Investment Success Is Long-Term Investing
Time is usually the number one contributor to financial success when it comes to investing. Over the short-term, it is nearly impossible to predict whether the financial markets or world economies will go up, down, or even sideways. Historically, indices have gone up more often, especially over rolling periods of time.
Market Downturns Happen. Just How Often?
Most people are not aware just how often financial market downturns occur. Financial markets are known to dip like an elevator (fast) and rise like taking the stairs (slow & steady). While you might prefer to ride in the elevator up, remember that markets rise based on fundamentals and technicals: earnings, growth, yields, yield curves, federal reserve moves, political, geopolitical events, etc. Drops typically occur due to fear of the unknown. If you plan ahead for your goals and needs, you can rest assured the markets are not something to worry about on a daily basis.
Investing In Stocks
Businesses sell shares of stock to investors as a way to raise money to finance expansion, pay off debt, and provide operating capital. Each share of stock represents a proportional share of ownership in the company. As a stockholder, you share in a portion of any profits and growth of the company. Dividends from earnings are paid to shareholders, and growth is realized by the increase in value of the stock. Stock ownership also generally gives you the right to vote on management issues.
Help Wanted: Why Can’t Businesses Find Enough Workers?
The headline U.S. unemployment rate fell from 6.7% at the end of December 2020 to 3.9% in December 2021, marking the biggest one-year improvement in history. While many workers took advantage of this strong rebound in the job market, companies large and small have been struggling with labor shortages.
How Much Annual Income Can Your Current Portfolio Provide?
Your retirement lifestyle will depend not only on your assets and investment choices, but also on how quickly you draw down your retirement portfolio. The annual percentage that you take out of your portfolio, whether from returns or the principal itself, is known as your withdrawal rate. Figuring out an appropriate initial withdrawal rate is a key issue in retirement planning and presents many challenges.
Investing Through Mutual Funds and ETFs
Mutual funds offer two key benefits. Because most mutual funds own dozens or hundreds of securities, you achieve greater diversification than buying a few individual securities on your
own.
Active Vs. Passive Portfolio Management
One of the longest-standing debates in investing is over the relative merits of active portfolio management versus passive management. With an actively managed portfolio, a manager tries to beat the performance of a given benchmark index by using his or her judgment in selecting individual securities and deciding when to buy and sell them. A passively managed portfolio attempts to match that benchmark performance, and in the process, minimize expenses that can reduce an investor’s net return.
10 Years and Counting: Points to Consider as You Approach Retirement
If you’re a decade or so away from retirement, you’ve probably spent at least some time thinking about this major life change. How will you manage the transition? Will you travel, take up a new sport or hobby, or spend more time with friends and family? Should you consider relocating? Will you continue to work in some capacity? Will changes in your income sources affect your standard of living?
Company Stock and Your Retirement Strategy
The opportunity to acquire company stock — inside or outside a workplace retirement plan — can be a lucrative employee benefit. Your compensation may include stock options or bonuses paid in company stock. Shares may be offered at a discount through an employee stock purchase plan and held in a taxable account, or company stock might be one of the investment options in your tax-deferred 401(k) plan.
Types of Risk
In the investment world, risk generally is associated with uncertainty. It refers to the possibility that you will lose some or all of your investment or that an investment will yield less than its anticipated return. The more volatile an investment is–the more unpredictable its returns–the riskier it is generally considered to be.
