Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Investing In Mutual Funds Versus 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 these investments are often considered safer than others, there is no such thing as a safe investment. With that being said, there have been people who have made millions playing the stock market, flipping houses and investing in retirement accounts. One of the most important things an investor can do to avoid loss is to review all investments on a semi-annual or annual basis.

To build a portfolio, an investment company will pool money from a number of different investors. After which, the portfolio manager will purchase a variety of different type securities for each portfolio based on client needs and goals. The manager then manages the portfolio by staying abreast of current trends in the stock market, then buying and selling client holdings over time.

It is important when making these type investments to go through legal channels. For, all these type investments must be registered with the securities and exchange commission. In addition, anyone working in this area must hold a Section 7 license. Otherwise, the investor, portfolio manager and company could all be fined. To learn more about these regulations, please see the Investment Code Act of 1940 as set forth by the Internal Revenue Service of the United States.

These type investments are known for being popular with employees and employers. For, a number of companies offering 401K retirement to plan to employees often stock those plans with these type investments. While this is the case, there are both advantages and disadvantages, especially as related to more traditional stock-market style investing. For, there is always a risk of losses as well as gains throughout the life of the portfolio.

Also, there are different types of investments in this market. As such, it pays to know which types are being purchased and sold out of a portfolio. These include non-exchange traded, exchange-traded and open-ended. Of all of these types, open-ended pose the least risk. Whereas, exchange-traded generally pose the most. One reason being, that exchange-traded securities can only be bought and sold when the exchange is open.

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.

A current controversy and one of the biggest drawbacks is that management and maintenance fees are paid out of funds of the mutual type. As a result, these funds can often be volatile when it comes to gains and losses. For, if a fund is doing well, there is no problem with paying these fees. Whereas, if the fund is not profitable, investors can often see it go upside down due solely to having to pay these fees.




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