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Balance is a key investment principle. Diversity of style, geography, and asset class in a portfolio can help ease volatility while retaining growth potential.

The federal government has accumulated debt — the sum of its annual deficits — for much of its existence.

Human creativity, ingenuity, and resiliency have led to remarkable advancements, dramatically improving the human condition around the world.

It’s natural to want to do something to protect our portfolios from loss. However, we need to view the current crises through the lens of history.

Investors acting out of fear or greed have tended to make bad decisions at inopportune times. Having a plan and sticking to it has tended to be better.

The herd is often wrong. From the tech boom to the so-called fear trade to the COVID-19 outbreak, following the herd would’ve led to suboptimal results.

Stock market indexes have tended to advance over long periods. If you believe the world will continue to improve, you should expect markets to trend upward.

It’s hard to always get the market entry point right, but long-term investors have often been rewarded for putting money to work.

The market comes with few guarantees. Investing in something simply because someone else recently made money in it often leads to a bad outcome.

Stocks have built wealth over time, but broad market corrections often happen. Volatility is a cost of participating in the market’s long-term advance.

Money can make money. Compounding is earning interest on interest already paid. For an investment portfolio, compounding is generating returns on returns.

Investing comes with volatility. Historically, to reap market returns, investors have had to be willing to ride out the inevitable down markets.

Once you spend your money, you can’t use it for something else. When considering a purchase, recognize that you’re giving up the chance for that money to grow.

Money can grow through investing. Delaying an investment is losing an opportunity for that money to grow.

Compound interest can work against you. A credit card purchase is a loan with interest and penalties that can add up if not paid back in full.

Start investing at a young age. History suggests that the longer you have your money invested, the less you’ll need to contribute later.

The dropping dollar elevated non-US assets from 1985 to 1995 and from 2002 to 2011 suggesting global diversification could help grow a portfolio.

The dollar, unrivaled in the global economy, has been supported by deep financial markets and the world’s oldest democracy, unlike possible alternatives.

Financial, economic, and geopolitical events are inevitable, but an investor’s response can cause the greatest harm.

Tariffs can create an environment of uncertainty where the conditions are right for stagflation. 

New tariffs on foreign goods could spark lasting inflation and dampen economic activity.

A connection exists between the stock market and recessions, but predicting market performance during the next recession can be difficult.

Long periods of policy uncertainty can make markets more volatile, but past shutdowns have generally resolved quickly with little market impact.

Military conflicts will test investors’ resolve to stick to their investment plan. But history suggests they haven’t derailed the market's long-term advance.

Investors may think the stock market does better under a certain party. But presidential elections haven’t historically affected the market over the long term.

While private markets share some similarities with public markets, there are important differences to understand before adding them to your portfolio.

A wider range of investors are exploring private markets as the barriers to entry fall.

Private markets — similar to public markets — include asset classes such as debt, equity, and real assets.

There are many reasons for investors to consider private markets, including enhanced returns, improved income, and diversification.

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are electronic-only money that acts as a digital store of value with diversification potential for many investors.

Many investors use options — a financial instrument that conveys the right to buy or sell an asset — for the potential benefits they bring a portfolio.