In this weeks graduate call we talked about the importance of investing. I gave some thoughts on how to analyze mutual funds. As with any investment it is important to keep you expenses as low as possible to maximize your ROI (return on investment). Many people do not know where to get started when it comes to investing. It is important that you know yourself. Knowing yourself is important and also knowing what types of risks you are willing to take. A big part of investing is being very familiar with the risk reward trade off. It is important to get an idea of how much risk you are willing to take on each investment. The investment vehicle that you pick will depend on how well you know your tolerance for risk. There are tools out there that will give you an idea of what investments you should pick based on your tolerance for risk. One of the tools that can help you to find and analyze mutual funds is www.morningstar.com and www.finance.yahoo.com. Morningstar is one of the most trusted mutual fund analyzer out there. Morning star ranks each mutual fund between one and five stars, five being the best. To learn about the specifics on how these funds are given their stars check out the link at the bottom of this blog.
When it comes to mutual funds you are going to hear a lot about fund families. These are simply the mutual funds that are offered under the same financial institution. If you are at one of these financial websites and you come across a word that you do not understand, take a minute to look up that word at www.investopedia.com. There are a lot of terms that you need to know, it can sometimes feel like you are learning a new language. Do not get discouraged. Roam was not built overnight and you are not going to become the next Warren Buffet overnight. It does take time, with a little persistence and determination you will conquer the investing jargon. Remember, it’s extremely important to at least learn the basics when it comes to investing. I say this because nobody cares more about your retirement and your money then you do. Your retirement is your responsibility. Do I believe that we all need some help investing and planning for retirement? Absolutely, and that is why I recommend working with your financial advisor about once every six months. Be persistent in your efforts to learn how the stock market works and it will pay off.
http://www.morningstar.com/Help/Data.html#RatingCalc
No comments yet.