The short answer to "what is an index fund" is that it provides low-cost, broad-based exposure to the stock market. But is it ...

Julia Kagan is a financial/consumer journalist and former senior editor, personal finance, of Investopedia. Ebony Howard is a certified public accountant and a QuickBooks ProAdvisor tax expert. She ...

Will Kenton is an expert on the economy and investing laws and regulations. He previously held senior editorial roles at Investopedia and Kapitall Wire and holds a MA in Economics from The New School ...

The Producer Price Index (PPI) is the official measure of producer prices within the U.S. economy. It measures the average change in selling prices for goods received by manufactures. The Producer ...

Indexes represent baskets of financial assets, gauging overall market performance. Index funds allow passive investment at low costs, popular for matching market returns. Understanding indexes helps ...

The S&P 500 is still a smart all-around option, but there's good reason to start thinking about other index funds.