What The Elle - 💸 Money Cheat Sheet: Investing 101

Including: Hey CIO Sylvia, what’s an alternative? ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 
 
Ellevest
What the Elle logo

This week’s money mood: Mastering the basics

Investing is “for you.” Want to know how I know that? Because women just like you have proven it, for decades. (I’m not exaggerating.) Women investors earn better returns. We’re disciplined. And we have overall higher savings rates.

Given all the jargon and catchy stock market headlines out there, it’s easy to feel like you need to know a lot about the markets to get started. But while there are some investing basics that can be helpful to learn, you don’t need to be anywhere near an “expert.” Plus, if you’re like me, you may learn better by doing. One of the best ways to learn about investing? By investing.

So, check out these resources on investing basics. Then, keep. on. going. You can do this — you’re a natural.

Rock it, friend,,

Krista Cavalieri, CFP®, she/her
Ellevest Money Coach

 
Woman sitting on a line chart looking at her laptop surrounded by blobs of graph paper. Collage.

The info you *need* about stocks

The world of stocks is a big one, and the amount of info out there can be overwhelming. But here’s the thing: There’s literally just one key thing you should know about stocks.

GET THE SCOOP >

Woman walking across a series of blobs made from coins and a clock face. Collage.

What exactly are bonds, anyway?

A bond is a type of IOU, and they tend to get a lot less press than stocks. Here’s some bonds vocab, how they work in the wild, and how they can help your investment portfolio.

READ ALL ABOUT IT >

 

S&P 500

Short for the “Standard & Poor’s 500 Index,” a set of the biggest 500 companies in the US. It’s one of the most popular stock market benchmarks out there. “The S&P 500 is up 5%” means the values of the 500 biggest companies in the country have gone up by a (weighted) average of 5%.

 
Text that reads, “What’s an alternative?” inside a square speech bubble.

What about gold, silver, art ... or wine? 🍷

Our chief investment officer, Dr. Sylvia Kwan, explains how adding alternative investments to your portfolio can help diversify it, lower overall portfolio risk, and potentially enhance returns.

WATCH IT >

 
3D pie chart rising into the air like stairs. Behind, a computer screen, clouds, and a line graph trending up. Illustration

Oh, just a lil how-to on investing 💅

Come join us November 8 at 7 PM ET for a live online workshop that will cover allllll the investing basics — stocks, bonds, alts, diversification, and more (but no jargon).

SIGN ME UP! >

A quarter and a dime that look like two gears working together and moving forward.

How do investments make money?

File under: all the right questions. Get a clear answer, plus a quick rundown of the most common types of investments and what they may do for you (and Future You).

READY TO DO THIS >

 

$$ win of the week

“I interviewed at another company, just for practice. They offered me an 80% salary increase and doubled their sign-on bonus. Practice works wonders!” 😱

Elizabeth, an Elle Raiser from Washington DC

Have a money win to celebrate? We want to hear about it! Tell us here.

 
Text that reads, “What’s an alternative?” inside a square speech bubble.

You’ve got goals — biggggggg goals

In fact, many of your long-term goals are investing goals! That’s where a full financial plan comes in handy — and an Ellevest CFP® pro can help build one for you. And there’s more good news: When you use Shop Pay at checkout, you can pay for coaching over time instead of all at once.⁠ It’s a win-win for the life you’re building.

BOOK NOW >

 
 

Life insurance shouldn’t be scary. 🎃

 GET A FREE QUOTE* 
 

This week’s newsletter was brought to you while checking to see if it’s a bones or no bones day. Forward it to your friends who need a reminder to get out and treat themselves.

FOLLOW US

MAGAZINE

STORE

DISCLOSURES
 
*Ellevest is a paid partner of Policygenius. Policygenius Inc. (DBA Policygenius Insurance Services in California) (“Policygenius”) is a licensed independent insurance broker. Policygenius receives a commission from insurance companies for the insurance policies it sells. Products may not be available in all states.
Ellevest may receive compensation from third party partners for referring you to such partners for non-investment consumer products or services. This marketing partnership gives Ellevest an incentive to refer you to these partners instead of businesses that are not partners of Ellevest. This conflict of interest affects the ability of Ellevest to provide you with unbiased, objective promotions about the products and services of its business partners. This could mean that the products and/or services of other businesses that do not compensate Ellevest may be more appropriate for you than the products and/or services of Ellevest’s business partners. However, you are not required to purchase the products and services that Ellevest promotes.
Ellevest is not affiliated with these third party partners and does not provide, nor does it guarantee, any third-party product, service, information or recommendation. Claims provided herein were provided by these third party partners and have not been independently verified by Ellevest. The third parties providing these products or services are solely responsible for them, as well as all other content on their websites. Ellevest is not liable for any third party’s failure with regard to those advertised products, services and benefits. These advertised products and services may not be FDIC insured or bank-guaranteed, may be subject to a different privacy policy than Ellevest, and may not be available in all states. You should check individual offers, products and services to become familiar with any applicable restrictions or conditions that may apply.
All opinions and views expressed by Ellevest are current as of the date of this writing, for informational purposes only, and do not constitute or imply an endorsement of any third party’s products or services.
The information provided should not be relied upon as investment advice or recommendations, does not constitute a solicitation to buy or sell securities and should not be considered specific legal, investment or tax advice.
The information provided does not take into account the specific objectives, financial situation, or particular needs of any specific person.
Investing entails risk, including the possible loss of principal, and there is no assurance that the investment will provide positive performance over any period of time.
Banking products and services are provided by Coastal Community Bank (“Coastal”), Member FDIC, pursuant to license by Mastercard International. Your Ellevest Spend and Ellevest Save account deposits will be insured to the regulatory limits by the FDIC through Coastal Community Bank, Member FDIC.
Funds held in your Ellevest investment accounts are not FDIC insured, not guaranteed by Coastal, and may lose value. Ellevest does not guarantee investment performance.
Ellevest Membership fees are as follows: Ellevest Essential is $1 per month, Ellevest Plus is $5 per month, and Ellevest Executive is $9. Other fees as described in Ellevest’s Wrap Fee Program Brochure and the Ellevest Membership Terms and Conditions Agreement will continue to apply.
 
 
 

Older messages

🎃 Opinionated: The Impact Is Scary Good

Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Plus, how you're feeling about the burnout epidemic. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

📅 You. Us. This Week’s Live Events

Monday, October 25, 2021

Including: New workshops, new worksheets, and more! ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

💸 Money Cheat Sheet: Ask for More!

Thursday, October 21, 2021

Including a new calculator to help you do it. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

🔍 Opinionated: 2 Big Things That Stood Out in Our Research

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Plus: How to take money stress off your holiday to-do list this year. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

📅 This Week’s Lineup: Including NEW Workshops

Monday, October 18, 2021

Plus, an Insta Live on changing your money mindset. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

You Might Also Like

Longreads + Open Thread

Saturday, January 11, 2025

Longreads * Gwern has a lengthy meditation on effort, specifically the kind of effort involved in doing what was previously thought to be impossible [https://gwern.net/on-really-trying]. It's not

Are these the two best trading hours?

Saturday, January 11, 2025

Brand New Genesis Algo ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

🌭 America gets the works

Friday, January 10, 2025

The US added a lot more jobs, TSMC posted strong results, and plumbing the depths | Finimize Hi Reader, here's what you need to know for January 11th in 2:57 minutes. The US economy ended the year

A Page From Uber's Playbook: Disrupting Social Media Marketing

Friday, January 10, 2025

Read the whole story here ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

Design Your Dream European Getaway

Friday, January 10, 2025

Enter to win a chance to win a $20000 trip to Europe for free. ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌

📉 Bonds saw a selloff

Thursday, January 9, 2025

Global investors dumped government bonds, UK shoppers got a break for Christmas, and Encylopedia Britannica became an AI company | Finimize Hi Reader, here's what you need to know for January 10th

Could private student loans help you?

Thursday, January 9, 2025

Find out if you qualify and compare rates today. ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌

🏆 The Demi Moore of it all

Thursday, January 9, 2025

Plus, workshops on estate planning and taking control of your money. ͏ ‌  ͏ ‌  ͏ ‌  ͏ ‌  ͏ ‌  ͏ ‌  ͏ ‌  ͏ ‌  ͏ ‌  ͏ ‌  ͏ ‌  ͏ ‌  ͏ ‌  ͏ ‌  ͏ ‌  ͏ ‌  ͏ ‌  ͏ ‌  ͏ ‌  ͏ ‌  ͏ ‌  ͏ ‌ 

🦾 Anthropic looks jacked

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Claude's AI startup flexed a new valuation, China sought to nudge shoppers, and a wild plot to smuggle drugs | Finimize Hi Reader, here's what you need to know for January 9th in 2:57 minutes.

3 reasons to buy life insurance

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Make 2025 the year you protect your loved ones Why you should get life insurance now A decreasing bar chart Affordable rates Life insurance premiums typically increase with age or changes in health.