Investopedia

 

How a Finance Dictionary Became a Global Platform

Investopedia began life as a simple web glossary and morphed into one of the most widely used destinations for learning markets, money, and investing. Today it pairs an enormous finance dictionary with explainers, product reviews, data-driven indices, newsletters, a podcast, and a paper-trading simulator—publishing under the umbrella of People Inc. (the company formerly known as Dotdash Meredith). Wikipedia+1

From two Corys in Edmonton to a flagship New York brand

• Founding (1999): Investopedia was created by Cory Janssen and Cory Wagner in Edmonton, Canada, as a freely accessible encyclopedia of investing terms and concepts. Wikipedia

• Early acquisitions: Forbes Media bought Investopedia in 2007 as the site’s audience and glossary expanded; ValueClick acquired it from Forbes in 2010 for $42 million; IAC then purchased Investopedia (as part of a ValueClick websites sale) in late 2013. iac.com+3Talking Biz News+3jegiclarity.com+3

• Into Dotdash / People Inc.: Investopedia later joined IAC’s Dotdash portfolio and, after Dotdash acquired Meredith in 2021, became part of Dotdash Meredith—which rebranded as People Inc. in July 2025. AdExchanger+1

• Leadership: Caleb Silver has led editorial since 2016 and hosts the site’s weekly podcast, The Investopedia Express. Investopedia+1

What Investopedia publishes

1) The finance dictionary and explainers

The beating heart of the site is a vast dictionary of financial terms and plain-English explainers—useful whether you’re decoding duration or comparing Roth vs. traditional IRAs. The dictionary is browsable A–Z and integrates tightly with articles and guides. Investopedia

2) Product reviews, rankings, and awards

Investopedia’s reviewers evaluate brokers, robo-advisors, banking products, credit cards, and more. Its broker rankings use a published methodology with dozens of weighted criteria (platform experience, costs, research, mobile, security, etc.), and category pages summarize findings for different investor needs (beginners, ETFs, day trading, futures). Investopedia+6Investopedia+6Investopedia+6

A separate Review Process page outlines editorial independence, the role of compliance, and how compensation disclosures are handled—useful context when reading “best of” lists. Investopedia

3) Market education & newsletters

Beyond evergreen tutorials, Investopedia runs a slate of newsletters (e.g., Term of the Day, Chart Advisor), which deliver definitions and market context to your inbox. Investopedia+1

4) Podcast

The Investopedia Express distills the week’s big investing stories with interviews and a “term of the week”—handy for staying fluent without doomscrolling. Investopedia

5) Paper trading via the Stock Simulator

The Investopedia Simulator lets you practice trading stocks, ETFs, and crypto using virtual cash and delayed prices—great for learning order types and portfolio management without risking capital. (It’s also popular for classroom games and competitions.) Investopedia+1

6) Data signals: the Investopedia Anxiety Index (IAI)

Since 2015, Investopedia has published the IAI, a proprietary gauge of investor concern based on what millions of readers are learning about (e.g., recession, volatility, debt). It often moves differently than the VIX because it tracks curiosity and concern, not options pricing. Investopedia+1

Editorial standards, scale, and ownership context

Investopedia says it serves tens of millions of monthly readers, with thousands of definitions and articles maintained by a broad network of editors, contributors, and subject-matter reviewers. Its About and policy pages emphasize accuracy, fact-checking, corrections, and adherence to SPJ/SABEW ethics and FTC disclosure guidelines—useful touchstones when evaluating any financial recommendation online. Investopedia+1

On the corporate side, Investopedia sits within People Inc. (IAC’s publishing group), which in 2024 licensed content to OpenAI for model training and attributed summaries—an example of how traditional publishers are re-monetizing expertise in the AI era. Reuters+1

How (and when) Investopedia is most useful

• Just-in-time learning: When a news headline mentions yield curve control or basis risk, the dictionary + explainer combo gets you from zero to functional quickly. Investopedia

• Picking tools: The transparent broker/bank review methodologies help you filter platforms by your use case (costs, assets, tools, education). Always cross-check the latest methodology page for what’s weighted. Investopedia

• Practice without pain: Use the Simulator to test order types and risk controls before your first real trade. (Remember: simulators teach mechanics, not emotions.) Investopedia

• Keeping a cadence: Subscribing to Term of the Day or the podcast builds consistent fluency over time—especially helpful for non-finance professionals. Investopedia+1

Limitations and recent changes to note

• Simulator ≠ real money: Paper trading can’t replicate slippage, fills, or the psychology of losses; treat it as a learning lab, not a performance predictor. Investopedia

• Academy courses sunset: Investopedia Academy stopped hosting/streaming courses; purchasers received download access instructions in 2024–2025 support notices. If you see old references to Academy streaming, they’re outdated. support.investopedia.com

• Ownership names changed: If you encounter pages saying “Dotdash Meredith,” note the 2025 rebrand to People Inc.—the publishing group that also houses People, The Spruce, Verywell, and more. Axios

Bottom line

Investopedia endures because it solves a simple problem elegantly: it translates finance into plain language, then layers on tools—reviews, rankings, a simulator, newsletters, a podcast, and sentiment indices—to help people make better decisions. Used thoughtfully (and cross-checked with primary sources), it’s one of the most practical companions for anyone navigating money and markets, from first-time investors to seasoned pros. Investopedia+2Investopedia+2