Investing From ZeroExpert Edition
Every major investment type, with the math.
Savings accounts to crypto, Treasuries to Trump Accounts: what each investment is, who stands behind it, what it costs, how it is taxed, and the arithmetic that decides what you keep, read from the SEC, FINRA, Treasury, FDIC, and IRS.
57 pages · 16 chapters · 5 figures · 5 worksheets
Available to buyers in the United States. Instant PDF download right after checkout, plus a copy by email. Payment is processed securely by Stripe, and any sales tax we are required to collect is added at checkout.
Three pages, unedited.
The cover, the contents, and a page from the book exactly as you will receive it. Tap any page to enlarge it.
Written for you if
- Beginners starting from zero who want every major investment type explained the same way: what it is, what protects it, what can go wrong, and how it is taxed.
- Employees deciding how much to put in a 401(k), whether to choose Roth or traditional, and whether an IRA or an HSA fits.
- Savers holding cash who want to compare savings accounts, CDs, Treasury bills, and I bonds, and know what stands behind each.
- Anyone who has been pitched an investment by a stranger, a group chat, or an app, and wants the free checks regulators point to.
Chapter by chapter.
- 01
Compounding and the Rule of 72
Growth on growth, why starting ten years earlier roughly doubled the result in the guide's example, and the shortcut for doubling time.
- 02
Risk, Return, and Who Stands Behind Your Money
The three asset categories, diversification and rebalancing, and exactly what FDIC, NCUA, Treasury backing, and SIPC do and do not protect.
- 03
Fees: The Return You Control
Every fee by name, the SEC's own example of what fees cost over 20 years, and the larger effect over a working lifetime.
- 04
Savings Accounts, Money Market Accounts, and CDs
How insured deposits work, the CD fine print that matters, and how brokered CDs trade an early withdrawal penalty for market price risk.
- 05
Treasuries: Bills, Notes, Bonds, TIPS, and I Bonds
How each pays and is taxed, the math behind a T-bill discount and a TIPS adjustment, and how the I bond rate is built.
- 06
Stocks
What a share is, the two ways stocks pay, who is paid last in a bankruptcy, and how often large company stocks have lost money.
- 07
Bonds
Why prices move opposite to interest rates, worked step by step, the five risks every bondholder carries, and the three main issuers.
- 08
Funds: Mutual Funds, Index Funds, ETFs, Target-Date Funds
How pooled funds work, the real differences between a mutual fund and an ETF, and three things to check in any target-date fund.
- 09
Real Estate and REITs
The leverage math that cuts both ways, the home sale exclusion, and the fees and liquidity trap in non-traded REITs.
- 10
Crypto Assets
What protects crypto and what does not, what the SEC said when it approved spot bitcoin exchange-traded products, and how the IRS taxes digital assets.
- 11
The 401(k) and Workplace Plans
The 2026 limits, including the larger catch-up at ages 60 to 63, the arithmetic of an employer match, and Roth versus traditional inside a plan.
- 12
IRAs: Traditional and Roth
The 2026 limits and phase-outs, who can deduct a traditional IRA, who can contribute to a Roth, and the early withdrawal exceptions.
- 13
HSAs and Trump Accounts
The account with three tax breaks, the 2026 changes that opened HSAs to more people, and how the new Trump Accounts for children work.
- 14
Taxable Accounts and Investment Taxes
The one-year line between short-term and long-term gains, the 2026 capital gains brackets including 0 percent, and the $3,000 loss rule.
- 15
Investment Scams
The largest loss category in the FTC's 2025 data, the relationship and group chat patterns regulators warn about, and the red flags in their own words.
- 16
The Quick Reference Vault
Every investment type on one page, the 2026 account limits, and the formulas, designed to be printed.
An appendix of 100 research prompts follows, each written to send you to primary sources and none asking for a pick. Five worksheets close the book: your compounding numbers, an account and fee inventory, a safe money comparison, an account plan, and a check before you invest.
The IKE standard.
Built from primary sources
Product descriptions from the SEC's Investor.gov pages and bulletins, FINRA, and Treasury; insurance limits from the FDIC, NCUA, and SIPC; 2026 account limits and tax rules from the IRS. Every chapter ends with its sources.
The math, shown
Compounding, the Rule of 72, the SEC's fee example, bond pricing, the I bond rate, and leverage, each worked step by step. Every worked example was computed in code and is labeled hypothetical.
No picks, no predictions
It names no specific stocks, funds, firms, or coins, recommends none, and treats every growth rate as a round number chosen to show the arithmetic, not a forecast.
Honest about limits
Where a source could not be read directly or in full, such as TreasuryDirect, the guide says so and tells you where to confirm the current figure.
Built to use
5 figures, the critical facts and one action you can finish in under 30 minutes at the end of every chapter, five worksheets, and a printable quick reference.
Specs and terms.
- Format
- PDF, US Letter, live source links
- Length
- 57 pages, 16 chapters
- Inside
- 5 figures, 5 worksheets, 100 research prompts, glossary, complete source list
- Sources verified
- October 2026
- Covers
- Education only. How investment types and accounts work in the United States as of October 2026.
- Price
- $27 USD, one-time purchase
- Delivery
- Instant PDF download on a private page right after checkout, plus a copy by email
What this is. An educational reference. It is not legal, tax, financial, credit, or investment advice, and it does not create a professional relationship. Rules change; each figure in this edition carries the date it was verified against its official source. For advice on your situation, consult a licensed professional.
Education only. This guide names and recommends no specific stocks, funds, firms, or coins, and it predicts no returns; it is not investment advice. Interstellar Kinetics is not a registered investment adviser or broker-dealer and does not manage money.
Your license. One purchase covers one person, for your own learning or your own business. You may print a copy for yourself. Please do not share, resell, upload, or use this file to train AI models. Terms.
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Investing From Zero
57 pages · 16 chapters · 5 figures · 5 worksheets. $27, instant download.