Pages

Wednesday, 6 July 2016

The Risk Of Investing In Mutual Funds, Stocks And Bonds

By Debra Kennedy


It often pays to be cautious when investing. Whether investing in real estate, the stock market or a joint venture, all investments contain some level of risk. When it comes to mutual funds, there are both advantages and disadvantages but depending on age, there can also be severe monetary risks.

While stocks and bonds tend to pose the most risk, fund based investments can also become volatile. All an investor has to do is lack back upon the Enron disaster to see that 401Ks stocked with these type investments can experience more losses than gains. As such, while fund based investing is often safer, there really is no such thing as a safe investment.

When it comes to this type investing, portfolio managers generally pool money from different investors, then purchase a variety of securities. If those securities see a profit, then the investors will see a shared return on investments. Otherwise, the value of each fund can either drop or fall in accordance with market trends.

Also, it should be noted that all investments of this nature must be registered with the United States securities and exchange commission. If not, an investor, manager or company could be fined. In addition, anyone working in this area without a license could also see jail time. As such, it is imperative that anyone an investor work with have a Section 7 license along with any other credentials which might be required at the time.

Regardless of law, these type investments have been popular with employers and employees for quite some time. A number of employers now offer 401K retirement plans, some with matching funds. In some cases, employers will match any profits on securities held in an employee portfolio. In others, an employer will match the amount of money an employee deposits to the fund. While this is often a great benefit, employees who do not stay on the job more than year can often lose any monies invested along with any matching dollars.

There are three different types of investments in this market. These are open-ended, exchange-traded and non-exchange traded. The open-ended type allows investors to buy back shares on any business day either through the exchange or outside channels. Whereas, exchange-traded or unit investment trusts must always be traded through the stock exchange. While, non-exchange have always been the most popular, exchange traded funds have been rising in popularity.

When it comes to understanding the stock market, there are basically four categories. These include the hybrid, fixed income, stock and equity. When it comes to market listings, funds can either be listed as passively or actively managed. In most cases, funds of the mutual type are going to be actively managed as trends have been known to change on a daily basis.

For many investors, one of the biggest drawbacks is that the management fees for an investment company or portfolio manager are paid out of the fund. As such, if there are little to no profits, a fund can turn upside down simply due to these fees. As such, it is imperative to have anyone managing a portfolio provide information with relation to the success or failure of these type investments on a regular basis.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment