Articles Tagged ‘investing’

Are ETFs Right for You?
Tuesday, June 28th, 2011
Are ETFs Right for YouThe ETF, or exchange traded fund, is a fairly new type of investment product. It holds stocks, bonds, commodities or other types of assets and sometimes tracks an index like the S&P 500. It is similar in structure to a mutual fund, yet is traded on a stock exchange. ETFs usually include investments that are grouped under some sort of common theme. It could be top performers in a given industry, those listed on various indexes, or up and coming stocks from a certain market sector. These investments often look quite attractive at first glance, but they’re not right for...

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Measuring the Risk of Investment
Monday, March 14th, 2011
Measuring the Risk of InvestmentAll investments come with some amount of risk. No investment is safe from potentially losses. For years, real estate was considered the only investment that would never go down, but even real estate has taken a hit over the last several years. Investing is risky business. The key to choosing the right investment is to find the right balance between risk and return for your needs. Sitting down with an investment professional may be one of the best steps you can take to planning your financial future. Here is some advice and tips for measuring the risk of investment.
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  • Why Should You Invest?
    Monday, September 28th, 2009

    For the uninitiated, investing can be a scary concept. Putting your hard-earned money into stocks, bonds and other instruments that could lose value doesn't seem to make much sense on the surface. While it's true that some people lose their life savings by investing, these people are in the minority. Not all investments are high-risk. Some come with guaranteed rates of return, ensuring that you will not lose your money. Others carry some risk, but are managed in such a way that the risk is low, especially over the long term. Those who put all of their money in very risky...

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    Investment Time Horizon
    Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

    Whenever you buy an investment, it’s a good idea to think about how long you want to own it. This is called your investment time horizon. Are you hoping to make a quick profit so you can take a nice vacation this summer? Or are you investing for retirement, which may be 20 or 30 years away? The longer your time horizon, the more volatility (price change) you can tolerate. Sink the vacation money into a volatile stock fund and you may end up staying home this summer. But put your retirement money into the same fund, and you could...

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    Investing in Mutual Funds
    Monday, February 23rd, 2009

    With the current volatility of the stock market you may be wondering if you should invest in mutual funds. If you are currently contributing to a 401K through your employer and you've had an opportunity to select the type of investment, the quarterly updates you receive clearly explain how your investment has been holding up. How does a mutual fund work? For example, let’s assume you are contributing a certain percentage of your paycheck to your retirement fund. The manager of the fund utilizes the contributions from all employees and invests in stocks and bonds. If...

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    Frequent Investing Mistakes
    Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

    How do you make your money work for you? One way is by investing your money. Investments are a way to make your money grow through the stock market, investment companies, mutual funds, and retirement accounts. But, while you are looking to invest your hard-earned money in something, don’t forget to familiarize yourself with the mistakes that are more commonly made by new investors: 1. Not taking advantage of your 401(k) plan. Most employers offer a retirement plan for their employees. It can either be used from the first day of employment or there is...

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    Important Money Decisions
    Tuesday, February 10th, 2009

    After historic volatility in 2008 the current investment environment will continue to be strewn with potential challenges. Here are some important things to consider going forward: 1) Review your risk tolerance: Hopefully you have an investment plan, but that doesn’t mean you should let it sit for years without revisiting it. You should review your risk tolerance you’re your financial advisor and be sure your portfolio is allocated properly. Many portfolios have gone out of balance due to the large drop in equity values over the last 18 months. 2) Don’t abandon the investment ship: Market downturns are always filled with panic...

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