Financial education

Learn to invest

Short guides in plain language to understand how the stock market works, what to look at before buying and how to think long term. They are the foundation of the Viernes de Invertir exercise.

The basics

What is a stock and why does its price go up or down? What you really buy when you buy a stock, why its price changes every day and what it means to own a piece of a company. 3 min read Stock exchanges: NYSE, Nasdaq, Mexico's BMV and BIVA, and the SIC What a stock exchange is, how New York, Nasdaq and the Mexican exchanges differ, and how you can buy US stocks in pesos from Mexico through the SIC. 3 min read US stock market hours in Mexico's time What time Wall Street opens and closes in Central Mexico time, how it changes with US daylight saving time, market holidays and what pre-market trading is. 3 min read What is an ETF and when does it make sense? What an ETF is, how it tracks an index like the S&P 500, what it costs, how it differs from buying individual stocks and why leveraged ETFs are a different thing. 2 min read

Your money

Dividends: what they are, when they are paid and how much they yield What dividends are, the dates that matter (ex-dividend and payment), how to calculate dividend yield and why many growth companies do not pay them. 2 min read Taxes on US stocks for investors in Mexico A general guide to the 10 % income tax on gains from selling SIC stocks in Mexico, how losses offset gains, what happens with foreign dividends and which documents to check for your annual return. 2 min read The exchange rate and your dollar investments Why a US stock investment rises or falls in pesos even if the stock does not move, what the implied exchange rate is and how to read the dollar's effect on this site. 2 min read

Strategy and mindset

Compound interest: why starting early matters more than starting big What compound interest is, examples with contributions of 500 pesos a week, the rule of 72 and why time is the most important ingredient. 2 min read Investing every week: the dollar-cost averaging method What investing a fixed amount frequently (dollar-cost averaging) means, an example with numbers, why it avoids trying to time the market and how Viernes de Invertir applies it. 2 min read Diversification: don't put all your eggs in one basket What diversifying means, how many companies to own, why sectors matter, what concentration is and how to measure it with «equally weighted positions». 2 min read Investor mindset: why market drops are not your enemy How to think like a long-term investor, why market drops are normal and even useful, and habits that keep fear or euphoria from driving bad decisions. 3 min read Investment risks and how to manage them The main risks of investing in stocks (market, company, concentration, currency, liquidity, leverage and fraud) and what you can do about each one. 2 min read

Analyzing companies

How to analyze a company: value versus growth What to look at in a company's financial statements, how analyzing a value company differs from a growth company, and a list of questions to ask before buying. 3 min read

Investing glossary

Every term on the site explained in plain words: IRR, CAGR, multiple, exchange rate effect and more.

See the glossary

Educational content, not financial or tax advice. Check the information with official sources and, if needed, with an advisor or accountant.