Investing in the stock market can be a far away dream for some, because they are not sure how to get started. However, anyone who has invested in the stock market has had to learn. Here are just a few of the smart investing tips that anyone can use, in order to have success with investments.
Exercise patience and control in your investments. The stock market tends to have many investment opportunities that are favorable one day, and not so favorable the next. Keep up with long term investments rather than getting caught up in flash in the pan opportunities that may fizzle out in no time.
Like a lot of things in life, there is a risk involved with investing in the stock market. However, if you first invest your time in educating yourself about stock investments, you can minimize that risk. The first step in minimizing risks is to acknowledge that risks are involved. With education and research, it is possible it realize an annual return of 10 to 15 percent on your investment with very minimal risk.
Never rely on hearsay, as following the crowd is often a recipe for disaster. When everyone buys the same stocks, the value will decrease and less people are going to buy it in the future. Think independently and do your own research, instead of solely depending on what others say.
Remember to rebalance your portfolio. Rebalancing can be done on a quarterly or annual basis. Monthly rebalancing is not usually recommended. By periodically rebalancing your portfolio, you can, not only weed out losses, but also make sure that yields from winners are reinvested in other sectors that will eventually hit their growth phase.
If you are nearing retirement or your investment goal, then your stock picks should be more conservative than average. Large cap stocks, dividend stocks, blue chips and any company with low or no risk of capital depreciation are all good choices. This is also a good time to start shifting out of the stock market and into bonds or other fixed income assets.
Keep your objective and time horizon in mind when choosing your stocks. If you have many years left and are saving for a retirement decade away, invest aggressively. Look at small-cap growth stocks or related mutual funds. The percentage of your portfolio in the stock market should be as high as 80%, if this is your personal situation.
Never take anything personally in investing. Do not be jealous of another’s success. Do not let your financial advisor’s advice or criticism get to you. Do not panic when the market moves down and don’t get overly exhilarated when it rises. Many top fund managers make their best decisions when deep in yoga or after a long meditation.
Learn how to balance risks and rewards. The more successful investors spend a bunch of time studying market trends and current news about the economy. They don’t gamble and they put their money into an ETF, stock, or mutual fund following some careful analysis. This helps keep their balance on an upswing, even when they take a hit.
Think small to grow big. If your aim is growing your money substantially over the years, aim for smaller and medium-sized companies that have serious growth potential. A retail chain with a superstore in every neighborhood, might be a safe place to park and keep your investment at its current value, but in order for it to have growth, the growth would have to outmatch a Fortune 500 company. A small firm can double in size and still have plenty of potential market.
Know your local and national tax laws and take advantage of them. If your investing goal is retirement, take advantage of any tax shelters that let you invest tax-free contingent upon not withdrawing until retirement age. Investing 10% of your income tax free can provide better returns than investing 12% that gets heavily taxed by both income and capital gain’s taxes.
When meeting with your financial advisor, leave your usual conceptions of time at the door. When he or she talks to you about short-term goals with your portfolio, it is in the range of five years. Your long range goals would be retirement, and medium range goals could be, possibly a new house or putting a child through college.
Be aware that no one knows what will happen in the stock market today, tomorrow, next week or even next year. The stock market is not something that is predictable and being aware of this information will prepare you for whatever happens with your investment, be it something positive or something negative.
Everyone with investments has had to learn how to invest wisely. They had to start from the beginning and learn as they went along. Therefore if you are a new investor, you can feel confident that you can learn, as well. You can apply the tips in this article and soon, investments will begin to show the kinds of results you are looking for.
