Three videos that have caught my attention recently: 

• Bond market explainer (from Marketplace): In this brief 1:34 video, Kai Rysdall describes in plain English what the government bond market is and what it can tell us about the economy.
  • In your own words, what is the bond market?
  • What signals does the bond market provide about the overall economy?
  • How does inflation affect the value of bond investments? 
• Backgrounder on the relationship between risk and return
  
  • What are some examples of investments that are described? 
  • What is the risk of a stock? 
  • What is the relationship between risk and reward (or gain)? 
  • Does taking on greater risk mean you will always earn a greater return? 
• Good basic 2 minute primer on stocks and bonds (from Fidelity)
  • What does in mean to own stock in a company? 
  • What are two ways that investors make money on stocks?
  • How do investors make money on bonds?

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.