How to Make Money in Stocks
The stock market’s average return is a cool 10% annually — better than you can find in a bank account or bonds. That’s what everyday investors have made with a…
James Royal, Ph.D.
As an investing writer for NerdWallet, James F. Royal, Ph.D. makes the sometimes-rarefied world of finance accessible to readers. His work has been featured in the Washington Post, New York Times, and the AP. Previously he worked for The Motley Fool as a stock analyst and writer for eight years, and he literally wrote the book on cool as part of his doctoral work in English at the University of Florida. You can find him on Twitter, @JimRoyalPhD.
Posts by James Royal, Ph.D.:
After ’08 Meltdown, Banks Still Play With Financial Fire
It’s been a decade since the global financial crisis rocked the world. In the years since 2008, the U.S. and other countries put together the pieces of their broken economies, assessing…
What Are Sin Stocks?
Sin stocks sound sexier than the reality — this is finance, after all. These stocks are shares of companies engaged in industries that some people consider unethical or immoral. The…
A European Vacation You Can Afford
I first heard of the Camino de Santiago (translated into the Way of St. James) when I lived in Germany from 2000 to 2003. It was not “a thing” for…
Take the Smart Investor’s Vow: to Buy and to Hold
Did you know the stock market’s average return is about 10% per year? That’s what an investor buying an S&P 500 index fund could expect to earn over the long…
Market Order vs. Limit Order: When to Use Which
When you’re ready to buy or sell a stock or fund, you have two main ways to determine the price you’ll trade at: the market order and the limit order.…
Panic-Proof Your Portfolio for the Next Bank Crisis
The financial crisis a decade ago was rough for many investors, with the market plummeting nearly 57% from October 2007 to its low in March 2009. Although stocks have performed…
What Is Preferred Stock?
Preferred stock is one of the two major categories of stock that a company can use to fund its operations. While it’s called stock, for investors it actually acts more…
What Is a Bear Market?
The dreaded words “bear market” strike fear into the hearts of many investors. A bear market happens when investment prices drop by more than 20% from their most recent high. There…
What Is Smart Beta, and Can It Give Your Portfolio a Boost?
Smart beta investing strategies have become incredibly popular. From 2012 to 2017, the value of smart beta funds grew at almost 30% annually, and surpassed $1 trillion in assets in…
