Investopedia.com's articles

Invetopedia.com has a number of articles in its Basics section that offer very good backgrounders for basic finacial education.

The articles are short and well written using plenty of hyperlinks; allowing the reader to delve deeper into a financial term referenced in the article. Here's an example:

...In reality, as a common shareholder you are at the very bottom of the corporate food chain when a company liquidates (you are the corporate equivalent of a hyena that eats only after the lions have eaten their share)...

Of particular note are:

• The Essentials Of Cash Flow
• Understanding Credit Card Interest
• Warren Buffett: How He Does It
• Understanding The Ticker Tape
• Knowing Your Rights As A Shareholder
• When Fear And Greed Take Over
• APR vs. APY: How the Distinction Affects You
• The Tale Of Two Exchanges: NYSE And Nasdaq
• An Exploration of the Development of the Market
• Hairline Fractures: Exploring The Dismal Science
• Trees and Apples: The Fundamental Mechanics of Investing
• What Is Money?
• A Market By Any Other Name