Category Archives: Investment Planning

5 Investment Terms you Need to Understand

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The financial world is full of jargon which can be extremely off-putting to those who aren’t in the know. There are some terms that it is common for people to not understand what they mean, yet they often feel they can’t ask for fear of coming across as ignorant. This can prevent people from investing in products that might otherwise be right for them. We are coming to the rescue, however, with our list of the top 5 investment terms that you need to understand.

investment terms

# Annuity

One question that many are too scared to ask is what is an annuity? An annuity is a pension product that can provide an income in retirement once purchased. It is one of those products that doesn’t allow for you to change your mind, once purchased you have to wait for retirement before you can see a return on your investment. There are two types of annuity, a lifetime annuity offers an income for life and if you choose can also offer an income for life for a nominated beneficiary whereas a fixed-term annuity offers an income for a set period, which is usually 5 or 10 years.

# Gilts

According to This is Money gilts are an investment products that is essentially an IOU from the treasury. Basically, an investor gives money to the government which is used to help run the country and the government in return pays interest over the lifetime of the bond. Once the term of the gilt is up, the initial investment is returned.

# Equities

Equities are all about investing directly in a particular company. The investor buys shares in a company in the hope that when they sell them the price will have gone up so that they can make money. Equity investors also enjoy profits in the form of dividends, a payment made once a year to shareholders by the company in which they invest, although it is worth noting that companies are under no obligation to make this payment. For some advice on deciding whether a particular company might offer a sound investment opportunity take a look at Your Money.

# Investment Fund

An investment fund is a collective investment scheme, which can offer investors safety in numbers. When you buy into a fund, you basically pool your money with other investors to buy into a portfolio of investments, which is usually decided on by a professional fund manager. Head to Which? to find out, even more, to help you decide if this type of investment is right for you.

# ISA

ISAs or Individual Savings Accounts allow you to enjoy tax-free interest payments on your savings. According to Gov.UK the maximum you can save in an ISA for the 2018/19 tax year is £20,000. The ISA can work just like a regular savings account or you could invest in a stocks and shares ISA where any money you pay in is invested on your behalf with any profits being paid back into your account.

Key Tips on Selecting an Investment Firm

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Building an investment can help you determine your long-term financial goals. It can be beneficial for your retirement, payment of mortgage and even paying school fees for your children. Although having a savings account is also be financially important, the returns can be uncertain, which is why having an investment is beneficial for providing you with good returns.

Choosing an investment firm you can rely on for your finances can be a bit tricky, though. Without weighing out your options correctly, you’ll end up getting a sub-par company. If you’re concerned about your financial health, here’s what you need to consider in investing.

Selecting an Investment Firm

Knowing the Advantages of Investments

Making investments can be a simple process of purchasing a stock, real estate or other type of investments in the expectation that you’ll earn a stronger financial return over time. To know how investing can help you financially, here are some of the advantages:

  • Investments can provide you with a regular income. Your investment can go a long way, especially when you’re close to your retirement. As you need to have a steady income for your daily expenses after you retire, a variety of investments is usually a stable source for income.
  • Investments can provide you with long-term returns. Although investing can be a bit risky, it can potentially give you long-term financial gains. While cash can be safer than spending your money on investments, it’s less likely to generate profits.
  • They can surpass inflation. With today’s low-interest environment, investing has the most likely ability to outperform inflation and be well worth the time, money and effort.
  • Investments can allow you to spend your money based on your financial circumstances. As your economic conditions change over time, you can make investments that suit your situation. For example, you can go on investing a lump sum or begin to invest a smaller amount in order to establish a savings plan. Depending on your financial needs, an investment can give you the flexibility to plan out your finances well.

Things to Look for an Investment Firm

Selecting an experienced investment firm that can be trusted with your money might be the most challenging decision you’ll make as you enter the realm of finances. If you choose poorly, you’ll waste your energy, money, and the bad experience might leave a poor taste in your mouth. If you want to go through the process of properly choosing the most qualified investment firm for your financial needs, here are the things to look for:

  1. Valuable transaction experience

Make sure that your prospective investment firm has the credentials and experience to get the work done for you. You can validate their knowledge by asking about prior projects they’ve worked on successfully. That way, you’ll know how trustworthy and professional they can be for your future investments.

  1. License

Having a license can be essential when dealing with investments. When getting an investment company, check whether they hold a license or authority to operate. That way, you’ll be able to determine if they are legitimate or not. Also, you can inquire whether they’re working with licensed investment professionals who are registered with a state.

  1. Special areas of expertise

As investments can be various types, it’s best to ask your potential firm about their particular areas of expertise. By doing so, you’ll be able to narrow down your options based on what you need and what the company is working on.

  1. Manner of communication

Going through the whole investment process isn’t easy. As you get your money invested, you want to be sure about them. That’s why you need to be particular about how an investment company will communicate your performance. Before picking one, don’t forget to make inquiries about the manner of communication and the timeframe you expect them to speak with you regarding your portfolio and the progress you’re making.

  1. Person who will handle your account

It’s vital to ask who all in the company will be handling your account. Check whether the person assigned to cater to your financial needs is knowledgeable and well-experienced in the field. You can also ask if they are licensed professionals who have been in the business for quite some time. By doing this, you’ll have an idea whether your investments are in safe hands or not.

  1. Violations of federal or state regulations

There’s nothing wrong if you are searching for an investment firm who has never been disciplined by a federal or state regulator. It’s only your way of protecting your interests in the first place. In these types of situations, it’s worth keeping in mind that getting to know the investment company better may have something to do with how they work with their clients. Any violation of federal or state regulations on their part may be something that you should think through carefully.

  1. Fee structure

Dealing with an investment company may also mean paying for its services. Most of the time, payment of a retainer and a success fee are the most common ways that a firm will charge their clients. That’s why you should take the time to verify their fee structure so you’ll be able to consider their fees as one of one of the factors in making your decision.

Steps to Remember for Choosing Investments

Looking for an investment firm will be much easier when you know what kind of investment you’re taking. As you move forward with your financial goals, here are the steps to remember in finding the right investment for you:

  1. Check your goals and needs

You can only make the most out of your investments if you know what you really want from it. Reviewing your goals and needs can be a good start for something bigger waiting ahead of you and your investments in the future.

  1. Think about how long you can invest

Financial health is also crucial to our well-being. You can guarantee it by considering how soon you can get your money back. While timeframes differ depending on your goals, it’s best to be aware how long you can invest. Take note of your financial circumstances so you’ll not end up having some problems in the future.

  1. Consider making an investment plan

Once you’ve made an investment plan, you’ll be able to maximize your options which can help you identify the best product that suits you. Also by having a plan, you’ll be able to determine some risk factors that may affect your investments.

  1. Be mindful of the investments to avoid

It’s a good idea to avoid taking high-risk investments, especially if you don’t understand it how it works. Only consider those medium-risk investments which can potentially give you long-term returns.

  1. Review your performance regularly

You can keep track of how your investments are progressing by doing regular performance reviews. That way, you’ll be able to make necessary adjustments to your savings to attain your goal.

Keep in mind, the value of investments can go up or down depending on the situation. If you want to take advantage of your investments, make sure to choose a trustworthy, honest, and professional company that can take care of your investments over time.

Should You Invest In Cryptocurrency? Here’s How to Do It the Right Way

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A high number of people assume that investing in cryptocurrencies is no longer an attractive option and there is a bubble about to burst. It might be true some of the top coins of the moment will dive in the coming months.

Waiting in the wings though are several coins which have been developed to put right the problems that are associated with Bitcoin, Ethereum,and the other early front-runners.

Invest In Cryptocurrency
When you look at the increases of the significant coins have made over the past twelve months should you trust something that can rise in value by that higher margin?

It would have been better to invest one or two years ago, or even five years ago when things were just starting. If that had been the case as many people did you could be sat on the beach somewhere with no need to read this article.

There is still so much potential in all the other coins which are coming to the crypto marketplace even Litecoin has not yet reached its full potential.

Before anyone begins investing in crypto of any description, they have to be aware that they can be highly volatile and in the near future anything can happen. To a certain degree they are unregulated,and with this hanging, over theirhead, there is a small chance that they could be outlawed, the is why you need a financial back up plan.

There is also the chance that an exchange where you have funds gets hacked and yours along with every other investor’s cryptocurrency gets stolen, or if you lose your wallet key.

The Reasoning behind Investing in Cryptos and Why not.

There are three reasons anyone should invest in a cryptocurrency these are as follows:

  • You wish to hedge your bets against the fall of the dollar
  • You support the social role that cryptocurrencies will play
  • You understand the technology and like the concept

The reasons not to invest are:

  • The FOMO effect – the Fear of Missing Out

How to choose Which Cryptocurrencies to Build Your Portfolio

BTC was seen as the only crypto to invest in, and to a certain extent, LTC was recognized as the next big coin. To a certain extent, some of your investment should be in Bitcoins as most other currencies are traded against this. For this reason alone for the near future, it is not going to vanish or should not lose all its value.

As this coin has lost some of its dominant standing in the market, other coins are creeping up in the rankings and taking market share. To build a good portfolio of altcoins is the hard part.

The first way to see the value of a coin is to check its market capital. This should only be used as a guideline that the currency is healthy and not as a basis to make an investment.

When choosing any coin, you need to see the value they bring to businesses and end users. Also the problems they are aiming to solve. A few things to check when doing your homework are as follows:

  • A transparent technical vision
  • And active development team
  • A lively and vibrant community

Cryptocurrencies and How to Buy Them

The first thing you need to find is “Where can I buy cryptocurrency” that deal in the coins you have decided to invest in. Not all exchanges trade in smaller altcoins.

Secondly, you need a secure way of storing them which would be your wallet. A cold storage wallet is highly advised as then you can keep everything safe offline.

An exchange in your home country is highly advised as you have some recall if things go wrong.

Once you have a wallet and have signed up to an exchange where you are able to purchase your coins from (you should already have a BTC account which is funded), you have to decide the best time to invest.

If a coin is crashing, you should wait until it bottoms out. Catching anything that is falling can be costly.

A little advice here would be not to compare a cryptocurrency bubble with a conventionalbubble.

If a coin is up 10 to 20 percent, this is common for daily activity. A bubble might come witha coin being up 100% yet over the past we have seen figures of 1000% being the bubble point. All this is hypothetical as no one knows until it pops.

Second advice is to observe. You should never buy at the sign of a dip as these are often followed by another. You should also not rush to buy any coin at the thought it could explode. You have to do your homework before you decide.

It is the same when deciding to sell. Don’t sell too early as you think the price will crash, you are after all investing for the long term.

Storing Your Altcoins

As mentioned you need a wallet for your coins, yet if you invest in many you might not have a choice but to leave them on the exchange. Times are changing,and it all depends on the altcoins you invest in for where you can store them.

Which Coins to Invest in and Why?

When looking which cryptocurrency to invest in the first to check is NEO. This coin is known as the Chinese-Ethereum which brings a new algorithm.

This algorithm changes the proof of work/stake and uses the Delegated Byzantine Fault Tolerance algorithm which works by consensus. It can also work across multiple Blockchains and brings decentralized storage as a service on the network.

Second up is the pick of the pack. Skycoin will transform the internet and bring Net Neutrality back to the users from the hands of the ISP’s. This it is able to do when it works with its mesh network (Skywire) that is powered by dedicated nodes.

These are the equivalent of the mining rigs for conventional coins. SKY has no mining so transactions can be performed in seconds rather than creating a backlog on the network and the Blockchain.

Although it is still to enter the mainstream, it will bring a new internet and change how we connect and use the internet it also brings some of the highest security for the coin and also for the users who use the Skywire network.

Lastly is Cardano which is not a new coin. It is open sourced like many other coins and based on the Blockchain. It was also created by the co-founder of ETH.

This coin brings smart contracts in a much-enhanced form and a new proof of stake method. It also aims to bring more functionality to end users.

It can be a good investment, yet it still follows in the footsteps of the current leaders rather than introducing something new like Skywire and the coin very closely linked to it.

How Do You Sell Your Home Without Estate Agents Or Solicitors?

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Selling your home is often a case of expense after expense after expense, and we can completely sympathise –few people like spending money that they don’t have to. So is it possible to sell your home without using solicitors or estate agents?

Here’s a quick rundown of how you could do just that!

Sell Your Home

Eliminating Estate Agents

If you want to eliminate estate agents, you could just advertise your home locally. Of course, in a world where most people’s first resort is Zoopla or Rightmove, you may struggle if you don’t advertise online. As a result, it could pay to use an online-only agent that simply lists your properties on those sites, and they typically start at around £100 to £200. You cannot directly upload properties to Zoopla or Rightmove, as that requires a long-term subscription, and you would end up paying substantially more (£500 per month or so) for those subscriptions.

Regardless, if you do decide to advertise your house in the local papers then the first thing you’ll need to do is to tidy your home extensively, and then take well-lit photos of each room. It’s a good idea to open the curtains and have all the lights on when you take these photos, and position yourself in a suitable corner so that you get the widest possible angle. Don’t forget to include the garden, the front of the house and the back of the house. If you have any outbuildings, include those.

Next, arrange for an energy performance certificate. If the property has had an EPC assessment in the past 10 years, you can reuse the EPC, but otherwise you will have to spend between £50 and £120 to get a new one. An energy specialist will come into the house, take a load of measurements and produce the certificate.

Finally, talk price. This can be a sticking point, of course, as you want to maximise your price, and the buyer wants to minimise it. Choose a price that is 10% above the actual value, as it gives you an opportunity to reduce it as necessary.

You will also have to include a contact number so that people can talk to you regarding viewings. Naturally, if you miss one, you could lose a potential sale, so it’s essential that people can contact you at almost any time of the day. Don’t forget that you will have to show them around at a time that’s convenient for them and then follow up on any offers.

Once you have accepted an offer, you next move onto the legal side.

Squishing Solicitors

Now, we could cheat a little and say instruct a conveyancer, as they are not technically solicitors. However, we’ve made the assumption that you want to lower your costs as much as possible, and conveyancers are definitely not free. So, here’s what you need to do.

First, you need get your title deeds from the Land Registry. These are the documents that tell you what you own and all the conditions that affect the property. Then, you need to fill out forms TA6, TA10 and TA13 and create a contract of sale. If you have a mortgage, you need to create a settlement figure and then organise the final accounts, prepare the final settlement and pay off the remainder of the mortgage. You’ll also have to receive the house deposit, approve the deed of transfer, handover the deeds and finally send the outstanding balance to the account of your choice.

Here’s the sticking point, though: Many solicitors will not deal with a seller who doesn’t have legal representation. This is because the solicitor cannot automatically trust the documentation as there are no guarantees backing it and no insurance, and it results in extra work for them. It also means that you are personally liable for any mistakes within the documentation, and again, you don’t have any insurance backing you up. Finally, you may not be able to handle the mortgage agreement on your own, as a lot of mortgage providers require an undertaking to be created – this is a formal agreement between legal professionals to pay off the mortgage using the proceeds.

Now, we absolutely understand why you want to eliminate estate agents and solicitors from the house-buying process, as all that commission can add up toa lot. However, if you really want to save money but still have the convenience of support when you need it, use a hybrid estate agent with a fixed fee, and use a conveyancer to cover yourself. If you do everything by yourself, it’s possible that you could end up in a serious legal tangle.

The Warren Buffett way of Investing: Moats and Floats

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You may know about moats if you have read Warren Buffett’s letters to shareholders or you are into investing. Moats and floats are nothing but an investing style which is widely accepted by people all over the globe. These terms were coined by legendary investor Warren Buffett.

Buffett way of Investing

Let’s understand both Moats and Floats in little detail-

Moats

A moat simply means competitive advantage which a company enjoys over other firms in the same industry.

Moats simply acts as an entry barrier against other firms trying to enter the industry and trying to eat away the market share of the existing players in the industry. Wider the moat, more sustainable and greater is the competitive advantage. The moat can be in the form of pricing power, scale of operation, brand value, etc.

Few of the moated companies in the Indian market include Maruti Suzuki, Asian Paints, Pidilite industries, Larsen and Toubro etc. However, please don’t blindly follow moats with doing any analysis and before you make any investment do take care of the margin of safety. You may do equity research analysis module to enhance your ability of stock picking for long term investments.

One big problem with these companies is that they tends to be highly overpriced and trades at higher PE at most times. In the last 1-2 years they have really given good return vis-a-vis the performance of index.

Another important aspect to remember here is study from time to time that whether the moat is still intact or is worsening over the period.

Read more about moat investment strategy.

Floats

Float is another term often used and followed by Warren Buffett which can be seen in his letters to shareholders. It is said that Buffett has build his business empire by utilising the floats from his insurance business.

Float is relevant in insurance business until the interest rate prevailing in the market is higher than cost of float.

Floats referred to businesses which take huge free cash flow from the customers as advances and the reason it is said free as the company is not in an obligation to pay interest on the same. Basically the premiums are collected by the customers upfront and the claims are settled later.

Presence of floats basically helps companies to reduce their working capital and that’s one of the important reasons why Warren Buffett loves to include Insurance companies in his portfolio.

One of the key aspects with these floats companies is that there is very low probability of bad debt as they accept cash before they offer the service hence it is a very positive aspect with these companies.

Some of the Indian companies with floats include VST industries, Just Dial, Coal India etc.

In the 2002 letters to shareholder, Warren Buffett wrote-

Float is money we hold but don’t own. In an insurance operation, float arises because premiums are received before losses are paid, an interval that sometimes extends over many years. During that time, the insurer invests the money. This pleasant activity typically carries with it a downside: The premiums that an insurer takes in usually do not cover the losses and expenses it eventually must pay. That leaves it running an “underwriting loss,” which is the cost of float. An insurance business has value if its cost of float over time is less than the cost the company would otherwise incur to obtain funds. But the business is a lemon if its cost of float is higher than market rates for money. Moreover, the downward trend of interest rates in recent years has transformed underwriting losses that formerly were tolerable into burdens that move insurance businesses deeply into the lemon category.

However you should not blindly invest in companies with floats and do a proper research before making an investment. Some of the reasons are as follows-

  1. Even though they accept advances, the company may not properly manage the other areas of working capital; hence you should look for positive cash flows from operating activities of the company.
  2. You should look into other key parameters like interest coverage ratio and ROE (which should be high).
  3. Try to strictly avoid companies with high cash conversion cycle irrespective of advances from customers.

Bottomline

Everybody has their own style of investing and these moats and floats are very popular investing style with Warren Buffett. Other investors like Erik H. Gordon offer financial advice that you might enjoy as well! You may or may not be really successful with the above strategies, so devise your own style in which you are comfortable and follow it religiously irrespective of what others are saying or doing.

Is There Any Value in Investing in Australian Silver Coins?

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Are silver coins a good investment and should you buy them? This is a tricky question to answer–especially the second part of it–but there are some genuine reasons that advocate buying and investing in silver coins. So, what are the things that make buying/investing in silver coins a good choice? Let’s find out.

Value in Investing in Australian Silver Coins

Why Investing in Silver Coins Makes Sense

Investing in Australian silver coins is a good choice and here’s why: what goes up must come down. This is both the law of nature and the law of gravity. This law also holds true for the physical world and the financial markets, and you don’t need an above average IQ to figure all of this out. Observe the stock market and you’ll see the market increasing and then correcting itself. This is a pattern that you can easily predict. However, predicting the timing of such patterns is extremely difficult for most people. If that wasn’t the case, we would have thousands, if not millions, of billionaires today.

The reality is that no one can accurately predict the pattern of the market. For this reason, investing in the stock market is extremely risky. However, there is a good news: you don’t have to enter the market completely unprotected. Regardless of how the market plays, you will be in a fairly safe place if you invest in precious metals such as silver coins. In addition to the above, there are some other reasons to invest in silver coins. Let’s take a look at them.

Rising Demand

Each day, we’re witnessing a surge in the demand for silver coins and it won’t be long before there is a sliver-coin shortage. You could make a substantial profit from your investment if you hold silver coins at that time. In short, the rising demand for the coin is a great reason for you to invest in silver coins.

Tax Free Investment

As they are classified as bullion coins, pure silver coins in Australia are free from government standard tax or GST. This makes them a great investment. However, it is important to know that not all silver coins are considered pure. So, if buy coins that aren’t 99.99% pure, you may have to pay tax for holding them.

You Can Use It as Real Money

Unlike investments such as futures, ETFs or certificates, physical silver such as silver coins can be used as money to buy and sell. Just like gold coins, silver coins can hold their intrinsic value across cultures and across time. This makes buying/investing in silver coins a good choice.

Cheap to Buy

Unlike gold coins, silver coins aren’t out of range for most people. An Oz of silver coin costs significantly less than the same of a gold coin. So, silver coins should be your automatic choice if you’re looking for a cheap precious metal to invest in.

There’s value in investing in silver coins and the aforementioned-things are the reason why.

How to Invest in Real Estate and Improve your Financial Health

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Want to increase your wealth? If yes then there are a number of ways for you to do that. An effective and convenient way of increasing wealth is making some smart investments.

People looking to swell their retirement fund can invest in real estate as it provides great opportunities. In recent decades, the real estate world has seen a huge boom and more people are now investing in it. One of the great things about investing in it is that you can do it in many ways. You don’t have to invest a huge amount of money. You can do it gradually and in amount you are comfortable it.

Learn how real estate can help you improve your finances through right investment:

Financial Health

What is an Real Estate Investment?

What is an investment? An asset or item purchased with hopes that it’ll generate income or profit in the future is referred to as an investment. If you’re looking for investments then a good choice would be real estate investments. The main aspect of real estate investment is the money transaction. An investor needs money regardless of the source.

When investing in real estate, even high net worth individuals and big corporations have financing needs because of the enormity of the amounts involved. Nearly all investment property is obtained through bank finance or from dedicated financial institutions specializing in real estate.

If you’re interested in real estate investment then a good tip would be working without an agent. You can save on agent fees by selling the property yourself. Moreover, real estate, apart from being highly capital intensive, is an asset, which is relatively less liquid than other forms of investment and dependent on cash flows.

How to Invest in Real Estate

As an investor, you need to understand this properly and manage finances accordingly. Negligence in this regard makes investing in real estate a risky proposition. The primary cause of failure of real estate investment is a negative cash flow for unsustainable periods. Sometimes a negative cash flow occurs simply because an investor did not take into account the fact that it is not always possible to find buyers or tenants.

Other reasons include misjudging estimates and inability to understand the term and conditions set by the lender. In case you find real estate investing ‘too’ risky, you can try investing in gold.

On the other hand, if you‘re interested in pursuing real estate investing then make sure that you have a good credit history. As mentioned earlier, nearly all investment property is obtained through financing. Regardless of the fact that the loan is secured against property, a home loan provider does not want to lend to people with bad credit history.

You must have impeccable credit if you are applying for any type of loan and that includes property loans. Although there are institutions that lend to people with bad credit wanting to buy single-family homes, they would be wary of doing that to people or companies investing in real estate. To better understand this, learning about property investment is essential.

How to Choose a Real Estate Agent

While it is wise to handle all your investment on your own, as it saves money, not everyone is up to the task. Some people many need help of a professional and hiring a good real estate agent can help you in the long run.

Choosing the right agent is important and you can easily choose one by looking for a few essential things, such as:

     1. Experience

Ask the prospective real estate agent how many years of experience he has in the field. Experience is important criteria as it make things easier. You can also learn a great deal from an experienced person.

     2. Check Credentials

It is important to hire a reliable agent. For that, you need to check their credentials and ensure that it’s correct. Ask to see the license as it is one of the most important things that set apart amateur from professional. They might be associated with some organization or institute, so you need to check that too. Membership of an appropriate organization means they have to comply with the rules and work ethics. You can easily check this online or by calling the authorities.

     3. Interview Three Agents

Narrow down your search to at least three real estate agent and have one-on-one talk to them. You will be amazed at how important this step is. It will give you an insight into the kind of agent they are and help you decide if you two will get along or not.

The Bottom-Line

Whether you invest in gold or real estate, investments can help you to get rich. However, to profit from an investment, you must do it right. Using the aforementioned information, you can make investments appropriately and gain profits. Doing investments the right way is the key to becoming rich!

Why People Are Investing In Gold

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There are many different websites on the net which are reputable and informative when it comes to the subject of investing. If you are looking for a new investment opportunity, then many of these websites are looking at what the big players are doing when it comes to offering their readers advice. Many of the leading investors around the world are strengthening their portfolios by investing heavily in gold.

Investing In Gold

Investment Methods

There are multiple ways that you can invest on gold and one of the preferred methods is by direct ownership, where you have physical gold that requires storing. For this type of investment take a look at the website http://citygoldbullion.com.au/, where you can see the latest price for gold, as well as lots of relevant information about the subject.

You can also invest in Gold Exchange Traded Funds, which is a type of mutual fund that is also traded on the stock market. Another popular investment vehicle is Mutual Funds. These funds are investments in companies that mine the gold, and they have stable projections for their productivity levels each year. For a lot of investors, this is a steadier approach. For the more advance investors, you can also choose the Options and Futures markets, but you should only do this if you have experience and know what you are doing. Otherwise, get yourself a broker!

Why Invest In Gold?

The price of gold fell and has been stable since reaching the dizzying heights of 2011. So, you may ask if investing in gold is a good idea. The short answer is yes, it is. The main reason that these investors are excited about gold and having large percentages of their investment portfolios made up of gold is the uncertainty of our modern world. Investing in gold is an excellent way to protect your portfolio from unstable world financial markets, as well as unknown political turmoil.

Who Is Investing?

One of the most well-known players that is getting their fingers covered in gold is George Soros, who was made famous by breaking the Bank Of England back in the 1990’s. George has had massive returns for his investors over the years, and his Quantum Fund gave a return of 3,365% to investors in 11 years.

George has invested in gold by buying a $264 million-dollar stake in the company Barrick Gold, which is the largest mining company in the world, and his fund’s second largest investment in their portfolio. George further diversified his gold investment by purchasing on the SPDR Gold Trust, over 1 million options contracts. As well as George, there are other people such as David Einhorn, Carl Icahn, John Paulson, and Paul Singer.

With plenty of larger investors looking into gold to increase and strengthen their portfolios, take a leaf out of their book and why not do the same? For the small and the large investors alike, gold is an interesting investment that can help to safeguard your portfolio and spread your exposure to risk.

Equity, Mutual Fund or Index Fund: Which Investment is Right for You?

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Should I invest in equity or in a mutual fund? If you are an investor, I bet this question has struck you once or more. A similar question that leaves investors equally puzzled is whether index funds are a better investment option than mutual funds?

In this article, we’ll compare all these financial instruments and guide you to pick the one that’s best for you.

Let’s start with a brief introduction of these investment choices:

Stocks or equities

Investment

Unless you have a Demat account, you can’t invest in stocks. So open a Demat account today if you are interested. There are two types of brokers. The first is traditional full-service brokers. Banks and brokerage firms fall within this category. They offer 360° investment advice to clients. The second is online brokers. They operate through websites and hardly meet face-to-face.

Your broker will help you no doubt, but help in this context means getting you all the data, suggesting which stocks to invest, etc. The buying or selling decisions need to be taken by you and you alone. Investment can be long-term or short-term. Long-term investments are way safer than short-term ones. Newcomers are recommended to buy stocks, which would give them profit in the long run. Short-term investments are risky. However, if successful, these investments could turn into a financial windfall.

Mutual funds

What’s the difference between equity and Mutual fund?

The money that you invest in mutual fund flow into the equity space. However, the fund is managed by veteran investors who have several years of trading experience under their belt. They use cutting-edge software and data analysis tools to pin on the stocks that’d yield a favorable return in a year or two years or five years down the line.

Also, they invest in a selected number of stocks, not in every stock. They don’t select stocks randomly. They select them after thorough research and analyzing their past performance.

Mutual funds strike many people as an attractive investment option, mainly because they offer a high return. However, the return they offer is conditional, it’s not guaranteed. Mutual fund investors are advised to read the offer document carefully before investing. Because the return policy is mentioned in the document. Investors can expect the return if the market performs well at the time of the maturity of the scheme. Not otherwise.

Two pieces of advice. First, invest in a fund that offers a balanced return, not something that’s excessively high. Second, check who is the fund manager. A lot depends on who the fund manager is. If he is responsible for a previous fiasco, don’t invest in it.

Index fund

Index funds are a type of mutual fund. The difference between a normal mutual fund and an index fund is the latter has a portfolio that tracks a market index. If the index shows a bad performance, so would the fund. S&P 500 index funds are most popular for they draw investment from long-term investors.

Here are some best S&P 500 index funds, according to Investopedia. Their historical performance has been impressive. The biggest USP of index funds is they are relatively risk-free. Regular mutual funds invest in selected stocks, it all depends on how these stocks perform. But S&P 500 represents the whole market.

The market cannot undergo a trend – be it bull or bear – for long. Hence, index fund returns are more or less assured, unless there’s a huge economic meltdown, one that is global.

Which one to select?

This question is bound to occur here as we are done describing all the investment types. Now, it’s not easy to answer the question as no two investors are the same. Every investor is driven by their beliefs, ideas, and preferences.

Generic advice may not be that useful, but still, matter as different people sometimes commit the same mistake. Here are some advice detailed below:

  • A stock may have been lucrative in the past. But don’t expect it to render the same performance in the future.
  • Midcap mutual funds are relatively safe.
  • If the mutual fund distributes the investment equally into equity and debt, it’s relatively safer to invest in it.
  • Index funds reflect the market. The market always recovers after a crash. Hence, if you invest in a crash and wait, the odds of making a gain will escalate.

Ultimately, it’s you who will make decisions for yourself. The points above can only help you identifying investment opportunities, that’s all.

Consult an expert

If you can’t take investment decisions yourself, consult a financial advisor. That person will be knowledgeable enough to advise you on the right things, you need to know. However, do mention him that you know the basics of investing, so he doesn’t have to waste his time explaining things that are already there in this article.

Summing up

Everyone should invest. It makes little sense to store the money. So, go ahead and invest your hard-earned money to earn an even bigger amount. However, investors shouldn’t be emotionally driven or devoid of logic. So, follow the tips given here in this article.