For new and old investors, when considering an investment, there are things to know and to consider before choosing an investment. Making a good decision when starting your investment portfolio is as important as making good decisions when adding or diversifying your investment portfolio.
FUND AVAILABILITY
It is not enough to know what you are able to invest; you need to know what you can absorb in the event of loss. The funds used for investing should be money set aside specifically for investing. When budgeting in the amount of money that will be used for availability, be sure to include any costs involved with the investing. Some costs and fees can include paying for the following:
* Broker
* Financial advisor
* Tax consultant
In addition, inflation should also be considered when estimating all costs involved in an investment.
MAXIMUM EXPOSURE TO UPSIDE RETURNS
Part of the money that is invested should be for higher risk investments. This is a good idea because of the possibility of high returns. This, like all investment money should be able to be absorbed if lost. If there are never any risks, there are never any opportunities for high returns. Research should be done so that the risk is minimal and the investments are based on solid information. There are never any guarantees, but doing appropriate research will increase the chances of a good return in riskier investments. Consulting an advisor and some experience investing will also help.
LIMIT EXPOSURE TO DOWNSIDE RETURNS
This is making sure you have a good percentage of your investment in safe investments. The definition of safe has changed as the changes in the economy has cause a lot of people to loose a large portion of investments that were considered safe at the time. Again, research, consulting, and experience will come in handy when investing. There must be adequate low risk investments to maintain a stable portfolio.
DIVERSIFY INVESTMENTS
There are different types of investments. When you have a diversified investment portfolio, it is more stable. The different types of investments that can make an investment portfolio diversified includes the following:
* Asset mix-have a variety of asset classes like stocks, bonds, gold, treasuries, etc.
* Time preference-the assets should appreciate at different times so if there is a crash it won’t affect all assets
* More than one manager-even if your investment manager is honest, he or she may not be perfect and make errors and with more than one manager, it can reduce the risk
BE AWARE OF RISKS
All investments have risks and it will vary with the investments. Being knowledgeable of the risks will allow the investor to plan for absorption of loss. It will also help to accurately diversify an investment portfolio and balance low and high-risk investments to get the maximum return potential for investments. The risks of loss can also be in the shape of demands that can increase risk. For example, the need to free up crash can make the need for a sale even if there will be a low return.
AVIOD CHASING AFTER WHAT IS “HOT”
Everyone and even some of their mother’s have a list of the hottest investments for the year, month, holiday, or whatever else they can come up with. Even when coming via trusted source, be sure to research each potential investment before opening up your wallet.