Which type

Consider the following example:. When the object is created, the memory is allocated on the managed heap. The variable holds only a reference to the location of the object.

Types on the managed heap require overhead both when they're allocated and when they're reclaimed. Garbage collection is the automatic memory management functionality of the CLR, which performs the reclamation. However, garbage collection is also highly optimized, and in most scenarios it doesn't create a performance issue. For more information about garbage collection, see Automatic Memory Management. All arrays are reference types, even if their elements are value types. Arrays implicitly derive from the System.

Array class. You declare and use them with the simplified syntax that is provided by C , as shown in the following example:. Reference types fully support inheritance. When you create a class, you can inherit from any other interface or class that isn't defined as sealed. Other classes can inherit from your class and override your virtual methods.

For more information about how to create your own classes, see Classes, structs, and records. For more information about inheritance and virtual methods, see Inheritance.

In C , literal values receive a type from the compiler. You can specify how a numeric literal should be typed by appending a letter to the end of the number. For example, to specify that the value 4. If no letter is appended, the compiler will infer a type for the literal. For more information about which types can be specified with letter suffixes, see Integral numeric types and Floating-point numeric types.

Because literals are typed, and all types derive ultimately from System. Object , you can write and compile code such as the following code:. A type can be declared with one or more type parameters that serve as a placeholder for the actual type the concrete type.

Client code provides the concrete type when it creates an instance of the type. Such types are called generic types. For example, the. NET type System. When you create an instance of the type, you specify the type of the objects that the list will contain, for example, string :. The use of the type parameter makes it possible to reuse the same class to hold any type of element, without having to convert each element to object.

Generic collection classes are called strongly typed collections because the compiler knows the specific type of the collection's elements and can raise an error at compile time if, for example, you try to add an integer to the stringList object in the previous example. For more information, see Generics. You can implicitly type a local variable but not class members by using the var keyword. The variable still receives a type at compile time, but the type is provided by the compiler.

For more information, see Implicitly Typed Local Variables. It can be inconvenient to create a named type for simple sets of related values that you don't intend to store or pass outside method boundaries. You can create anonymous types for this purpose. For more information, see Anonymous Types. Ordinary value types can't have a value of null.

However, you can create nullable value types by appending a? For example, int? Nullable value types are instances of the generic struct type System. Nullable value types are especially useful when you're passing data to and from databases in which numeric values might be null.

For more information, see Nullable value types. X-Y plots are used to determine relationships between the two different things. The x-axis is used to measure one event or variable and the y-axis is used to measure the other. If both variables increase at the same time, they have a positive relationship. If one variable decreases while the other increases, they have a negative relationship. Because manufacturers add vitamins A and D to milk, people consuming the low or nonfat versions generally do not miss out on these nutrients.

For people who wish to maintain a moderate weight, choosing skim or low fat may be a wise choice, as these contain fewer calories. A cup of skim milk contains milligrams mg of calcium — nearly a third of the daily adult calcium requirement of 1, mg. The milk proteins casein and whey have a high concentration of branched-chain amino acids, which studies suggest play an important role in muscle synthesis.

Milk also contains polyunsaturated fatty acids, which help prevent inflammation and heart disease, according to research. The United States government currently advises people to consume low fat or skim milk instead of whole milk. However, according to a review , this advice derives from the lipid hypothesis, which states that dietary saturated fat and cholesterol raise the risk of cardiovascular disease CVD. The review authors suggest more recent research has identified more complex mechanisms for CVD development that do not implicate saturated fat and dietary cholesterol.

They conclude there is a lack of evidence suggesting full fat dairy products raise CVD risk. However, this is an ongoing debate amongst experts, and to date, there is no consensus. Additionally, an older meta-analysis of 21 studies indicated no significant evidence to suggest that dietary saturated fat increases the risk of heart disease. Another potential risk of consuming milk is lactose intolerance. According to health experts , lactose intolerance is most common in the following groups of people:.

People with lactose intolerance are unable to digest lactose, a sugar in milk. As a result, the condition can cause bloating, gas, or diarrhea.

They also usually make a point to meet their clients in person when appropriate. When comparing this set of brokerages, pay attention to independence. Ask if your advisor is compelled to sell a particular product or service for example the one offered by their particular company , or if they're able to offer you the best products regardless of which fund family it came from. Also, pay attention to fees. Professional certifications such as the CFP or CFA designation show that your broker has been trained and has passed a series of rigorous exams related to financial markets and planning.

Today, most financial institutions and even many banks offer their customers a self-directed online brokerage account. For example, Citibank and Wells Fargo offer investing platforms. Now 21 years into the 21st century, most of the discount brokerage space has consolidated into online investing.

For the most part, these platforms leave it up to you to figure out which investments are the best, but they typically offer a suite of research and analysis tools, as well as expert recommendations and insights, to help you make informed decisions. You are then on your own to execute the trades to build your portfolio through their website or mobile app. They let you trade on margin, create options strategies, and invest directly in mutual funds as well as individual stocks, foreign exchange forex , and exchange-traded funds ETFs.

Online brokerages are best for the self-directed investor who knows about the markets or knows how to conduct their own research to choose a portfolio best suited for their goals. Each online brokerage has its own strengths and weaknesses.

For instance, some people may value the convenience of having all of their financial accounts under the same roof.

Others may value interactive charting. Still, others may value access to IPOs. Human advisors charge higher fees than robo-advisors or platforms that facilitate self-directed investing—the platforms tend to charge a per-transaction fee. Robo-advisors automate investing and use technology to manage your portfolio.

Since Betterment launched in , there has been a proliferation of both startups and existing financial companies offering this sort of algorithmic trading service. Unlike the trading algorithms that power the high-frequency trading HFT desks at hedge funds and banks, robo-advisors are likely to put your money to work using low-cost, indexed ETFs.

In fact, it is the convergence of ultra-low-fee ETFs with low-cost technology solutions available on mobile platforms that make robo-advising possible.

Some platforms don't charge an advisory fee at all, but they charge for optional add-on services. Algorithm-based robo-advisors aim to place you in an efficient and diversified passive portfolio. Many of these platforms will even tax-optimize your portfolios with tax-loss harvesting, a process by which an investor sells losing positions to offset the capital gains generated by winning positions.

The algorithms themselves are a proprietary company secret of robo-advisors. Robo-advisors are an ideal option for new or young investors who have little to invest.

But robo-advisors are certainly not for everyone. If you're an active trader, you may find them boring or unsophisticated.