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When you invest, you are trying to increase the
value of your assets by putting your money to work earning more money. In some
cases, you put a specific amount of your money away (for example, in a CD) and
leave it for a certain amount of time to allow it to grow (through gaining
interest). You may also choose to invest in a company, in which case you may
gain profit if you have chosen your investment options wisely. You don't have to
be wealthy to start investing. Even a small amount can produce huge rewards over
the long term, especially if you do it regularly. For example, $2,000 a year
(only $38.46 a week) can add up to $361,887 in 30 years if it grows at an annual
rate of 10%. It's called 'compounding'.
If you want to invest, you
have a huge amount of opportunities here in the states and abroad. In the U.S.
alone there are more than 9,000 stocks, 10,000 mutual funds and millions of
bonds both corporate and government to choose from. You can work with one of the more than thousands of brokerage firms, banks
or financial advisers. You can even choose to invest directly with the company
or the government.
There are 3 basic investment types: stocks, bonds
and cash instruments.
1 - Stocks are part ownership you buy in a corporation (such as
McDonald).
2 - Bonds are loans you make to corporations and governments.
3 - And cash investments include bank accounts, Certificate of
Deposits (CDs) and short term U.S. Treasury bills.
You can choose to invest directly in any or all of the three, or indirectly, by
buying mutual funds that pool your money with other people's money and then
invest it. Stock mutual funds, for example, buy stocks, while bond funds invest
in bonds. If you don't have the time nor expertise, mutual funds are the best
way to go.
This book covers full
range of personal investing -- from selecting a bank to choosing specific
investments to making sense of financial pages. Written in an easy-to-follow format with hints,
bullet points, and step-by-step instructions
Most financial experts will tell you that these
three basic investments should be the core of any investment portfolio. But
there are other types of investments as well, like gold, real estate, or futures
and options. If you're looking to diversify or just looking for variety or can
afford to take added risks, these may be for you. It's important to note that
these are not for the faint of heart, with futures and options you may lose all
of your investments. So before you invest in any one of these investment options
or any other type of investments, learn all you can about the subjects to help
you understand the risks and rewards for each.
How to choose the best investment: Choosing the best investment for you will depends on your
personal circumstances as well as your financial goals. For example, a good
investment for your retirement may not be a good investment for your kid's
college education. There are three major qualities each type of investment have
and those are liquidity, safety and return.
Liquidity - If you can convert an
investment easily and quickly into cash, with little or no loss of value, you
have liquidity. For example, you can typically redeem shares in a money market
mutual fund at $1 a share. Similarly, you can cash in a certificate of deposit
(CD) and get back at least the amount you put into it (though you may forfeit
some or all of the interest you had expected to earn if you liquidate before the
end of the CD's term). It can also used to describe investments you can buy or
sell easily. For example, you could sell several hundred shares of a blue chip
stock by simply calling your broker, something that might not be possible if you
wanted to sell real estate or collectibles. The difference between
cash-equivalent investments and securities like stocks and bonds, however, is
that securities constantly fluctuate in value. So while you may be able to sell
them quickly, you might get back less than you paid to buy them if you sell when
the price is down.
If you are saving your money for financial emergency, you'll need to be
concerned about liquidity. Money market funds, savings accounts and CDs are very
liquid. But if you are investing for a long term goal such as retirement, then
liquidity is not an issue. What you are after in that case is growth and stocks
and stocks mutual funds are considered growth investments.
Safety - When you invest, you are taking
some risks. To many people, the biggest risk is losing money, so they look for
investments they consider safe. That usually means putting money into bank
accounts, CD's and U.S. Treasuries. These are safe because money in the accounts
are guaranteed, in the case of bank accounts they are insured by FDIC up to
$100,000 in deposits. With U.S. Treasuries, its backed by the "full faith and
credit" of the U.S. government, which has the power to tax it's citizens to pay
its debts. On the other hand, investing in safe investments exposes you to an
inflation risk, the gradual increase in the cost of living. The best way to
fight this risk is to invest in equities, which as proven to beat inflation over
the long run by a wide margin. But the biggest risk is not investing at all.
Return - Your return is the profit you
make on your investments, usually expressed as an annual percentage. That lets
you compare the return of different investments or investments you have held for
different periods of time. For example, if you bought a stock at $25 a share and
sold it for $30 a share, your return would be $5. If you bought on January 3,
and sold it the following January 3, that would be a 20% annual percentage
return, or the $5 return divided by your $25 investment. But if you held the
stock for five years before selling for $30 a share, your annual return would be
4%, because the 20% gain is divided by five years rather than one year. Safe
investments often promise a specific but limited return on investment. Those
that involve more risk offer the opportunity to make or lose a lot of money.
Spend less than you earn! People who spend every penny
they make usually end up going broke.......
Take enough risk on the money you save! Playing safe by
putting your money under the mattress or in a savings account
will not make you wealthy..
Remember that.....Fully one-fifth of humanity, some 1.3 billion people,
struggles to survive on less than $1 per day. About 40% of
humanity survives on less than $2 per day. More than a billion
people around the world will go to bed hungry tonight. Life
expectancy in some 32 countries is less than 40 years. If you
have a few extra dollars in your pocket (you don't have to be a
millionaire to make a difference), please share some of your
financial good fortune with others who are in great need.
Think About It... Being in the 'now' brings a freedom, unlike living
in the past or in the future, which is a kind of imprisonment.
This isn't a kind of a denial where you pretend life doesn't have
problems. Life is full of problems, but most of those stresses
and failures are reliving old hurts or worrying about future
concerns. -- Carl Honore
When you 're diagnosed with cancer, you start to
bargain with God: "Let me get through this, and I'll take better
care of myself. I'll get my priorities in order. I'll learn to
live every day to the fullest." Isn't it sad that you have to get
sick before giving yourself permission to live life to the
fullest? -- Robert Schimmel
Look at Life in different & Positive ways
