popular university lecturer and regular commentator in all matters regarding banking, finance and investing.</p> ","authors":[{"authorId":9235,"name":"Jay Vaananen","slug":"jay-vaananen","description":"Jay Vaananen is a senior private banker with many years of experience advising clients in their investments across all asset classes. He is also a popular university lecturer and regular commentator in all matters regarding banking, finance and investing.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9235"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;personal-finance&quot;,&quot;investing&quot;,&quot;general-investing&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781118879191&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-627070c62701f\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;personal-finance&quot;,&quot;investing&quot;,&quot;general-investing&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781118879191&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-627070c62828c\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":144049,"title":"Choosing a Broker Who Understands and Helps You Navigate Dark Pools","slug":"choosing-a-broker-who-understands-and-helps-you-navigate-dark-pools","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144049"}},{"articleId":144022,"title":"The Fundamentals of High Frequency Trading","slug":"the-fundamentals-of-high-frequency-trading","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144022"}},{"articleId":144053,"title":"Realising the Importance of Speed in High Frequency Trading","slug":"realising-the-importance-of-speed-in-high-frequency-trading","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144053"}}],"content":[{"title":"Choosing a broker who understands dark pools","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>If you&#8217;re buying or selling shares then you&#8217;ll inevitably be routed through a dark pool at some point and your trades may well be executed there. Your broker&#8217;s expertise and the services that he provides are now one of the most important parts of your investment process.</p>\n<p class=\"Tip\">Figure out what you want to do with your investments and what type of relationship you need with a broker. Deciding on a broker depends on how hands-on you want to be and how much control you want to have over your orders. If you just want to push the button and execute your order then you need a broker you can trust.</p>\n<p>If, on the other hand, you prefer to do things yourself then you need a broker who offers you as much control and decision making as possible when it comes to the execution of your trade.</p>\n<p>When you talk with your broker, ask him these questions to ensure that he&#8217;s working for your best interests:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Do you know the different dark pools?</b> Your broker should know the main dark pools. This question will tell you whether your broker is up to speed on the current market and has an understanding of who the major operators are. Stock trades are regularly routed through dark pools; if a broker hasn&#8217;t got any idea about dark pools, it&#8217;s a sign of incompetence.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para Tip\">After asking your broker what he knows about the different dark pools, you can also do your own investigation. Know the biggest dark pools by name. Read recent news reports about them and find out how they execute their orders and who they allow to operate in their pools. Don&#8217;t just believe their web pages and marketing materials. There have been lawsuits accusing dark pools of misleading clients, so make sure that you know the good guys from the bad guys.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para Remember\">The good guys can become the bad guys overnight, so regularly follow any developments in the dark pool market via the media. If a dark pool operator is fined or is under investigation for offences that have negatively impacted its clients, you should discuss the matter with your broker and make sure that he doesn&#8217;t route your trades through that particular dark pool until the issue with the dark pool is resolved.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>What markets do you trade in? </b>Discuss with your broker what dark pools and what displayed markets he executes your trades on. Don&#8217;t be afraid to ask straight and difficult questions and see what your broker says. If he can&#8217;t give you clear answers then the broker serving you either doesn&#8217;t know his job well enough or is hiding something from you.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Does the dark pool operate a maker-taker fee?</b> A <i>maker-taker fee</i> is when some traders (often high frequency traders) are paid a fee to post orders on the book, which adds liquidity (maker fee), or to trade against existing orders in the book, which takes away liquidity (taker fee). If the dark pools your broker uses operate a maker-taker fee then high frequency traders are likely to be operating in that dark pool. Exchanges make money when trades are executed; that&#8217;s why sometimes they offer financial incentives to certain traders to either post orders or to execute against existing orders already in the order book.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">If you&#8217;re dealing in small share lots then it may be fine for you to use the standard at-market orders, because they&#8217;re unlikely to have an impact on the price. If you&#8217;re trading large sizes then you may be better off trading in another dark pool because the chances are high that a high-frequency-trading algorithm will discover your larger order and trade against it.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Do you offer direct market access?</b> <i>Direct market access</i> means the ability to enter your orders directly into a market venue without having to go through a broker or intermediary. If you want to operate your trades yourself, you need direct market access. This gives you a choice of how and where to route your orders.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>What special order types do you have access to?</b> If you manage your own orders then you&#8217;ll need to know all the different special order types available and know exactly how they work in the market. Don&#8217;t just take your broker&#8217;s word; make sure that you research the different types of special order types and cross-reference with what your broker tells you.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>What is your trading portal? </b>A <i>trading portal</i> is what you have in front of you on your computer screen to enter and follow your trades.<b> </b>Get to know the trading tools at your disposal and test to see how they work. Check to see whether the broker&#8217;s trading portal is intuitive and easy to use.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Will you answer my dark pool queries in writing?</b> Don&#8217;t be afraid to ask your broker for confirmation in writing on any issues you have with how he operates in dark pools and routes trades. Getting everything in writing is important because it gives you proof that you&#8217;ve discussed the matter of dark pools with your broker and made demands on the broker as to how he should act with your orders when dark pools are involved in one of your trades. If a situation arises in which a dark pool has acted unfairly to certain market participants (as has happened before) then you at least have the possibility of redress.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Fundamentals of high frequency trading","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Having a grasp of the fundamental traits of a high frequency trade helps you spot where the high frequency traders are operating and what tactics they&#8217;re using.</p>\n<p>The more knowledge you have of the tactics and trading strategies used by high frequency traders, the better equipped you will be to avoid becoming their prey and receiving poor trade executions. Here are some suggestions:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>High frequency traders trade in small lots of 100 to 200 shares.</b> They try to find out big orders hidden in the markets by using small orders to test the market.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Watch for stock price slippage.</b> <i>Slippage</i><i> </i>is the difference between the price of a stock when you send an order into the market and the price your order actually gets executed at. Consistently seeing slippage in your trades is indicative of high frequency traders operating in that stock. Be careful: you don&#8217;t want to be fodder for high frequency traders.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Flash crashes can often be traced back to high frequency traders</b>. Flash crashes happen fast. At their longest, a flash crash may take minutes; more often they are just seconds or milliseconds in length. Because of the speed at which a flash crash happens, it often involves high frequency traders pulling their orders out of the market and/or placing a large amount of sell orders. If the stock has had flash crashes then the order book may be the realm of high frequency traders.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>High frequency traders operate in dark pools. </b>Be aware that high frequency traders have been allowed into some dark pools. The fact that there may be high frequency traders in a dark pool makes it impossible for you to spot whether you&#8217;re trading against them. In such a situation, you&#8217;re at risk of receiving an execution at an inferior price.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>High frequency traders use many different strategies.</b> High frequency traders employ traditional market-making and trading strategies; contrary to popular belief, not all high frequency trading is predatory.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>High frequency trading follows regulatory changes.</b> Laws and regulations are the foundation of how high frequency traders are able to ply their trade. Any changes in regulation will affect how the market works.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Realizing the importance of speed in HFT","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>High frequency trading requires speed quicker than the eye can see. With superior speeds, high frequency traders are able to react to news faster than market participants with inferior speed, because computer algorithms are able to analyse and produce trading instructions faster than a human can manually input an order. These are some of the ways they achieve these superfast speeds:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Co-location is at the heart of HFT speed.</b> <i>Co-location</i> basically means placing a high frequency trader&#8217;s computers as close as physically possible to the exchange&#8217;s trade-matching computers. Doing so reduces the time it takes for the HFT trader&#8217;s computers to receive important market information. By placing their computers as close as possible to an exchange&#8217;s matching engine, high frequency traders are able to have faster access to changes in price and the order book.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>News service providers get a look at important economic data prior to the official release.</b> They then place the news in servers close to the exchanges so that when the news is released, it&#8217;s available in different geographical locations at exactly the same time. High frequency traders with their computers located close to the news servers will be at an advantage because they can get the released news more quickly and then trade on the news faster than other market participants.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Routing via a dark pool exposes you to the possibility of being front run and of information leakage. </b>When an order is first routed through a dark pool or even several dark pools, it&#8217;s leaking information all the time. The type of order, the price information and the amount of stocks in the order are all valuable information to other traders. This information is being sent electronically and is therefore at risk of being picked up or even given to other market participants, which is why it&#8217;s called <i>information leakage.</i> Make sure that it&#8217;s a dark pool you&#8217;re happy to have your orders go through.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-05-02T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":207527},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-27T16:47:55+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-04-26T18:13:09+00:00","timestamp":"2022-04-27T00:01:25+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Personal Finance","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34273"},"slug":"personal-finance","categoryId":34273},{"name":"Investing","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34288"},"slug":"investing","categoryId":34288},{"name":"Investment Vehicles","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34290"},"slug":"investment-vehicles","categoryId":34290},{"name":"Stocks","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34298"},"slug":"stocks","categoryId":34298}],"title":"Trend Trading For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"trend trading for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"trend-trading-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Learn the basics of trend trading, including why it's so effective, other factors to keep in mind, and how to manage your risk.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"The practicality of trend trading is that you're waiting for the market to \"show its hand\" by establishing a clear direction and then jumping onboard for the ride.\r\n\r\nThis handy Cheat Sheet provides an overview of how to follow the big-money market players to the glorious land of profitability. Get tips on why trend trading works so well, how to determine a trend that will continue after you enter the market, and how to manage your risk once you're in a trade.","description":"The practicality of trend trading is that you're waiting for the market to \"show its hand\" by establishing a clear direction and then jumping onboard for the ride.\r\n\r\nThis handy Cheat Sheet provides an overview of how to follow the big-money market players to the glorious land of profitability. Get tips on why trend trading works so well, how to determine a trend that will continue after you enter the market, and how to manage your risk once you're in a trade.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9347,"name":"Barry Burns","slug":"barry-burns","description":"Barry Burns, PhD, is the founder of TopDogTrading.com, which he created to help students shorten the time it takes to become professional traders. He was the lead moderator for the FuturesTalk.net chat room, has written numerous articles, and has been featured in several books and online trading radio programs.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9347"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34298,"title":"Stocks","slug":"stocks","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34298"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":203480,"title":"3 Ways to Use the Momentum Indicator","slug":"3-ways-to-use-the-momentum-indicator","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/203480"}},{"articleId":149823,"title":"Why Trend Trading Is So Effective","slug":"why-trend-trading-is-so-effective","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/149823"}},{"articleId":149811,"title":"Managing Your Risk","slug":"managing-your-risk","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/149811"}},{"articleId":149810,"title":"Understand the Other \"Energies\" You Need to Trend Trade Profitably","slug":"understand-the-other-energies-you-need-to-trend-trade-profitably","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/149810"}},{"articleId":149799,"title":"The Holy Grail of Trading Success","slug":"the-holy-grail-of-trading-success","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/149799"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":283116,"title":"10 Reasons Not to Invest in Marijuana Stocks","slug":"10-reasons-not-to-invest-in-marijuana-stocks","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/283116"}},{"articleId":283111,"title":"11 Criteria for Choosing a Cannabis Investment","slug":"11-criteria-for-choosing-a-cannabis-investment","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/283111"}},{"articleId":283105,"title":"Cannabis Investments: Risks Inherent in Momentum Investing","slug":"cannabis-investments-risks-inherent-in-momentum-investing","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/283105"}},{"articleId":283098,"title":"Investing in Cannabis: Spotting Opportunities to Buy or Sell","slug":"investing-in-cannabis-spotting-opportunities-to-buy-or-sell","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/283098"}},{"articleId":283089,"title":"Investing in Cannabis: The Bid-Ask Spread","slug":"investing-in-cannabis-the-bid-ask-spread","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/283089"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282638,"slug":"trend-trading-for-dummies","isbn":"9781118871287","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1118871286/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1118871286/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1118871286-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1118871286/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1118871286/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/trend-trading-for-dummies-cover-9781118871287-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Trend Trading For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"\n <p><b data-author-id=\"9347\">Dr. Barry Burns</b> is the founder of TopDogTrading.com, which he created to help students shorten their learning curve in becoming professional traders. He was also the lead moderator for the FuturesTalk.net chat room, has written numerous articles, and has been featured in several books and online trading radio interviews.</p> ","authors":[{"authorId":9347,"name":"Barry Burns","slug":"barry-burns","description":"Barry Burns, PhD, is the founder of TopDogTrading.com, which he created to help students shorten the time it takes to become professional traders. He was the lead moderator for the FuturesTalk.net chat room, has written numerous articles, and has been featured in several books and online trading radio programs.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9347"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;personal-finance&quot;,&quot;investing&quot;,&quot;investment-vehicles&quot;,&quot;stocks&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781118871287&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-626887d5516c9\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;personal-finance&quot;,&quot;investing&quot;,&quot;investment-vehicles&quot;,&quot;stocks&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781118871287&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-626887d551f75\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":149823,"title":"Why Trend Trading Is So Effective","slug":"why-trend-trading-is-so-effective","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/149823"}},{"articleId":149810,"title":"Understand the Other \"Energies\" You Need to Trend Trade Profitably","slug":"understand-the-other-energies-you-need-to-trend-trade-profitably","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/149810"}},{"articleId":149811,"title":"Managing Your Risk","slug":"managing-your-risk","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","investment-vehicles","stocks"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/149811"}}],"content":[{"title":"Why trend trading is so effective","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Trend trading is a common and long-standing approach to trading for good reason: It works! Following, are some reasons why, so you don&#8217;t have to blindly accept the premise — and also because understanding why can give you the confident mindset required for successful trading.</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>The &#8220;whales&#8221; control the market. </b>The markets are priced-based on an auction model of bids and asks and buyers and sellers, so logically the big fish in the sea (the market participants with the big money — pension plans, mutual funds, banks, hedge funds, insurance companies, and other institutions) create the big moves in the market. This isn&#8217;t implying that they&#8217;re doing anything illegal; it&#8217;s simply a matter that large amounts of money invested in the markets cause them to move. If one market participant has a lot of money, it may be able to move the market by itself. As a group, the big-money players have even more market-moving power.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">Trend trading (also known as trend following) is one of the easiest and most reliable ways to make money in the markets because you&#8217;re following the leaders (sometimes called &#8220;the smart money&#8221;).</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Trend trading is one of the simplest approaches to trading.</b> The world of trading has become increasingly complex, causing many traders to suffer from information overload. From an endless number of trading systems, indicators, automated computer trading programs, and trading theories (with more being created every day), new traders often feel the need to study everything available. As a result, they become overwhelmed and confused.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">Trend trading is a simple approach to the markets that doesn&#8217;t require a lot of fancy technology or an intimate knowledge of mathematics, geometry, or market theory. Therefore, trend trading is one of the simplest approaches to trading.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Trend trading has stood the test of time.</b> Documentation of trend trading dates back to the 19th and 20th centuries, and it continues to be popular to this day. One of the most famous trading experiments ever conducted, gathering a group of students with no trading experience in an attempt to turn them into successful traders (the &#8220;Turtle Traders&#8221;), was used with a trend following approach.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"The other 'energies' you need to trend trade profitably","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>As good as trend trading is, trend shouldn&#8217;t be the only factor in considering whether or not to take a trade. Other factors must be added to it to provide enough variables to create a probability scenario that puts the odds on your side.</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Trading in the direction of the trend (the dominant direction of the market) is a great place to start.</b> Determining the direction of the market at any given time is easy. The more important question for a trader is, &#8220;Will the market continue in that direction after I enter the market?&#8221;</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Knowing the strength of the trend will help you determine the probability of the market continuing to move in the direction of the trend after you enter your trade.</b> Use an indicator that measures momentum to determine whether the trend is strong or weak before you take a position in the market.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Determining the time to enter your trend trade is critical</b>. If you get in too early, the market may experience a steep correction against your position before the trend continues. If you enter too late, the trend may be coming to an end. Use a cycle indicator and wave counts to determine the ideal time to enter the trend.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Managing your risk","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>All types of trading are risky, including trend trading. No matter what type of trading you do, not employing risk-management techniques in your trading is fiscally irresponsible. Here are few techniques to get you started managing risk:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Manage leverage responsibly</b>. Leverage is a two-edged sword. It can help you make money faster, but it can also cause you to lose money faster. Consult with your broker regarding the amount of leverage made available to you to help you decide whether you should use leverage. Be conservative in your decision.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">Don&#8217;t risk more money than you can afford to lose without disrupting your overall financial life plan.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Practice diversification</b>. Trading various uncorrelated markets concurrently can help dilute the risk of having all your money committed to one financial vehicle.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Consider hedging your positions with options and/or futures. </b>These highly leveraged tools can help offset the risk of your primary position with a relatively small amount of money. It&#8217;s similar to buying insurance.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Utilize effective money-management techniques</b>. Use protective stops to help limit the amount of loss you&#8217;ll accept on every trade. <b>Note: </b>You shouldn&#8217;t use protective stops only for each trade but also to limit the amount of money you&#8217;re willing to lose in a given day, week, month, quarter, and year.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"One year","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-04-26T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":207654},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-27T16:48:04+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-04-18T21:00:05+00:00","timestamp":"2022-04-19T00:01:29+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Personal Finance","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34273"},"slug":"personal-finance","categoryId":34273},{"name":"Loans & Credit","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34301"},"slug":"loans-credit","categoryId":34301},{"name":"Mortgages","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34306"},"slug":"mortgages","categoryId":34306}],"title":"Reverse Mortgages For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"reverse mortgages for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"reverse-mortgages-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Get a quick rundown of what a reverse mortgage is, it's benefits and disadvantages, and learn some loan process planning tips.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"You've probably heard a lot about reverse mortgages, as they are a popular, safe, simple way to supplement seniors' retirement incomes. Before you get started, you need to understand the benefits and disadvantages of getting a reverse mortgage. If you decide a reverse mortgage may be the right answer for you, follow some planning tips to help make the loan process easier.","description":"You've probably heard a lot about reverse mortgages, as they are a popular, safe, simple way to supplement seniors' retirement incomes. Before you get started, you need to understand the benefits and disadvantages of getting a reverse mortgage. If you decide a reverse mortgage may be the right answer for you, follow some planning tips to help make the loan process easier.","blurb":"","authors":[],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34306,"title":"Mortgages","slug":"mortgages","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34306"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":251554,"title":"How to Improve Your Fico Score","slug":"improve-fico-score","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","mortgages"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/251554"}},{"articleId":251551,"title":"How Does A Reverse Mortgage Work?","slug":"reverse-mortgage-work","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","mortgages"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/251551"}},{"articleId":251548,"title":"How to Pay Off Mortgage Faster","slug":"pay-off-mortgage-faster","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","mortgages"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/251548"}},{"articleId":251545,"title":"Not All Mortgage Insurance is Tax Deductible","slug":"not-mortgage-insurance-tax-deductible","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","mortgages"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/251545"}},{"articleId":251542,"title":"Paying Off Mortgage Early vs Investing","slug":"paying-off-mortgage-early-vs-investing","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","mortgages"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/251542"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":0,"slug":null,"isbn":null,"categoryList":null,"amazon":null,"image":null,"title":null,"testBankPinActivationLink":null,"bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":null,"authors":null,"_links":null},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;personal-finance&quot;,&quot;loans-credit&quot;,&quot;mortgages&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-625dfbd9be073\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;personal-finance&quot;,&quot;loans-credit&quot;,&quot;mortgages&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-625dfbd9be9ec\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":153287,"title":"Understand Reverse Mortgages","slug":"understand-reverse-mortgages","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","mortgages"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/153287"}},{"articleId":153289,"title":"Know What a Reverse Mortgage Isn't","slug":"know-what-a-reverse-mortgage-isnt","categoryList":[],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/153289"}},{"articleId":153288,"title":"Quick Reverse Mortgage Planning Tips","slug":"quick-reverse-mortgage-planning-tips","categoryList":[],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/153288"}}],"content":[{"title":"Understand reverse mortgages","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>People tend to shy away from the very idea of reverse mortgages, in part because of their former bad rap, and in part because of all the scary terminology. When someone starts spouting off about how you can &#8220;utilize the equity in your home on deferred payments with a conversion mortgage,&#8221; chances are pretty good you&#8217;re going to tune it out.</p>\n<p>Reverse mortgages pay you to continue living in your home. You can think of your home as the Bank of You: You&#8217;re borrowing money that you would have earned had you sold your house. You can then use the money for whatever you want. Anything your heart desires (and your wallet can handle) is yours for the taking, whether it&#8217;s a vacation in Switzerland, moving your master bedroom to the first floor, or sending yourself to college!</p>\n<p>The concept is kind of abstract if you&#8217;ve been paying a lender for the past 30 years or so, and it may be difficult to grasp at first. Take a look at the quick reference points below:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">You&#8217;re a homeowner who owes little or nothing on your home. You decide you need more money to live the lifestyle you want, but your biggest asset is your home and you certainly don&#8217;t want to sell it to get the money you need.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">A reverse mortgage lender figures out how much it can lend you based on your home value, your age, and interest rates, and loans you some percentage of the money you would have gotten if you&#8217;d decided to sell your home.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">You still own your home and continue to live in it, but now you&#8217;re getting payments from the lender, so your cash flow problem is solved.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">You pay the loan back (with interest) only when you don&#8217;t live in the house full time anymore, usually due to moving out or death.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">You never owe more than your home is worth, no matter how much you&#8217;ve accumulated in debt.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">You keep any leftover equity after the sale of the house; if you owe the lender $67,000 and your home sells for $200,000, you put the difference in your pocket and walk away smiling.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p>A reverse mortgage is sometimes called a <i>deferred payment </i>loan, and for a very good reason. Instead of paying off the home loan as you borrow money, the payments are put off (deferred). This is why reverse mortgages can be such a good choice for seniors; when you&#8217;re on a fixed income or living off of your savings, it can help to have some extra cash in hand to supplement.</p>\n<p class=\"Remember\">Because payment is deferred, you are spending the equity in your home, rather than earning it (as you would with a traditional forward mortgage). Since equity is an intangible value, you never feel the effects of the equity going down, but you sure feel the money flowing steadily into your checking account.</p>\n"},{"title":"Know what a reverse mortgage isn't","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>A reverse mortgage can be a lot of things: a way to make ends meet, a nice chunk of change for a rainy day, a fabulous dream vacation, or a remodeled kitchen. But there&#8217;s one thing it&#8217;s definitely not — free money. There’s no free lunch here.</p>\n<p class=\"Warning\">While reverse mortgages allow homeowners (who are at least 62 years old) to borrow against their home&#8217;s equity and still maintain ownership of the home, your loan will need to be paid back, just like any other loan (whether it&#8217;s due when you move or upon your death).</p>\n<p>There are fees involved that can include payments to the originator, the appraiser, postage fees, recording fees . . . the list goes on and on. (These are the same sort of fees you paid for the mortgage that bought you the home you live in now.) You also have to pay interest on your loan, which is generally right around the interest rates on traditional mortgages.</p>\n<p class=\"Remember\">You only pay interest on what you borrow, so any money that you don&#8217;t use from your pool of reverse mortgage funds isn&#8217;t charged.</p>\n<p class=\"Warning\">A reverse mortgage is also not a direct value-to-dollar loan. You are loaned a percentage of your home value, based on age, interest rates, and area. Don&#8217;t expect the full value of your home, or you&#8217;ll be very disappointed.</p>\n<p>Lastly, a reverse mortgage is not an all-encompassing loan that&#8217;s right for everyone. Just because you qualify by being a 62-year-old homeowner doesn&#8217;t mean you&#8217;re an ideal candidate. To find out whether or not a reverse mortgage is right for you, here are a few of the basic questions you can ask yourself:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Are you at least 62 and own your own home?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Do you plan to be in your home for at least 5 years?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">If you&#8217;re getting the loan to purchase or pay off something specific, have you looked into other options for financing those expenses?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Are you comfortable with the terms of the loan?</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p>The more of these questions you can answer &#8220;yes&#8221; to, the more ready you are for a reverse mortgage.</p>\n"},{"title":"Quick reverse mortgage planning tips","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Before you make up your mind about pursuing a reverse mortgage, take a minute to make sure you&#8217;re starting out on the right foot. Having a strong foundation will make your loan process much easier, both for you and for the professionals involved.</p>\n<p>For the best planning, follow these tips:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Know all you can about reverse mortgages before you walk into your counselor&#8217;s or originator&#8217;s office.</b> It pays to be well-informed, and you&#8217;ll be more relaxed when you know what to expect.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Make sure you qualify for the loan (you&#8217;re at least 62 and own your home).</b> When in doubt, just go for it. It never hurts to go talk to the counselor, and if you don&#8217;t qualify the counselor may know of another program that can solve your financial situation.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Get to know the loan options.</b> Read about each one, and consider which works best for you based on your home value, county, and age. Get your family&#8217;s input as well, but always do what feels right to you. After all, it&#8217;s your loan.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Plan your repayment carefully.</b> Don&#8217;t leave this important step to the last minute or unresolved for your heirs. Lay out a plan and be sure to record it in your will. Talk to your family about their future responsibilities.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>When you go to your counselor meeting, take along a friend or family member who can help you take notes, ask additional questions, and weigh in afterward.</b> Sometimes it helps to have someone there to bounce options off of, or just hold your hand while your counselor explains your choices.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Get your money&#8217;s worth out of your originator.</b> Ask as many questions as you can think of, call if anything comes up before or after the loan closes, and feel free to ask for help along the way. You&#8217;re paying for their services — make it count.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Before your appraiser arrives, spruce up your house (within reason).</b> Give everything a good scrubbing and fix the little things that are broken. Try to look at your home from an appraiser&#8217;s point of view and be realistic in your expectations of your home&#8217;s value.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>If you&#8217;re an adult child of someone who&#8217;s thinking of getting a reverse mortgage, find out all you can about the loan, and be a part of the process if your parent allows it.</b></p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>If you&#8217;re a baby boomer, start planning now!</b> Pay off as much of your current mortgage as you can afford, and get your home ready to be a retirement paradise.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Most importantly, if you ever have questions or don&#8217;t feel comfortable with some part of the loan, stop!</b> Ask questions and get them resolved before you move on.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-04-18T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":207693},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-27T16:57:28+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-04-15T17:01:33+00:00","timestamp":"2022-04-15T18:01:06+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Personal Finance","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34273"},"slug":"personal-finance","categoryId":34273},{"name":"Loans & Credit","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34301"},"slug":"loans-credit","categoryId":34301},{"name":"Bankruptcy","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34302"},"slug":"bankruptcy","categoryId":34302}],"title":"Personal Bankruptcy Laws For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"personal bankruptcy laws for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"personal-bankruptcy-laws-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Filing for personal bankruptcy means answering questions about your finances, figuring out which bills to continue paying, and more.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Going through the process of filing personal bankruptcy isn't fun, but it’s sometimes necessary and can be a huge relief. Filing for personal bankruptcy means you have to answer some tough questions about your finances, consider your situation in light of the new bankruptcy law, figure out which bills to continue paying, and probably deal with debt collectors.","description":"Going through the process of filing personal bankruptcy isn't fun, but it’s sometimes necessary and can be a huge relief. Filing for personal bankruptcy means you have to answer some tough questions about your finances, consider your situation in light of the new bankruptcy law, figure out which bills to continue paying, and probably deal with debt collectors.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":10504,"name":"James P. Caher","slug":"james-p-caher","description":"James P. Caher, a practicing attorney with 30 years of experience, is a nationally recognized expert on consumer bankruptcies and authority on the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005. He is the coauthor of Debt Free! Your Guide to Personal Bankruptcy Without Shame, Discharging Marital Obligations in Bankruptcy, and Discharging Credit Card Debts in Bankruptcy. Caher also serves on the editorial board of the American Bankruptcy Institute.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/10504"}},{"authorId":10505,"name":"John M. Caher","slug":"john-m-caher","description":"John M. Caher is a legal journalist who has written about law and the courts for over 25 years. Currently the Albany bureau chief for the New York Law Journal, Caher previously was state editor and legal affairs reporter for the Times Union of Albany. His legal reportage has won more than two dozen awards, including honors from the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, and the Associated Press. He is the author of King of the Mountain: The Rise, Fall and Redemption of Chief Judge Sol Wachtler, and the principal writer assisting former U.S. Treasury Secretary William E. Simon with his autobiography, A Time for Reflection.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/10505"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34302,"title":"Bankruptcy","slug":"bankruptcy","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34302"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":202970,"title":"Filing for Personal Bankruptcy as Chapter 7 or Chapter 13","slug":"filing-for-personal-bankruptcy-as-chapter-7-or-chapter-13","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","bankruptcy"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/202970"}},{"articleId":202868,"title":"Selecting a Broker for Your Personal Finance Transactions","slug":"selecting-a-broker-for-your-personal-finance-transactions","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","bankruptcy"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/202868"}},{"articleId":194297,"title":"What Bills to Pay First when Considering Personal Bankruptcy","slug":"what-bills-to-pay-first-when-considering-personal-bankruptcy","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","bankruptcy"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/194297"}},{"articleId":194293,"title":"How to Deal with Debt Collectors during Personal Bankruptcy","slug":"how-to-deal-with-debt-collectors-during-personal-bankruptcy","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","bankruptcy"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/194293"}},{"articleId":194289,"title":"Questions to Answer when Considering Personal Bankruptcy","slug":"questions-to-answer-when-considering-personal-bankruptcy","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","bankruptcy"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/194289"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":202970,"title":"Filing for Personal Bankruptcy as Chapter 7 or Chapter 13","slug":"filing-for-personal-bankruptcy-as-chapter-7-or-chapter-13","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","bankruptcy"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/202970"}},{"articleId":202868,"title":"Selecting a Broker for Your Personal Finance Transactions","slug":"selecting-a-broker-for-your-personal-finance-transactions","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","bankruptcy"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/202868"}},{"articleId":194297,"title":"What Bills to Pay First when Considering Personal Bankruptcy","slug":"what-bills-to-pay-first-when-considering-personal-bankruptcy","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","bankruptcy"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/194297"}},{"articleId":194293,"title":"How to Deal with Debt Collectors during Personal Bankruptcy","slug":"how-to-deal-with-debt-collectors-during-personal-bankruptcy","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","bankruptcy"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/194293"}},{"articleId":194289,"title":"Questions to Answer when Considering Personal Bankruptcy","slug":"questions-to-answer-when-considering-personal-bankruptcy","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","bankruptcy"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/194289"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282454,"slug":"personal-bankruptcy-laws-for-dummies-2nd-edition","isbn":"9780471773801","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","bankruptcy"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471773808/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0471773808/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/0471773808-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0471773808/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/0471773808/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/personal-bankruptcy-laws-for-dummies-2nd-edition-cover-9780471773801-201x255.jpg","width":201,"height":255},"title":"Personal Bankruptcy Laws For Dummies, 2nd Edition","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"\n <b data-author-id=\"10504\">James P. Caher,</b> a practicing attorney with 30 years of experience, is a nationally recognized expert on consumer bankruptcies and authority on the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005.<br> Jim coauthored, with his brother John, <i>Debt Free! Your Guide to Personal Bankruptcy Without Shame</i> (Henry Holt, 1996) and two highly regarded books for lawyers: <i>Discharging Marital Obligations in Bankruptcy</i> (LRP, 1997) and <i>Discharging Credit Card Debts in Bankruptcy</i> (LRP, 1998).<br> In addition, Jim has published scores of articles for bankruptcy professionals and is frequently called upon to analyze and interpret the complicated provisions of the 2005 bankruptcy law. He was labeled the “online guru” by a national legal weekly because of his regular appearances on the Internet as an expert analyst on bankruptcy law. Jim also serves on the editorial board of the American Bankruptcy Institute.<br> Jim graduated from Niagara University and then earned his law degree from Memphis State University Law School, where he was a member of the Law Review and recipient of the American Jurisprudence Award for Excellence in the field of debtor-creditor relations. He filed his first consumer bankruptcy case shortly after graduating in 1975. Jim lives and practices in Eugene, Oregon. <p><b data-author-id=\"10505\">John M. Caher</b> is a legal journalist who has written about law and the courts for most of his 25-year career.<br> Currently the Albany bureau chief for the <i>New York Law Journal</i>, John previously was state editor and legal affairs reporter for the <i>Times Union</i> of Albany, New York. His legal reportage has won more than two dozen awards, including prestigious honors from the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, the Erie County Bar Association, and the Associated Press.<br> John coauthored, with his brother Jim, <i>Debt Free! Your Guide to Personal Bankruptcy Without Shame</i> (Henry Holt, 1996). He is the author of <i>King of the Mountain: The Rise, Fall and Redemption of Chief Judge Sol Wachtler</i> (Prometheus Books, 1998). In addition, John was the principal writer assisting former U.S. Treasury Secretary William E. Simon in preparation of his memoirs. Mr. Simon’s autobiography, <i>A Time for Reflection,</i> was published in 2003 by Regnery.<br> John is a 1980 graduate of Utica College of Syracuse University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in journalism, and a 1993 graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he earned a master’s degree in technical communications/graphics. John lives in Clifton Park, New York.</p> ","authors":[{"authorId":10504,"name":"James P. Caher","slug":"james-p-caher","description":"James P. Caher, a practicing attorney with 30 years of experience, is a nationally recognized expert on consumer bankruptcies and authority on the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005. He is the coauthor of Debt Free! Your Guide to Personal Bankruptcy Without Shame, Discharging Marital Obligations in Bankruptcy, and Discharging Credit Card Debts in Bankruptcy. Caher also serves on the editorial board of the American Bankruptcy Institute.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/10504"}},{"authorId":10505,"name":"John M. Caher","slug":"john-m-caher","description":"John M. Caher is a legal journalist who has written about law and the courts for over 25 years. Currently the Albany bureau chief for the New York Law Journal, Caher previously was state editor and legal affairs reporter for the Times Union of Albany. His legal reportage has won more than two dozen awards, including honors from the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, and the Associated Press. He is the author of King of the Mountain: The Rise, Fall and Redemption of Chief Judge Sol Wachtler, and the principal writer assisting former U.S. Treasury Secretary William E. Simon with his autobiography, A Time for Reflection.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/10505"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;personal-finance&quot;,&quot;loans-credit&quot;,&quot;bankruptcy&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9780471773801&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-6259b2e21aebf\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;personal-finance&quot;,&quot;loans-credit&quot;,&quot;bankruptcy&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9780471773801&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-6259b2e21b3ee\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":194278,"title":"What the Newest Bankruptcy Law Means to You","slug":"what-the-newest-bankruptcy-law-means-to-you","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","bankruptcy"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/194278"}},{"articleId":194289,"title":"Questions to Answer when Considering Personal Bankruptcy","slug":"questions-to-answer-when-considering-personal-bankruptcy","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","bankruptcy"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/194289"}},{"articleId":194297,"title":"What Bills to Pay First when Considering Personal Bankruptcy","slug":"what-bills-to-pay-first-when-considering-personal-bankruptcy","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","bankruptcy"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/194297"}},{"articleId":194293,"title":"How to Deal with Debt Collectors during Personal Bankruptcy","slug":"how-to-deal-with-debt-collectors-during-personal-bankruptcy","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","loans-credit","bankruptcy"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/194293"}}],"content":[{"title":"Questions to answer when considering personal bankruptcy","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>If you&#8217;re thinking about personal bankruptcy, you&#8217;re looking at some hard questions and harder choices. Answer the questions in the following list to figure out whether you should consider bankruptcy and what type:</p>\n<ol class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Can you pay off your debts (except mortgages) within three years while maintaining an objectively tolerable standard of living?</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\"><b>YES:</b> Congratulations! You&#8217;re probably on fairly solid financial footing.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\"><b>NO:</b> Consider bankruptcy. Depending on your circumstances, your options may be</p>\n<ol class=\"level-two\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Chapter 7, in which many of your debts are forgiven immediately and you surrender nonexempt property (96 percent of filers don&#8217;t lose any of their assets).</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Chapter 13, where you pay a portion of your debts over three to five years.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Is your median income greater than the median income for your state?</b></p>\n<p class=\"child-para\"><b>YES:</b> Your repayment plan must run for five years if you go the Chapter 13 route. Your Chapter 7 may be dismissed if your debts are primarily consumer debts <i>and</i> you flunk the Means Test (see Step 5).</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\"><b>NO:</b> You automatically pass the Means Test. If you choose Chapter 13, your repayment plan can span only three years. The five-year repayment plan is not required (meaning that you&#8217;re not get stuck committing all of your disposable income to a repayment plan for five years).</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Do you have nonexempt property that you want to keep? Do you need time to catch up on your mortgage? Do you owe taxes or support obligations that you want to pay off over </b>time<b> without being hassled? </b></p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">It varies by state, but generally homesteads, pensions, cars, and household goods are exempt.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\"><b>YES:</b> Consider Chapter 13 bankruptcy. If your income is greater than the median, you have to pay for five years. Otherwise, a three-plan is an option.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\"><b>NO:</b> Consider Chapter 7 bankruptcy.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Are your </b>debts<b> primarily consumer debts and your income greater than the median?</b></p>\n<p class=\"child-para\"><b>YES:</b> Take the Means Test, outlined in Step 5.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\"><b>NO:</b> Choose either Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 — whichever is more beneficial to you. See Chapter 4.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Do you pass </b>the<b> Means Test? </b></p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">Deduct the following monthly expenses from your gross monthly income:</p>\n<ol class=\"level-two\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">IRS living, housing, and transportation expenses (excluding mortgage and car payments)</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Mandatory payroll deductions (taxes, FICA, and repayments on pension loan) and future support obligations</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Health insurance premiums</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Debt payments, such as regular mortgage and car payments, 1/60 of past due mortgage and car payments, and 1/60 of past due support obligations</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Is the difference between your monthly expenses and gross monthly income less than $100? (If the difference is more, proceed to Step 7.)</b></p>\n<p class=\"child-para\"><b>YES:</b> You pass the Means Test and may choose between Chapter 7 and Chapter 13.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\"><b>NO:</b> You <i>may</i> be restricted to Chapter 13.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Is the difference between your monthly expenses and gross monthly income between $100 </b>and<b> $166.66 per month and less than 25 percent of your unsecured nonpriority debts (regular obligations such as credit cards and medical bills divided by 60)?</b></p>\n<p class=\"child-para\"><b>YES:</b> You pass the Means Test.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\"><b>NO:</b> You&#8217;re limited to Chapter 13.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Is the </b>difference<b> between your monthly expenses and gross monthly income more than $166.67 per month? </b></p>\n<p class=\"child-para\"><b>YES:</b> You&#8217;re limited to Chapter 13.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\"><b>NO:</b> Choose between Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 — whichever is more beneficial to you.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n"},{"title":"What bills to pay first when considering personal bankruptcy","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>If filing for personal bankruptcy is on your radar, continue paying whatever bills you can to stay within the law. Prioritize bill payments with the help of this list:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Rent (unless you plan to move)</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Utilities</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Car (if you want to keep it)</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Mortgage (if you want to keep your home)</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Fines</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Child support and spousal support</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Income taxes</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"How to deal with debt collectors during personal bankruptcy","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>If you&#8217;re facing personal bankruptcy, you&#8217;ve probably heard from debt collectors. A debt collector&#8217;s job is to get you to pay their client&#8217;s debt, and they can be very inventive in finding ways to motivate you to do that. Debt collectors, however, are bound by laws, just as you are. What debt collectors can&#8217;t do include the following:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Call you early in the morning, late at night, or at any other unreasonable time or place.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Harass you.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Contact you at work if your employer prohibits personal calls.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Threaten you.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Tell anyone (other than your spouse, lawyer, or cosigner) that you&#8217;re in debt.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Bug you once you&#8217;ve told them to bug off.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p class=\"Remember\">If a debt collector breaks the rules, you have options: First, tell them you know what the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is and how to use it. Then, use it by filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, Correspondence Branch, 600 Pennsylvania NW, Washington, D.C., 20580.</p>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Solve","lifeExpectancy":"One year","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-04-15T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":209274},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2020-04-07T19:25:00+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-04-08T16:03:33+00:00","timestamp":"2022-04-08T18:01:06+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Personal Finance","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34273"},"slug":"personal-finance","categoryId":34273},{"name":"Financing Education","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34279"},"slug":"financing-education","categoryId":34279}],"title":"Paying For College For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"paying for college for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"paying-for-college-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Let the tips in this Cheat Sheet guide you through making decisions about paying for a college education, whether it's yours or your child's.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"If you’re thinking of sending your child to college one day (or attending college yourself), you have a lot of decisions to make: how to save money for college, which colleges may be a good fit, whether an alternative to a four-year college may be a better option, plus seeking financial aid, scholarships, and grants. <em>Paying For College For Dummies</em> can help you make the most of your money and guide you through the decisions of choosing which post-high school path is right for your child.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_269922\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-269922\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/paying-college.jpg\" alt=\"paying for college concept\" width=\"556\" height=\"369\" /> © zimmytws / Shutterstock.com[/caption]","description":"If you’re thinking of sending your child to college one day (or attending college yourself), you have a lot of decisions to make: how to save money for college, which colleges may be a good fit, whether an alternative to a four-year college may be a better option, plus seeking financial aid, scholarships, and grants. <em>Paying For College For Dummies</em> can help you make the most of your money and guide you through the decisions of choosing which post-high school path is right for your child.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_269922\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-269922\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/paying-college.jpg\" alt=\"paying for college concept\" width=\"556\" height=\"369\" /> © zimmytws / Shutterstock.com[/caption]","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":8975,"name":"Eric Tyson","slug":"eric-tyson","description":"Eric Tyson, MBA, is a personal finance writer, lecturer, and former management consultant to Fortune 500 financial service firms. He is the author or coauthor of more than 20 Dummies books on personal finance.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8975"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34279,"title":"Financing Education","slug":"financing-education","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34279"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":270593,"title":"10 Education Tax Breaks and Rules You Should Know About","slug":"10-education-tax-breaks-and-rules-you-should-know-about","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","financing-education"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/270593"}},{"articleId":270590,"title":"The Value of Academic Success (Good Grades)","slug":"the-value-of-academic-success-good-grades","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","financing-education"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/270590"}},{"articleId":270587,"title":"Raising Money-Smart Kids in the Early Years","slug":"raising-money-smart-kids-in-the-early-years","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","financing-education"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/270587"}},{"articleId":270584,"title":"10 Tips for Getting Your College Degree More Quickly","slug":"10-tips-for-getting-your-college-degree-more-quickly","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","financing-education"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/270584"}},{"articleId":270581,"title":"10 Important Money Management Steps for Young Adults","slug":"10-important-money-management-steps-for-young-adults","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","financing-education"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/270581"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":270593,"title":"10 Education Tax Breaks and Rules You Should Know About","slug":"10-education-tax-breaks-and-rules-you-should-know-about","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","financing-education"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/270593"}},{"articleId":270590,"title":"The Value of Academic Success (Good Grades)","slug":"the-value-of-academic-success-good-grades","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","financing-education"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/270590"}},{"articleId":270587,"title":"Raising Money-Smart Kids in the Early Years","slug":"raising-money-smart-kids-in-the-early-years","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","financing-education"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/270587"}},{"articleId":270584,"title":"10 Tips for Getting Your College Degree More Quickly","slug":"10-tips-for-getting-your-college-degree-more-quickly","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","financing-education"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/270584"}},{"articleId":270581,"title":"10 Important Money Management Steps for Young Adults","slug":"10-important-money-management-steps-for-young-adults","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","financing-education"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/270581"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282450,"slug":"paying-for-college-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119651475","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","financing-education"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119651476/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119651476/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119651476-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119651476/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119651476/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/paying-for-college-for-dummies-cover-9781119651475-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Paying For College For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"\n <p><b data-author-id=\"8975\">Eric Tyson</b>, MBA, is a personal finance writer, lecturer, and former management consultant to Fortune 500 financial service firms. He is the author or coauthor of more than 20 Dummies books on personal finance.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":8975,"name":"Eric Tyson","slug":"eric-tyson","description":"Eric Tyson, MBA, is a personal finance writer, lecturer, and former management consultant to Fortune 500 financial service firms. He is the author or coauthor of more than 20 Dummies books on personal finance.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8975"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;personal-finance&quot;,&quot;financing-education&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119651475&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-625078621b812\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;personal-finance&quot;,&quot;financing-education&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119651475&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-625078621bd1a\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":0,"title":"","slug":null,"categoryList":[],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/"}}],"content":[{"title":"Saving and schooling options: Tips to guide you through college decisions","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<ul>\n<li>The prices at four-year colleges and universities, especially private ones, are daunting to most people. So, you should absolutely, positively look around, inspect, and compare to see what you’re getting for all that money.</li>\n<li>Increasing numbers of alternatives to traditional four-year colleges offer students lower-cost and shorter-term programs. Take some time to find out and consider what’s out there and compare those options to the best traditional colleges you’re considering.</li>\n<li>Raising children is a long-term and costly endeavor. So, get your personal finances in top shape to run this financial marathon. You should also understand how colleges set prices based upon your financial situation, as that may impact how you save and invest your money.</li>\n<li>As your kids grow up, be sure to expose them to important money lessons, including helping them to make the connection between working and earning money.</li>\n<li>A challenging and rewarding part of raising kids is helping them recognize and develop their talents and abilities. Be careful not to steer them in a particular way thinking that may make them more attractive to certain colleges. More often than not, such perceptions aren’t correct. Teach your kids the value of hard work, integrity, and developing their strengths and interests.</li>\n<li>There’s no substitute for visiting and investigating colleges and other programs of interest. Set aside time with your teen to discuss a process for checking out schools and what factors — including the cost and expected benefits — will influence the final selection.</li>\n<li>Where appropriate and cost-effective, enlist experts to help with evaluating and applying to colleges. Understand the strengths and limitations of school-based counselors and outside experts. Spending lots of money won’t necessarily lead to better outcomes.</li>\n<li>Understand how colleges collect and evaluate your personal and financial information to decide how much to charge you.</li>\n<li>Four-year colleges are certainly one of the most popular options for high school graduates. But there are others including community colleges, trade schools, apprenticeships, boot camps, last-mile programs, and more. Visit schools, take tours, ask lots of questions, and do your homework on each.</li>\n<li>Generally speaking, parents will be better off regarding financial aid applications and college pricing if they save and invest in their own names (as opposed to their kid’s) and take advantage of retirement savings plans.</li>\n<li>Financial aid forms can be intimidating and tedious to complete. Understand how to complete those forms accurately and to your best advantage.</li>\n<li>Colleges are the biggest purveyors of grants and scholarships — which are really a reduced price offered to those deemed in need of financial aid or displaying academic or some other merit (for example, sports). While some outside scholarships are significant, most are relatively small in amount and often reduce the amount of aid a given school will provide your family.</li>\n<li>Ideally, your teenager will gain acceptance to multiple schools, which enables comparing the value (price and quality) offered by each to one another. You should also realize that you may be able to improve upon the financial aid offered by a given college.</li>\n<li>Conduct more due diligence before making your final decision, which should include more campus visits.</li>\n<li>Federal and state tax codes include numerous tax breaks for college expenditures. Find out what’s out there so you can take advantage of what you’re eligible for.</li>\n<li>Getting through college in a timely fashion can greatly reduce your costs of attendance. Be sure you understand how to evaluate your likelihood of completing a given college program in four years.</li>\n<li>As your teenagers enter young adulthood, be sure you’re sending them off with the financial skills and knowledge they can use and benefit from for the rest of their lives.</li>\n<li>Know how to best deal with <a href=\"https://dummies-wp-content.dummies.com/personal-finance/college-savings/borrowing-money-for-your-childs-college-education/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">student loans</a>. In addition to keeping track of them, be sure you’re aware of the myriad programs that help reduce your interest costs and repayment.</li>\n</ul>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Six months","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-04-08T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":269921},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-27T16:46:49+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-04-06T18:32:13+00:00","timestamp":"2022-04-07T00:01:07+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Personal Finance","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34273"},"slug":"personal-finance","categoryId":34273},{"name":"Investing","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34288"},"slug":"investing","categoryId":34288},{"name":"General (Investing)","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34300"},"slug":"general-investing","categoryId":34300}],"title":"High-Level Investing For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"high-level investing for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"high-level-investing-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Check out the following sites, tools, and pointers to stay informed about major markets and global issues that affect stocks.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"In high-level investing, investors and speculators track the major markets and critical global issues that affect stocks and other securities, both in the United States and other major markets. Check out the following sites, tools, and pointers to stay informed.","description":"In high-level investing, investors and speculators track the major markets and critical global issues that affect stocks and other securities, both in the United States and other major markets. Check out the following sites, tools, and pointers to stay informed.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9001,"name":"Paul Mladjenovic","slug":"paul-mladjenovic","description":"Paul Mladjenovic, CFP, is a certified financial planner practitioner, writer, and speaker. He has helped people with financial and business concerns since 1981. He is the author of Stock Investing For Dummies and has accurately forecast many economic events, such as the rise of gold, the decline of the U.S. dollar, and the housing crisis. Learn more at ravingcapitalist.com.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9001"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34300,"title":"General (Investing)","slug":"general-investing","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34300"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":139949,"title":"10 Respected Authorities on Stocks and Related Investments","slug":"10-respected-authorities-on-stocks-and-related-investments","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/139949"}},{"articleId":139944,"title":"Is the Market Overvalued? Using the Buffett Indicator","slug":"is-the-market-overvalued-using-the-buffett-indicator","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/139944"}},{"articleId":139943,"title":"An Option Strategy for a Turbulent Market: The Zero-Cost Collar","slug":"an-option-strategy-for-a-turbulent-market-the-zero-cost-collar","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/139943"}},{"articleId":139939,"title":"7 Practices of Successful Options Speculators","slug":"7-practices-of-successful-options-speculators","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/139939"}},{"articleId":139940,"title":"4 Great Simulated Stock-Trading Sites for High-Level Investors","slug":"4-great-simulated-stock-trading-sites-for-high-level-investors","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/139940"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":287556,"title":"Options Trading For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"options-trading-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/287556"}},{"articleId":285735,"title":"What Is ESG Investing?","slug":"what-is-esg-investing","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/285735"}},{"articleId":285761,"title":"Just When You Thought It Was Safe: Coronawashing","slug":"just-when-you-thought-it-was-safe-coronawashing","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/285761"}},{"articleId":273978,"title":"Investing For Canadians All-in-One For Dummies","slug":"investing-for-canadians-all-in-one-for-dummies","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273978"}},{"articleId":265694,"title":"Online Investing: Get More with a Discount Broker","slug":"online-investing-get-more-with-a-discount-broker","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/265694"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282274,"slug":"high-level-investing-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119140818","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119140811/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119140811/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119140811-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119140811/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119140811/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/high-level-investing-for-dummies-cover-9781119140818-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"High Level Investing For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"\n <p><b data-author-id=\"9001\">Paul Mladjenovic, CFP,</b> has written four editions of <i>Stock Investing For Dummies</i> and has taught would-be investors about stock investing since 1983. As a certified financial planner, he personally coaches his clients on stock investing strategies. </p>","authors":[{"authorId":9001,"name":"Paul Mladjenovic","slug":"paul-mladjenovic","description":"Paul Mladjenovic, CFP, is a certified financial planner practitioner, writer, and speaker. He has helped people with financial and business concerns since 1981. He is the author of Stock Investing For Dummies and has accurately forecast many economic events, such as the rise of gold, the decline of the U.S. dollar, and the housing crisis. Learn more at ravingcapitalist.com.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9001"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;personal-finance&quot;,&quot;investing&quot;,&quot;general-investing&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119140818&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-624e29c31c24e\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;personal-finance&quot;,&quot;investing&quot;,&quot;general-investing&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119140818&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-624e29c31c79c\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":139936,"title":"Intermarket Sites That Are Useful for High-Level Investing","slug":"intermarket-sites-that-are-useful-for-high-level-investing","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/139936"}},{"articleId":139939,"title":"7 Practices of Successful Options Speculators","slug":"7-practices-of-successful-options-speculators","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/139939"}},{"articleId":139940,"title":"4 Great Simulated Stock-Trading Sites for High-Level Investors","slug":"4-great-simulated-stock-trading-sites-for-high-level-investors","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/139940"}},{"articleId":139932,"title":"Recommended Apps for High-Level Stock Investing","slug":"recommended-apps-for-high-level-stock-investing","categoryList":["business-careers-money","personal-finance","investing","general-investing"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/139932"}}],"content":[{"title":"Intermarket sites that are useful for high-level investing","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Stocks can go up or down based on major movements in related markets. These sites track other major markets that can (or will) have a major impact on today&#8217;s stock market (and possibly your high-level investing pursuits):</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><a href=\"http://www.pensiontsunami.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>PensionTsunami</b></a><b>:</b> Pensions are massively underfunded across the corporate and government world; this site gives you all the news and analysis on this critical topic.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><a href=\"../theeconomiccollapseblog.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Economic Collapse Blog</b></a><b>:</b> Michael Snyder&#8217;s site provides thorough research on major financial and economic issues that could be problematic for the U.S. economy.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><a href=\"http://www.thebubblebubble.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>The Bubble Bubble</b></a><b>:</b> This site follows all of the potential bubbles that could burst in the next few years.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><a href=\"http://www.kereport.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>The Korelin Economics Report</b></a><b>:</b> This site provides news, commentary, and interviews with analysts on precious metals, stocks, and related topics.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><a href=\"http://www.dollarcollapse.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Dollar Collapse</b></a><b>:</b> John Rubino&#8217;s site tracks the U.S. dollar, currencies, and related markets.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"7 practices of successful options speculators","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Option strategies augment any high-level investor&#8217;s or speculator&#8217;s overall approach. If you do option strategies of any kind, the following practices will help you get ahead:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Discipline:</b> Successful options speculators make sure they aren&#8217;t susceptible to emotions such as fear or greed, and they try to avoid a bias.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Money allocation:</b> They speculate only with money allocated for options —and they don&#8217;t spend a penny more.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Patience for opportunities:</b> They don&#8217;t trade every day. They wait for the right trades.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Planning:</b> They have plans for entering and exiting a trade.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Ongoing education:</b> They don&#8217;t assume they&#8217;ve learned all they need to know about options and the underlying assets.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Hedging:</b> They aren&#8217;t totally directional. They know that the market can sometimes go against them.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Back testing:</b> They use data from past or historical trades to see how trades would have or could have resulted.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"4 great simulated stock-trading sites for high-level investors","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Before you bet real money, it&#8217;s often a good idea to test your trading, investing, or speculating approach. Here are five great (free!) sites to help high-level investors learn through simulated trading:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><a href=\"http://www.wallstreetsurvivor.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Wall Street Survivor</b></a><b>:</b> This site provides great courses on investing for beginners and experienced investors.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><a href=\"http://www.stocktrak.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Stock-Trak</b></a><b>:</b> This is a very active site for simulated trading.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><a href=\"http://www.investopedia.com/simulator/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Investopedia Stock Simulator</b></a><b>:</b> This is a great simulated stock investing program from a premier financial education site.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><a href=\"http://www.vse.marketwatch.com/www.marketwatch.com/game/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Virtual Stock Exchange</b></a><b>:</b> This is a very active simulated trading site and discussion forum with the trader community.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Recommended apps for high-level stock investing","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>In the age of tablets and smartphones, you can stay on top of your high-level investing pursuits with popular and powerful apps to keep track of stocks, do research and analysis, follow financial news and views, and more. You can find these apps on Apple&#8217;s iTunes site or via your favorite search engine:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Forbes Intelligent Investing app:</b> Forbes is a financial site, and this app has many features and tools for electronic investing.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>The Wall Street Journal app:</b> This fully featured app for investors is from the premier financial publication.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Yahoo! Finance app:</b> Yahoo is one of the top go-to financial sites, and this app brings Yahoo&#8217;s news and data to your fingertips.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>StockTwits app:</b> This app has great features designed by one of the top stock investing forums online.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>The Bloomberg Business app:</b> Bloomberg gives you stock quotes and financial headlines with this handy app.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"One year","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-04-06T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":207427}],"_links":{"self":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34273/categoryArticles?sortField=time&sortOrder=1&size=10&offset=0"},"next":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34273/categoryArticles?sortField=time&sortOrder=1&size=10&offset=10"},"last":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34273/categoryArticles?sortField=time&sortOrder=1&size=10&offset=2267"}}},"objectTitle":"","status":"success","pageType":"article-category","objectId":"34273","page":1,"sortField":"time","sortOrder":1,"categoriesIds":[],"articleTypes":[],"filterData":{"categoriesFilter":[{"itemId":0,"itemName":"All Categories","count":2277},{"itemId":34275,"itemName":"Budgeting","count":13},{"itemId":34276,"itemName":"Charitable Giving","count":7},{"itemId":34277,"itemName":"Cryptocurrency","count":87},{"itemId":34278,"itemName":"Estate Planning","count":180},{"itemId":34279,"itemName":"Financing Education","count":30},{"itemId":34311,"itemName":"General (Personal Finance)","count":28},{"itemId":34280,"itemName":"Insurance","count":30},{"itemId":34288,"itemName":"Investing","count":1548},{"itemId":34301,"itemName":"Loans & Credit","count":182},{"itemId":34084,"itemName":"Medicare","count":48},{"itemId":34308,"itemName":"Retirement","count":32},{"itemId":34309,"itemName":"Social Security","count":17},{"itemId":34310,"itemName":"Taxes","count":21},{"itemId":34274,"itemName":"Veterans' Benefits","count":54}],"articleTypeFilter":[{"articleType":"All Types","count":2277},{"articleType":"Articles","count":2183},{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","count":86},{"articleType":"Step by Step","count":7},{"articleType":"Videos","count":1}]},"filterDataLoadedStatus":"success","pageSize":10},"adsState":{"pageScripts":{"headers":{"timestamp":"2022-05-13T12:59:08+00:00"},"adsId":0,"data":{"scripts":[{"pages":["all"],"location":"header","script":"<!--Optimizely Script-->\r\n<script src=\"https://cdn.optimizely.com/js/10563184655.js\"></script>","enabled":false},{"pages":["all"],"location":"header","script":"<!-- comScore Tag -->\r\n<script>var _comscore = _comscore || [];_comscore.push({ c1: \"2\", c2: \"15097263\" });(function() {var s = document.createElement(\"script\"), el = document.getElementsByTagName(\"script\")[0]; s.async = true;s.src = (document.location.protocol == \"https:\" ? 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Medicare

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Budgeting

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General (Personal Finance)

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2,277 results
2,277 results
Mortgages Paying Off a Mortgage Early vs. Investing

Article / Updated 05-12-2022

If you talk with others or read articles or books about prepaying your mortgage, you’ll come across those who think that paying off your mortgage early is the world’s greatest money-saving device. You’ll also find that some people consider it the most colossal mistake a mortgage holder can make. The reality is often somewhere between these two extremes. Everyone has pros and cons to weigh when they decide whether prepaying a mortgage makes sense. In some cases, the pros stand head and shoulders over the cons. For other people, the drawbacks tower over the advantages. At the crux of the decision is the fact that you’re paying interest on the borrowed mortgage money, but if you use your savings to pay down the loan balance, you won’t then have that money working for you earning an investment return. More importantly, what happens if that rainy day comes along and you need those handy cash reserves? Interest savings: The benefit of paying off your mortgage early Mortgage prepayment advocates focus on how much interest you won’t be charged. On a $100,000, 30-year mortgage at 7.5 percent interest, if you pay just an extra $100 of principal per month, you shorten the loan’s term significantly. Prepayment cheerleaders argue that you’ll save approximately $56,000 over the life of the loan. It’s true that by making larger-than-required payments each month, you avoid paying some interest to the lender. In the preceding example, in fact, you’ll pay off your loan nearly ten years faster than required. But that’s only part of the story. Read on for more. Quantifying the missed opportunity to invest those extra payments When you mail an additional $100 monthly to your lender, you miss the opportunity to invest that money into something that could provide you with a return greater than the cost of the mortgage interest. Have you heard of the stock market, for example? Over the past two centuries, the U.S. stock market has produced an annual rate of return of about 9 percent. Thus, if instead of prepaying your mortgage, you put that $100 into some good stocks and earn 9 percent per year, you end up with more money over the long term than if you had prepaid your mortgage (assuming that your mortgage interest rate is below 9 percent). Conversely, if instead of paying down your mortgage more rapidly, you put your extra cash in your bank savings account, you earn little interest. Because you’re surely paying more interest on your mortgage, you lose money with this investment strategy, although you make bankers happy. If you’re contemplating paying down your mortgage more aggressively than required or investing your extra cash, consider what rate of return you can reasonably expect from investing your money and compare that expected return to the interest rate you’re paying on your mortgage. As a first step, this simple comparison can help you begin to understand whether you’re better off paying down your mortgage or investing the money elsewhere. Over the long term, growth investments, such as stocks, investment real estate, and investing in small business, have provided higher returns than the current cost of mortgage money. Taxes matter but less than you think In most cases, all of your mortgage interest is deductible on both your federal and state income tax returns. Thus, if you’re paying, say, a 6 percent annual interest rate on your mortgage, after deducting that interest cost on your federal and state income tax returns, perhaps the mortgage is really costing you only about 4 percent on an after-tax basis. For most people, approximately one-third of the total interest cost of a mortgage is offset by their reduced income tax from writing off the mortgage interest on their federal and state income tax returns. However, don’t think that you can simply compare this relatively low after-tax mortgage cost of, say, 4 percent to the expected return on most investments. The flaw with that logic is that the return on most investments, such as stocks, is ultimately taxable. So, to be fair, if you’re going to examine the after-tax cost of your mortgage, you should be comparing that with the after-tax return on your investments. Alternatively, you could simplify matters for yourself and get a ballpark answer just by comparing the pretax mortgage cost to your expected pretax investment return. (Technically speaking, this comparison isn’t as precise as the after-tax analysis because income tax considerations generally don’t exactly equally reduce the cost of the mortgage and the investment return.)

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General (Personal Finance) How to Ease Financial Uncertainty

Article / Updated 05-12-2022

Life can throw you some financial curveballs, but you don't have to be at the mercy of financial markets even if you're not able to control them. To protect against financial uncertainties, use the following strategies: Plan for life's certainties and prepare for life's uncertainties. Invest in and protect your ability to earn money; it's likely your most valuable asset. Adequately insure yourself, your stuff, and your income stream. Minimize or eliminate debt, and focus on building a great credit score. Maintain an emergency reserve fund. Invest for your goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance. Diversify your portfolio across a broad mix of asset classes. Monitor and rebalance your portfolio to maintain your target asset allocation.

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Stocks Candlestick Charting For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 05-03-2022

Make smart trading decisions using candlestick charting. This cheat sheet shows you how to read the data that makes up a candlestick chart, figure out how to analyze a candlestick chart, and identify some common candlestick patterns.

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Commodities Commodities For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 05-03-2022

The major commodities exchanges trade specific commodities worldwide, and the main regulatory organizations provide information and enforce codes to protect commodities investors. When investing in commodities, use guidelines and advice from the experts to lower your risks.

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General (Investing) Dark Pools and High Frequency Trading For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 05-02-2022

Dark pools and high frequency trading (HFT) are contentious subjects in financial markets. Billions of dollars are traded through dark pools, and HFT algorithms with just small, incremental price differences make billions of dollars. And it all can happen in milliseconds. Most importantly, dark pools and HFT are part of the current market environment. Anyone who’s invested in the markets needs to know what they’re involved with and what they’re up against.

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Stocks Trend Trading For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-26-2022

The practicality of trend trading is that you're waiting for the market to "show its hand" by establishing a clear direction and then jumping onboard for the ride. This handy Cheat Sheet provides an overview of how to follow the big-money market players to the glorious land of profitability. Get tips on why trend trading works so well, how to determine a trend that will continue after you enter the market, and how to manage your risk once you're in a trade.

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Mortgages Reverse Mortgages For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-18-2022

You've probably heard a lot about reverse mortgages, as they are a popular, safe, simple way to supplement seniors' retirement incomes. Before you get started, you need to understand the benefits and disadvantages of getting a reverse mortgage. If you decide a reverse mortgage may be the right answer for you, follow some planning tips to help make the loan process easier.

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Bankruptcy Personal Bankruptcy Laws For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-15-2022

Going through the process of filing personal bankruptcy isn't fun, but it’s sometimes necessary and can be a huge relief. Filing for personal bankruptcy means you have to answer some tough questions about your finances, consider your situation in light of the new bankruptcy law, figure out which bills to continue paying, and probably deal with debt collectors.

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Financing Education Paying For College For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-08-2022

If you’re thinking of sending your child to college one day (or attending college yourself), you have a lot of decisions to make: how to save money for college, which colleges may be a good fit, whether an alternative to a four-year college may be a better option, plus seeking financial aid, scholarships, and grants. Paying For College For Dummies can help you make the most of your money and guide you through the decisions of choosing which post-high school path is right for your child.

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General (Investing) High-Level Investing For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-06-2022

In high-level investing, investors and speculators track the major markets and critical global issues that affect stocks and other securities, both in the United States and other major markets. Check out the following sites, tools, and pointers to stay informed.

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