Successful investing begins with clear goals. Aligning investments with both short- and long-term objectives helps ensure that financial resources are available when needed while still supporting future growth. Short-term goals often involve liquidity and capital preservation. Funds intended for near-term expenses, such as major purchases or emergency reserves, typically require lower risk strategies. Protecting principal […]
Investments
When Should You Sell an Investment?
Selling an investment can be more difficult than buying one for many investors. When you buy an investment, you obviously have high hopes for how well that investment will perform. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that every investment will meet your expectations. In that situation, holding on to your investment essentially means that you are not putting […]
The Many Types of Investment Risk
It is important for investors to understand that every investment has its own set of risks. One key to successful investing is to recognize the different types of risks that could be a threat to one’s financial well-being and to take steps to minimize their impact. What follows is an overview of the primary forms […]
Rating Bonds
Before you add bonds to your portfolio, you should understand how they work and what variations exist among them. Just as importantly, you need to identify the risks that come with owning bonds and how you can protect yourself from them. Bond Basics Bonds are essentially IOUs, issued by federal, state, and municipal governments as […]
Stocks to Avoid: Red Flags for Investors
Investing in the stock market can be a great way to build wealth and secure your financial future, but not all stocks are created equal. Just as there are promising opportunities, there are also stocks that may be best avoided due to various red flags. In this article, we will discuss the key warning signs […]
Understanding Total Return
A mutual fund’s performance — its total return — can be either positive or negative. In other words, a fund either made or lost money for a measured time period. There are three separate elements that contribute to total return: the distribution of fund income (interest and dividends received on the fund’s investments); the distribution […]