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Monday, July 4, 2016

The Risk Of Investing In Mutual Funds, Stocks And Bonds

By Debra Kennedy


When it comes to investing, it often pays to be cautious. Otherwise, individuals can lose everything, sometimes on the same day. As such, it often pays to know which investments are riskier than others. With that being said, most all investments have at least a small associated risk including mutual funds.

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.

When it comes to investing, these companies pool money from different investors to purchase various types of securities. Once an individual has placed money into a portfolio, these companies then buy and sell different offerings on a daily basis. After which, a portfolio manager continues to work to acquire as much profit as possible 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.

The four main categories of the stock market include equity or stock, fixed income or bonds, market and hybrid funds. In addition, funds can either be listed as actively or passively managed based on the age and content of each portfolio. While stocks and bonds are notably the most risky of all investments, mutual and other funds also hold some risk.

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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