Smart investment

You’re our first priority. Every time. NerdWallet, Inc. is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. Its articles, interactive tools and other content are provided to you for free, as self-help tools and for informational purposes only. They are not intended to provide investment advice. NerdWallet does not and cannot guarantee the accuracy or applicability of any information in regard to your individual circumstances. Examples are hypothetical, and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific investment issues. Our estimates are based on past market performance, and past performance is not a guarantee of future performance. We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence. And while our site doesn’t feature every company or financial product available on the market, we’re proud that the guidance we offer, the information we provide and the tools we create are objective, independent, straightforward — and free. So how do we make money? Our partners compensate us. This may influence which products we review and write about (and where those products appear on the site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services. Arielle O’Shea leads the investing and taxes team at NerdWallet. She has covered personal finance and...

Raquel Tennant, CFP, is a senior associate financial planner at 2050 Wealth Partners, a virtual, comprehensive, fee-only financial planning and wealth management firm that specializes in helping first generation wealth builders, thriving professionals, sandwich generation wealth protectors and those transitioning from employee to entrepreneur. Tennant began her career in the fee-only RIA firm space, serving ultra high-net worth clients and is now proud to align her passion for helping younger, diverse and underserved clients, who often feel neglected by traditional firms. A graduate of Towson University, Tennant is one of the first 12 inaugural graduates of Towson's CFP Board Registered Financial Planning major and the first of her class to pass the CFP exam. She proudly collaborates with her alma mater as a writer and guest speaker to students, faculty and staff, bringing awareness to both the financial planning major and the RIA financial planning industry. She has been featured on 2050 TrailBlazer’s podcast episode “The Power of Partnership”, CFP Board’s Stay on Your Path Video, and Towson’s College of Business & Economics “Finding the Right Fit” news feature. Tennant is also a CFP Board professional mentor. Everyone has a unique financial situation. The best way to invest depends on your personal preferences along with your current and future financial circumstances. It's important to have a detailed understanding of your income and expenses, assets and liabilities, re...

Credit Cards Best Credit Cards • Helpful Guides • Compare Cards • Life Insurance Calculators • Compare Quotes • Helpful Guides • Refinance Calculators • Compare Rates • Helpful Guides • Personal Loans Calculators • Compare Rates • Helpful Guides • Student Loans Calculators • Compare Rates • Helpful Guides • • Our investment calculator tool shows how much the money you invest will grow over time. We use a fixed rate of return. To better personalize the results, you can make additional contributions beyond the initial balance. You choose how often you plan to contribute (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, semi-annually and annually) in order to see how those contributions impact how much and how fast your money grows. When we make our calculations, we also factor in compounding interest, showing how the interest you earn can then earn interest of its own. ...read more • Barbara Friedberg Investing Barbara Friedberg is an author, teacher and expert in personal finance, specifically investing. For nearly two decades she worked as an investment portfolio manager and chief financial officer for a real estate holding company. Barbara has a degree in Economics, a Masters in Counseling and an MBA in Finance. She is committed to investment and money education. The author of “Personal Finance: An Encyclopedia of Modern Money Management” and “How to Get Rich; Without Winning the Lottery,” Barbara has taught courses in corporate finance and investing at several universities. Her writing has b...

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Alana Benson is an investing writer who joined NerdWallet in 2019. She covers a wide variety of investing topics including socially responsible and ESG investing, cryptocurrency, mutual funds, HSAs and financial advice. She is also a frequent contributor to NerdWallet's "Smart Money" podcast. Alana has appeared on FOX Houston and the "PennyWise" podcast and has been quoted in MarketWatch and The Sun. Before joining NerdWallet, she wrote two books on identity theft and several young adult nonfiction titles. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Associated Press, MSN, Yahoo Finance and MarketWatch. She is based in Lander, Wyoming. Alieza Durana joined NerdWallet as an investing basics writer in 2022. She has over a decade of journalism experience covering housing, labor, gender and public policy issues for the Eviction Lab, The Fuller Project for International Reporting, New America and Slate. Her work has appeared in USA Today, The Washington Post, The Atlantic and Harvard Business Review. She is based in St. George, Utah. Arielle O’Shea leads the investing and taxes team at NerdWallet. She has covered personal finance and investing for 15 years, previously as a researcher and reporter for leading personal finance journalist and author Jean Chatzky. Arielle has appeared as a financial expert on the "Today" show, NBC News and ABC's "World News Tonight," and has been quoted in national publications including The New York Times, MarketWatch...