Beta is commonly used as a relative measure of risk. It measures:

Standard deviation of a stock’s price.
The expected total returns of a diversified portfolio.
The unsystematic risk component of an investment.
The risk of a security or portfolio relative to the overall market.

A prudent investor:

Does not have to consider the tax effect of long-term gains.
Evaluates his/her investments on an after-tax basis.
Studiously avoids income-shifting among funds.
Knows that a drop in the dividend payout signals a stronger firm.

Stocks whose returns are tied closely to the overall national economy are typically called:

Blue Chip stocks.
Defensive stocks.
Speculative stocks.
Cyclical stocks.

Buying on margin::

Precludes the advantage of using leverage.
Is not affected by limits on borrowing established by ERISA.
Minimizes losses if the price of a security declines.
Is possible by borrowing from a broker.

The term generally used to describe the market in which prices fully reflect all available information is:

The greater fool hypothesis.
Random walk hypothesis.
The size-effect hypothesis.
Efficient markets hypothesis.

The financial pyramid implies that:

An investment near the top of the pyramid has a higher potential return, but also carries higher risk.
Egyptian pharoahs were astute investors.
Eating nutritious meals from the "food pyramid" will make you a better investor.
"Pyramid" or "Ponzi" schemes are good investments.

The astute investor is aware that:

Investment risk is limited to the fortunes of the specific security purchased.
Computers make investment decisions scientific and eliminate much of the risk.
Actual outcome of any investment may differ from the expected outcome.
When trading on-line, brokerage commissions are always negotiable.

Investments in CDs:

Are riskier than investments in stocks.
Are inferior to investments in 8-tracks and vinyl records.
Are always tax deferred.
Are insured by the FDIC, but have generally underperformed stock investments over the long run.