Independent · Plain English · No paid rankings
Understand markets before you invest in them.
Our mission is to make investing simple, cheap and open to everyone. Clear, jargon-free guides to stocks, funds, bonds and the forces that move them, so you can put your savings to work without paying for complexity you don’t need.
- Guides
- 159
- Brokers scored
- 17
- Visa programmes
- 13
- Free calculators
- 12
Where to start
Fresh this week
Our newest guides, each researched against primary sources.
Stock Market BasicsHow to Buy an ETF in Europe, Step by Step (2026)
Buying your first ETF takes less than an hour. How to choose a broker, find the right fund, read its fact sheet, place the order and set up regular investing — and the mistakes beginners most often make.
Value Investing & Stock AnalysisReturn on Equity (ROE) Explained: Formula, Examples and the Traps
Return on equity shows how much profit a company earns on the money its shareholders have put in. How to calculate it, what counts as a good ROE, and why a high number can be a warning sign rather than a strength.
Legendary InvestorsTakashi Kotegawa (BNF): The Japanese Trader Who Made Billions — and Why Almost Nobody Can Copy Him
Known online as BNF, Takashi Kotegawa reportedly turned about ¥1.6 million into billions of yen in less than a decade, including more than ¥2 billion from one famous trading error. His story, and what the statistics say about the traders who try to follow him.
Broker ReviewsIG vs eToro (2026): Fees, ISAs, CFDs and Which Is Safer
IG is a London-listed broker with roots going back to 1974; eToro is the Nasdaq-listed home of copy trading. How they compare on share-dealing fees, ISAs, CFDs, regulation and who each suits.
Explore by topic
11 subjects, from first principles to golden visas.
Stock Market Basics7 guides
ETFs & Index Funds17 guides
Bonds & Fixed Income7 guides
Personal Finance & Retirement10 guides
Trading & Technical Analysis11 guides
Cryptocurrency8 guides
Economy & Macro10 guides
Value Investing & Stock Analysis6 guides
Legendary Investors23 guides
Broker Reviews41 guides
Golden Visas & Residency19 guidesYour numbers, not ours
Free calculators that turn the ideas in our guides into your own plan. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
Compound Interest Calculator
See how a starting amount and regular contributions grow over time as investment returns compound year after year.
Open →Dividend Reinvestment Calculator
See how a dividend portfolio could grow when dividends are reinvested rather than taken as cash, and how much yearly income it could pay after tax.
Open →Investment Fee Calculator
See what a fund’s annual fee really costs over the decades by running the same investment under two different charges side by side.
Open →Currency Conversion Fee Calculator
Compare what the main brokers would charge to change euros or pounds into dollars for your regular share purchases, using their published fees.
Open →Savings Goal Calculator
Work out how much you would need to invest each month to reach a target amount by a chosen year, at an assumed rate of return.
Open →FIRE Calculator
Estimate the portfolio you would need to cover your living costs indefinitely, and roughly how many years of saving could get you there.
Open →How Long Will My Money Last?
Estimate how many years a portfolio could fund a yearly withdrawal that rises with inflation, at a steady assumed rate of return.
Open →Bond Ladder Calculator
See how much yearly income a sum could produce from Treasuries, bonds or CDs that mature one year apart, or how much you would need to invest for the income you want.
Open →T-Bill vs CD Calculator
Work out a Treasury bill’s price, interest and yield from its rate, and compare what you keep with a CD after federal and state tax.
Open →Asset Allocation Calculator
Answer four quick questions about your risk profile and see a sample Stocks / Real Estate / Bonds / Crypto split.
Open →Broker Finder
Answer four questions about how you invest and where you live, and see which brokers actually fit — scored, not sponsored.
Open →Golden Visa Finder
Filter thirteen residence and citizenship programmes by budget, how much time you can spend there, and whether you want a passport at the end.
Open →Broker reviews
The top-scored brokers
Every broker is rated on the same five criteria. Scores are computed, never negotiated.
Put any two head to head
Golden visas
Residence by investment, compared
What each programme really costs, how long you must spend there, and whether a passport is ever on the table.
New to investing? Start here
Six short reads, in order. Together they cover what most people wish they had known first.
Jargon, decoded
132 investing terms in plain English, each with a worked example.
The library
Every guide on the site, newest first.
Luis Stuhlberger: Brazil’s Fundo Verde and the Manager Who Made 26,000%
Luis Stuhlberger’s Verde fund turned R$1 million in 1997 into one of Brazil’s most famous investment records, about 22% a year for more than two decades. How he did it, and why even his fund has struggled since 2021.
Personal Finance & RetirementLump Sum vs Dollar-Cost Averaging: What the Evidence Says
If you have a large sum to invest, should you put it in all at once or spread it over months? Studies by Vanguard and others give a clear answer about the odds — and a good reason why many people still choose to spread it out.
Broker ReviewsCapital.com vs eToro (2026): CFDs, Real Shares, Fees and Safety Compared
Both are best known for CFDs, both now sell real shares too, and both charge for currency conversion. How Capital.com and eToro compare on fees, products, protection and who each suits.
Legendary InvestorsDuan Yongping: The “Chinese Buffett” Who Turned $2 Million in NetEase Into $200 Million
The engineer behind the BBK electronics group retired at 40, moved to the US and became one of China’s most admired investors, buying NetEase near its low, Apple and Tencent. What he did, and what ordinary investors can learn from it.
Stock Market BasicsWhat Is a Brokerage Account? How It Works, What It Costs and How to Open One
A brokerage account is the account you use to buy and hold shares, ETFs and bonds. How it differs from a bank account, how your investments are protected, what it really costs, and what you need to open one.
Broker ReviewsIs DEGIRO Safe? Bank Licence, Investor Protection and the Real Risks (2026)
DEGIRO is part of flatexDEGIRO, a listed German group with a full banking licence supervised by BaFin. How your shares and cash are protected, what the compensation schemes cover, and the risks worth knowing.
Broker ReviewseToro vs Robinhood (2026): Which Is Better in the US, UK and Europe?
eToro and Robinhood both made investing feel like an app, but each sells a different product depending on where you live — from IRAs with a match in the US to stock tokens in the EU. A country-by-country comparison.
Broker ReviewsIs XTB Safe? Regulation, Investor Protection and the Real Risks (2026)
XTB is a Warsaw-listed broker supervised by Poland’s KNF and the UK’s FCA, with record profits in 2026. How your money is protected in the EU and UK, the gaps worth knowing about, and the risks that remain.
ETFs & Index FundsWhat Is an Expense Ratio (TER)? What Fund Fees Really Cost You
A fund’s expense ratio — the TER or ongoing charge in Europe — looks tiny, but it is taken from your money every year. How it works, what it leaves out, and how much a fee of 1% or more really costs over 30 years.
Our mission
Make investing simple, cheap and open to everyone, so that ordinary savers can put their money to work as well as the wealthy do.
Why we do this →Fees compound against you
Every guide shows what a product really costs and compares it with the low-cost alternative, usually a broad index fund or ETF. Most people need far less complexity than they are sold.
What fees cost you →Scores are computed, not negotiated
Brokers and programmes are rated on published criteria. No one can pay to be included, excluded or moved up a list.
How we make money →Facts from primary sources, dated
Fees, rules and thresholds are checked against regulators, governments and providers’ own pages, and dated so you know how fresh they are.
We explain; you decide
Nothing here is personal advice or a tip to buy. The aim is that you understand the mechanism well enough to judge any product yourself.
About Plain Investor →