| |
| |
|
Investing Information |
|
|
|
Investor Guide to Financial Health
Step 1: Spend less than you earn Perhaps the simplest financial concept is the toughest for us to conquer- spend less than you earn. After paying your living expenses (bills, loan and mortgage payments, cost of food, charitable contributions, taxes, etc), you can begin to save and invest toward your future. If you are spending more than you earn, you must find a way to change this. You may even need to change your lifestyle- drive a more efficient car, eat out less, live in a smaller home, cancel your cell phone, etc. Make a commitment to your financial success to spend less than you earn. This may take a lot of discipline, but is an essential first step towards your financial wellbeing. Once you spend less than you earn, you will be on your way to reaching all of your goals. Step 2: Prepare for an emergency Before doing any actual investing, you need to establish an Emergency Fund (cash held in an account for emergencies). This fund can be used for various emergencies, but, its main purpose is to pay your living expenses in the event of a sudden loss of income. That is, if you lose your job, you will still be able to pay your bills without having to abruptly withdraw money from your investment accounts. A relatively conservative amount to keep in your Emergency Fund is that equal to 6 months of living expenses. Step 3: Determine your goals Would you take a road trip without an ultimate destination? How long will the trip take? What should you pack? In what direction would you drive? These questions are easily answered once you know where you are going. The same is true for investing. Before any investments are actually purchased, you must know your ultimate destination- you must create a list of your goals. Determining your goals and writing them down will serve as the foundation for a proper investment plan, allowing you to customize your investments to each specific goal. Some examples of "goals" are: retirement, college, buying a house, taking a vacation, and buying a car. In writing down your goals there are a few pieces of information you must identify. You must know the following about each goal: name (NAME), time until realization (TIME), cost in today's prices (COST), planned contributions (PAYMENT), and current money saved for this goal (PV). Below is an example of a goals list: NAME - TIME - COST - PAYMENT - PV - RATE Retirement - 30 years - $2,500,000 - $1,000 mo.- $350,000 - ??? College Kid 1 - 12 years - $100,000 - $500 mo.- $20,000 - ??? College Kid 2 - 10 years - $100,000 - $500 mo.- $22,000 - ??? Buying a Boat - 6 years - $30,000 - $150 mo.- $0 - ??? Step 4: Invest After determining your goals, you can begin to invest toward achieving them. Doing so means calculating the annual rate of return (RATE) needed to achieve each individual goal. For example, you may need a 7% rate of return to achieve your retirement goal, while only a 5% rate of return to attain your college goals. Thus, your actual investments may be significantly different for each goal, but will be tailored to each individually. (There are online resources and calculators that offer assistance computing your required rates of return.) When purchasing investments, you need to buy those that will collectively earn the annual rates of return necessary to reach your goals. You may choose to invest on your own, use an investment advisor, or search for a broker/dealer to assist you with your investments. No matter how or where you invest, there are a few things to remember: ? Put it in writing: Writing down your goals and how you will invest to achieve them is very important and will serve as a framework for decision making during uncertain times in the future. ? Use Index Funds: There are thousands of different investments to choose from (for example: mutual funds, stocks, bonds, and annuities). Index Funds give the greatest advantages for reasons of cost, performance, simplicity, transparency, and diversification. ? Get some advice: Paying a little for the advice of an investment professional can be very wise. There are even investment advisor firms online that will tailor your investments directly toward your goals for you. ? Be unemotional: The financial markets fluctuate up and down- so will your investments. If you have any goals that are less than 5+ years away, you may want to invest these funds into something very conservative (such as a money market or certificate of deposit). ? Rebalance periodically: Accounts should be rebalanced annually to keep in balance with your goals. Final thoughts When investing toward your goals, you need to make sure that no unforeseen circumstance prevents you from reaching them. Insurance is a very useful tool to assure your goals are realized regardless of what situation may arise. Through analysis, you can determine which goals are at risk for not being achieved should you get sick, become disabled, or pass away. Having enough money to pay for your goals regardless of death, disability, health problems, or any other unforeseen circumstance is an essential part of a solid financial plan. In addition, estate planning serves an important role when planning your finances. A will, trust, or power of attorney can enable you to keep your plan in motion far beyond your living reach. (Please consult an attorney to discuss your estate plan.) Having a solid, well-designed plan for your finances is something you can accomplish. With a little time and effort, you can be on your way to spending less than you make, establishing an Emergency Fund, and tailoring your investments to each of your specific goals. Plan your finances wisely, and then commit yourself to your plan. About The Author: Jonathan Citrin provides financial goal planningservices. Go to http://articles.citringroup.com for hundreds ofeducational articles about Personal Finance, Retirement Planning,Investment Planning, and College Savings.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Do You Need A Financial Planner? No matter how much money you make, it pays to keep on top of money coming in and going out. Even if you do a good job of that, there are important times in your life when talking with a professional adviser makes sense. Options Education : Opinion versus Fact! The most basic aspect of trading is learning to differentiatebetween what is FACTUAL and what is OPINION. If you stayinterested in the financial markets long enough you willdiscover that there are a lot of sharks out there who havebecome expert at making that task very difficult. It Is Never Too Early To Start A Roth IRA! The Roth is kind of weird until you get used to it in terms of how much you can put in (contribute) each year depending on how much you earn (compensation). Because of this you really have two limits, one dealing with your compensation and the other dealing with your contribution. Holy Grail Investments Every year I go to the Money Show inOrlando, Florida. Thousands attend. Direcway & Wildblue Set to Square Off this Fall? There is a cat fight brewing between Direcway LLC, Starband and Wildblue Communications for the large number of people in the U.S. Porters Five Forces Analysis If you've ever listened to Warren Buffett talk about investing, you've heard him mention the idea of a company's moat. The moat is a simple way of describing a company's competitive advantages. Keeping It Interesting Some lines from a movie never leave your mind; I don't remember the context always, but I do recall the dialog. "The Big Chill" is one of the few movies I own (VHS). Dont Catch a Falling Knife One of the most common mistakes made by inexperienced investors is trying to "catch a falling knife". This is the phrase used to describe the habit of buying stocks that are in "freefall", and is a poor strategy, albeit common among new investors. 5 Day Trading Tips for Success 1. How to Treat Gap Openings A gap up or gap down open is an emotional move, and it often will reverse course and turn in to "trap open". Wit and Wisdom on Money, Wall Street and Success - Part #1 I love to collect quotes as they concisely promote a philosophy which is readily understandable.In my 25+ years of investing I have collected hundreds of quotes related to Wisdom, Wall Street and Success. Stock Market Retirement Investment Plan For a successful retirement investment plan to work in the stock market, some 'reasonably sure' assumptions would have to be made:The retirement investment plan must take into consideration the one prevailing constant in any stock market security - risk and uncertainty. Understanding that risk and uncertainty are the key factors that propels the return on investment in the stock market far beyond the returns of Passbook Savings Accounts, CD's or Bonds are a start. Investing and the Fear of Regret and Greed People tend to feel sorrow and grief after having made an error in judgement.Investors deciding whether to sell or buy a security are typically emotionally affected by whether the security was bought or sold for more or less than the current price. Stocks: Reduce Risk Yet Maximize Profits It is important to note that every smart investor wants to minimize risk while maximizing profit potential. Yet conventional investment theory tells us that in order to increase returns, you have to increase risk. Value Investing By definition, value investing is the process of selecting stocks that trade for less than their intrinsic value. A value investor typically selects stocks with lower than average price-to-book or price-to-earning ratios. The Difference Between Investing and Trading Investing and Trading are not the same thing. The returns you seek, the length of time it takes to achieve those returns, the amount of risk one is prepared to take, and the commitment one can make to monitor the investments dictate the strategy of whether to invest or trade. Useful Tips on Investing Here are some useful tips on investing. When you make an investment, you are giving your money to a company or an enterprise, hoping that it will be successful and pay you back with even more money. Trading Baskets Part I Q. What is a basket?A basket is a group of up to 50 stocks that you can trade, manage and track as one entity. Eight Questions to Ask Your Financial Advisor You may like your financial advisor, but is he really looking out for you? All advisors are not created equal, and you have a right to know what makes them different! You also have a right to ask yours if he compares!(1) Do you use a holistic approach to financial planning by determining my values and goals?(2) Do you work on a fee-only basis, a commission basis, or both, and why?(3) Do you have company-established insurance requirements, or do you recommend insurance only when it is needed by your clients?(4) Do you attempt to 'beat' the market through timing and selection, or do you believe that attempts to do so are not worth the additional level of fees and risk? Are you aware that a vast majority of my returns will be based on asset allocation, rather than timing and selection?(5) Are you a Registered Investment Advisor, and therefore a fiduciary? In other words, must you legally and ethically put my interests above your own?(6) Do you meet with your clients at least three times a year to refine their portfolio and find out how events in their lives may have changed their financial goals?(7) Do you return phone calls the same day you receive them, and are you available to answer questions as they arise?(8) When you wake up each morning, do you ask yourself how you can best be of help to your clients that day?Adjust these questions as you see fit, and depending upon what your own objectives and needs are from an advisor. The best advice is to never be afraid to ask! 2004 Matthew S. Stock Market Money Management Skills Let's start by saying: You can't be afraid to take a loss. The investors that are the most successful in the stock market are the people who are willing to lose money. Sitcom Investing A fickle stock market encourages good-humored mockery.Recently, as I watched the premiere of a sitcom, an obvious omission breached television etiquette.
|
