FirstStepsInvesting

Decoder · Kinds of investments

Index

A published list of investments, chosen by written rules — for example, a list of large US companies, updated on a schedule. Nobody picks the list by gut feeling; the rules decide who is on it. Funds can then copy the list.

For your first $100: An index is just the list. Your $100 goes into a fund that follows a list like that — the fund is the thing you actually hold.

Stock, in plain wordsShare, in plain wordsBond, in plain words

← Bond · All 50 cards · Index fund →

See this word inside your order