Is gold a good investment during these current economic times? While it does have some benefits, The Henssler Financial Group generally advises against investing in it, as there are more efficient alternatives. For more information about the pros and cons of investing in gold, and for some alternative investment options, read this Investment Whys.
Real estate is a common investment option for many investors, often done through the purchase of Real Estate Investment Trusts, or REITs. There are several different kinds of REITs, as well as many advantages and disadvantages to purchasing them. For more on the different types of REITs and to learn a little bit about investing in them, read this Investment Whys.
Supply and demand tend to be the deciding factors to stock price fluctuations. However, the driving factor behind many investors’ decisions is conventional wisdom, or certain ideas or explanations that are generally accepted as true by the public. For more information on today’s market versus the idea of conventional wisdom, read this Investment Whys.
We define an investor as someone who invests for the long run–not someone who chases the market through excessive trading and market timing. At Henssler Financial, we follow a strategy called the Ten Year Rule; money needed within 10 years should be invested in fixed-income investments, while money not needed should be invested in growth investments. For more on the Ten Year Rule and how to plan for any kind of market, read this Investment Whys.
Awarding stock options has become a common employment incentive used by start-up companies or companies that are merging or buying other business. While stock options vary, the two most common types are Incentive Stock Options (ISOs) and Nonqualified Stock Options. For more information on your stock options and to discover which one is best for you, read this Investment Whys.
While all mutual funds generally work the same with an adviser managing underlying investments, mutual funds can have very different objectives and can vary in risk, diversification and types of underlying investments. For more information on the different types of growth mutual funds and how they compare to each other, read this Investment Strategy.
For most, saving for retirement is a critical step to secure your financial future. One of the easiest ways to save is by using an IRA, because you only need earned income to qualify. For information regarding the income limits and deductibility of contributions for Traditional and Roth IRAs, read this Investment Whys.
Invariably, when markets are volatile, and it seems as if no single investment strategy is keeping up with the market indexes, we get questions from clients asking whether an index fund would be a preferable investment.
We generally recommend that if an investor has less than $50,000 to invest in the market, mutual funds should be purchased to take advantage of the instant diversification. If more than $50,000 can be invested in the market (following our Ten Year Rule), shares of individual common stocks, in different industries, should be purchased.
An option is a securities contract that allows the holder to buy or sell a fixed amount of shares of stock (or indexes and commodities) at a specified price within a limited time period. If the option is not exercised during the specified period, the option expires. Most options usually expire within a year; however, some may not expire for as long as three years.
