Thursday, 10 March 2011

First Steps To Purchasing A Stock Mutual Fund

By Masha Burowski


There are two compelling reasons to purchase mutual funds. One of them is that it is a good investment vehicle for extra income, at least as part of one's portfolio strategy. Another reason is that they are good for retirement accounts. Some financially savvy people subscribe to both.

In recent decades, mutual funds have given back on average 10% although this value swings between high positive territory and moderate negative territory. On the whole, mutual funds were good for people who wish for a little extra each month. The comparison is with bank products like CDs.

People also put retirement money into mutual funds. For example, a 401K, 403b, or an IRA account can all be set up so that the saved money is vested in stock or bond funds. This is a good strategy because over very long periods the fluctuations become smoothed out and the return should be positive.

To open one's first account, one must contact a brokerage company who will then take down your personal information. A link is then established between your bank account and the brokerage so money can be transferred automatically or manually. In addition, clients send checks to bolster their account.

Bonds are another kind of instrument that is formulated into funds. Large companies and governments must take out loans in order to realize day-to-day activities until enough earnings is generated to pay back the borrowed money. The borrowed resources is formalized as a bond which is essentially an IOU to repay the borrowed money plus a little extra return.

Many people buy into bonds for what up till now has been a highly reliable promise of repayment and absence of risk. However, there is always a chance of default or the government lowering their target rates which can hurt returns.




About the Author:



No comments: