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June 13, 2026
The Dispatch

Advanced module

Instruments beyond stocks

Mutual funds, ETFs, bonds and a sober look at derivatives — what each is for, and what each can do to you.

1Funds

Pooled vehicles — how they work, what you pay, and how to pick one without falling for the marketing.

  1. 1

    Mutual funds & ETFs: hiring the work out

    Active vs passive, expense ratios, and why most beat most stock-pickers.

    13 min read

  2. 2

    How to actually choose a fund (and avoid the traps)

    A repeatable checklist — category, cost, mandate, track record — and the marketing tricks to ignore.

    14 min read

2Fixed income & alternatives

Lending instead of owning — and the other building blocks beyond stocks and bonds.

  1. 3

    Bonds: lending instead of owning

    Yields, prices moving opposite to rates, and where they fit.

    13 min read

  2. 4

    Gold, REITs and InvITs: the other building blocks

    Owning gold the modern way, and earning rent from property and infrastructure without buying either.

    14 min read

3Derivatives & leverage

Powerful, legitimate tools — and the fastest way for an ordinary investor to lose money. A sober look.

  1. 5

    Derivatives: a sober warning before the thrill

    What futures and options really are, and why most retail F&O accounts lose money.

    14 min read

  2. 6

    Options without the gambling: the honest basics of calls and puts

    Calls, puts, strikes, premiums and payoffs — understood as a tool, not a slot machine.

    14 min read

  3. 7

    Futures and hedging: insurance, not a casino

    How futures and margin really work, and the difference between hedging a real risk and gambling on one.

    14 min read