Determining total return typically utilizes the:

Inflation-adjusted annual performance of all mutual-funds.
Annual capital gain plus dividend payout of a stock or fund.
Math skills learned in college-level calculus courses.
Dividend yield on the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

The astute investor is aware that:

Investment risk is limited to the fortunes of the specific security purchased.
Computers make investment decisions scientific and eliminate much of the risk.
Actual outcome of any investment may differ from the expected outcome.
When trading on-line, brokerage commissions are always negotiable.

For most Americans, taxes are due on:

January 1.
April 1.
April 15.
December 31.

The total stock market (S&P 500) return during the 1990s was:

Predicted by most Wall Street analysts at the beginning of the decade.
Lower than the historical average
The highest of any decade in the 20th century.
Approximately the same as the total return during the 1970s.

Stocks whose returns are tied closely to the overall national economy are typically called:

Blue Chip stocks.
Defensive stocks.
Speculative stocks.
Cyclical stocks.

The net asset value (NAV) of a bond fund:

Cannot be determined.
Changes as interest rates change.
Is determined by the average coupon rates of the bonds in the fund.
Will not change as bonds in the fund are bought or sold.

The January Effect:

Is the influence on the market of the mutual funds’ performance reported in December.
Is another name for the Superbowl anomaly believed to affect stock prices.
Is the result of several studies regarding inexplicably higher returns during January.
Supports the predictabilityof cyclical prices determined by chaos theory.
(Portfolio Construction, Management and Protection by Robert A. Strong, p. 182.)

Gold may be a good investment if:

Inflation is expected to increase.
You like the color.
World peace comes to pass.
Foreign governments sell their gold reserves.