Buying Stocks for Beginners: A Guide

Published on: 26 April 2018 Last Updated on: 30 October 2024

Investing your money wisely is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your future. It’s never too early to start investing your money so that it will grow.

Buying stocks for beginners can be scary, but there is plenty of guidance available. This is especially true if you are looking to buy US stocks outside of the United States, in which case you´ll need the help of a broker to access those markets.

If you are new to the world of stocks and investing, you will undoubtedly have lots of questions and will need to take the time to learn some basic concepts.

Buying Stocks for Beginners: A Guide

Check out this guide to buying stocks for beginners.

Why Invest?

Investing is a way to make your money work for you. Rather than sitting idly in the bank, investing your money in stocks is one way to help achieve your financial goals.

Though the stock market may have its ups and downs, it has historically averaged a 9% return on investments.

How Much Should You Invest?

How much to invest depends on your goals. This is something to discuss with your financial advisor or brokerage firm, but a good rule of thumb is to contribute about 10% of your income to your investment portfolio.

Basic Types of Investments:

There are many options to invest in, but the basic types of investments include Stocks, Bonds, Cash, Mutual Funds and ETFs.

We recommend you consult with a reputable financial advisor for suggestions on how best to distribute your funds.

How you choose to invest will boil down to how conservative or aggressive you feel most comfortable regarding your finances.

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Investing Actively or Passively:

Active investing means selecting investments that are actively managed by professionals, with a goal of beating the market and achieving greater returns. Whereas passive investing is to simply try to match the market’s performance.

The choice of whether to invest actively or passively essentially boils down to how much time you want to spend studying the market. Active investing typically requires a potential investor to do extensive research into individual stocks.

Choosing the Right Stocks to Invest In:

For a beginner, it might be wise to consider certain types of stocks that are good long-term investments. It’s important to take your time, learn the basics, and to research into the ways stocks are valued.

Another thing to educate yourself on is the difference between investing and speculating. While investing is typically designed for sustained returns over the long haul, speculating is a dangerous way of chasing fast money.

Getting Started:

Once you understand the basics of buying stocks, you’ll want to open a brokerage account. Shop around and study the various brokerages to learn about their services and fees.

As a beginner, you will want to find a brokerage with features to guide you through the stock selection process.

Buying stocks for beginners can be an exciting process, and watching the return on investment as your money begins to grow can be a source of great satisfaction.

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What Will A Financial Retirement Plan Including Gold Look Like?

Planning doesn’t stop once you retire. In fact, you need to increase your efforts when the day arrives to maintain security. Security can look different for each retiree and their investment portfolio, but one commonality that many agree on is ensuring that the assets are diverse. Gold and other precious metals keep a retirement portfolio diverse, meaning the assets are not all tied up in one class, nor do they all correlate with the market similarly. A gold firm, check metal-res.com website for details, will set an investor up with physical gold or a gold IRA to meet plan diversity needs. A financial counselor or advisor can further assist investors by helping strategize for security up to the age when they decide to retire and after. Let’s examine what that strategy might look like. What Will A Financial Retirement Plan Including Gold Look Like The objective when planning for retirement is achieving security. Even after retiring, retirees must continue strategizing to ensure they don’t lose it. When building an investment strategy, a primary method for establishing a secure portfolio is through diversity. Many investors accomplish this by adding a physical commodity like precious metals or gold, boasting as an excellent long-term investment. That would make it ideal for a retiree. Adequate planning for an investment portfolio would include reassessing each year until reaching retirement and after since goals and circumstances change. One consideration is determining an appropriate age to retire. A problem for some is becoming harried about retiring, tending to jump ship a little too soon without considering the consequences. These retirees are often unprepared, with a few finding themselves heading back to work. The priority after the fact is following the guidance of a professional financial counselor for the best way out of the pitfall they find themself in. Other investors are relatively on the mark, with planning working in their favor thus far. Still, striving for security means reassessing the strategy and looking further into the future to discern how the goals will need to change as their lifestyle does. What steps should you follow to ensure optimum security as you head into retirement? Let’s learn. Reassess your needs and what you hope to achieve Each year before retiring and continuing after retirement is reached, it’s wise to consult with a financial counselor to look over your finances, see where you currently stand, and what you see as goals moving forward. A counselor is in a position to offer advice on where to make adjustments to align your strategy with new objectives. As a retired investor, you’ll be less risk tolerant with your investment choices. The idea at this stage is to keep a steady flow to withdraw from instead of being intent on amassing a fortune in wealth. You will still want to protect your wealth, making a case for keeping that little bit of gold in your holdings. The precious metal will provide a store of value and balance the holdings, reducing risk even further. What is your spending plan? The recommendation with an established spending plan is to take no more than 4% from retirement savings in a given year. That doesn’t mean sticking with that plan will always be possible, particularly if emergencies crop up, medical expenses, and critical household needs. When working with a financial counselor or advisor or overall planning for retirement, these things need to be accounted for in the spending plan. That means anticipating that this will be an expense, so you’re prepared for emergencies at any moment. No one can plan when an emergency might occur, but you can ensure that you have money in the event there is one. That’s the urgency with the need to have a spending plan lined out when you retire. No risk isn’t reasonable either You’ll be less tolerant of risk when you retire, perhaps a bit more conservative with your investment choices since recovery takes time when the market spirals. Still, you don’t want such a “safe” portfolio that inflation nibbles it away. For some, retirement can go on for a couple of decades, perhaps more, depending on when you stop working. These savings need to carry you through that timeframe. The idea is to have a healthy blend of investments that will continue to grow throughout the years. Plus, if you have that sparkle of gold diversifying your assets, the precious metals will help to reduce your risks, protect your wealth, and stabilize your holdings. It will take careful planning and adequate guidance to discern investments that are neither too great of a risk nor too minimal but instead offer excellent growth potential. Some ways to improve funds coming into the household include stocks that pay dividends and setting up annuities. These will be the closest thing to a steady, secure flow of income after leaving the workforce. Open for details on how to retire with “millions.” Final Thought Securing retirement, determining when to retire, and planning looks different to everyone. A common denominator is protecting the wealth that you do accumulate. That usually means reducing the risk of loss. Investing in a precious metal like gold can do both these things and more. It’s also a consistent investment, steady and long-term. When reassessing your plan and goals plus your lifestyle changes each year, the only constant that could remain true at any age is possibly your gold asset. Read Also: Smart Ways to Invest in Gold How To Start Your Investor Journey: 5 Credible Options To Explore What Investors Should Know about Investment in Gold and Silver Assets

3 Factors That Determine Your Personal Loan Interest Rate

Personal loans are collateral-free loans, making them most people’s first choice when seeking finance from an external source. Apart from the ease, you can access a hefty amount to fund a range of personal loan for your personal need. However, being an unsecured loan, personal loan interest rates are relatively higher than those of secured loans. The interest rate on a personal loan depends on various factors. Firstly, it depends on the type of loan you choose, fixed or floating interest personal loan. Further, it alters based on how well you qualify for the loan as per the lender’s personal loan eligibility criteria. Typically, these criteria are based on your age, income, profession and credit score. But first, take a look at the ongoing personal loan interest rates in the country so that you can make a wise borrowing decision. Present Personal Loan Interest Rates in India Interest rates on loans are linked to the repo rate. An increase in the repo rate increases loan interest rates and vice versa. Recently, the RBI cut the repo rate by 25 bps for the third time this year, and currently, it stands at 5.75%. Further, the weighted average interest rate on loans rose from 10.38% in January to 10.42% in April, indicating negligible movement. However, experts opine that you can expect more rate cuts in the coming months as the RBI has moved from a neutral to accommodative monetary policy stance. Now that you know of the broader factors that affect your personal loan interest rate, take a look at 3 important factors that are specific to your financial profile. Your Credit Score Your credit score is a reflection of your creditworthiness and past repayment behavior. A good score of 750 and above implies that you have repaid all your past debts on time. Thus, lenders categorize you as a low-risk applicant and offer competitive interest rates on a personal loan. Conversely, a score lower than 750 shows that you carry some amount of risk. He ce, you may have to pay a higher interest rate or settle for a low loan amount. Your Income A high income means that you are capable of repaying the personal loan on time, and this reduces the lender’s risk. As a result, they are likely to charge you a lower personal loan interest rate. In contrast, if your income seems insufficient, you are more likely to default and may not have the resources to repay the loan in full. As this poses a high risk to the lender and it has no collateral to fall back on, you have to pay a greater amount as interest. Your Relationship With The Lender If you have an existing business relationship with your lender and have displayed responsible credit behavior, in the interest of retaining you as a customer, the lender may offer you a competitive interest rate. Now that you know the factors that determine your personal loan interest rate, work towards securing the loan on competitive terms. To ensure this, compare lenders and their offerings before applying for a personal loan in order to bag the best deal. For instance, genuine lenders like Bajaj Finance have simple personal loan eligibility criteria and minimum documentation so you can qualify for a loan easily. Once approved, you can access up to Rs.25 lakh personal loan at a nominal interest rate and repay it over a flexible tenor spanning 12 to 60 months. Further, you can avail this loan on a Flexi facility that lets you withdraw on the go and pay interest only on the amount utilized. Additionally, you can pay interest-only EMIs throughout the tenor and repay the principal only when the tenor is up. This way, you can manage your finances and save up to 45% on EMIs. To view tailor-made deals and avail an online personal loan in a single step, check your pre-approved personal loan offer from Bajaj Finserv right away. Read Also: Why Personal Lenders Like SkyCap Financial Provide A Better Lending Experience Lining Up For A Loan – How To Secure A Good Loan

5 Ways to Become a Profitable Landlord

Becoming a landlord is an appealing prospect to many, with the opportunity to make long-term investments. However, there is also a common belief that becoming a landlord is a way to get rich quick, but this is rarely the case. In fact, being a landlord can be a lot of hard work, requiring dedication, knowledge, and skill to turn a profit. To help boost your earnings, here are 5 ways to become a more profitable landlord. Treat Being a Landlord as a Business : Firstly, in order to boost profit, you need to know your figures. This means more than calculating how much you can afford when looking to buy property, but also fully understanding the actual return on investment. This is where rental yield is essential. Calculated as a percentage of the property’s value, yield shows yearly rental income compared to the investment price. The higher the percentage, the higher the yield and therefore, the bigger the income. Read here to find out more about rental yield. Stick to Areas You Know : When investing in property, it may be tempting to buy in another location that offers more attractive rental yields, or an area has been deemed as up and coming. However, this may mean buying in the property market that you are unfamiliar with, which can pose a larger risk. As such, it may be a good idea to stick to areas you know. This is particularly true for early investments, as securing a profit is essential to building a successful portfolio. Invest in Property Upkeep : In order to boost the profitability of your portfolio, you may want to spend as little money as possible. While this works in theory, properties require continual upkeep and investment. Often, this required some simple DIY, such as repainting a property before a new tenant moves in. Although this is an additional expense, a clean and modern interior could make your property more attractive to prospective tenants and boost rental value. Ensure Tenants are Happy : There is one thing that landlords dread: a vacant property. Not only does this mean zero income – while the mortgage, council tax and insurance must still be paid – but an empty property is also at a higher risk of being broken into. When aiming to keep a property leased, think about the needs of your tenants. After all, happy tenants are likely to stay for a longer period, reducing turnover. To do this, in addition to property upkeep, thoroughly screen applications and address maintenance issues in a timely manner. Consider Letting Through an Agent : Lastly, in order to increase your profit margin, you could consider letting as a private landlord. However, this can be time-consuming, meaning you would be responsible for dealing with tenant screening and repairs. In this instance, it may be a good idea to let through an agent. While this will carry a monthly fee, it can save you a lot of time – especially if you own multiple properties – allowing you to build your property portfolio or continue to work. Being a landlord can be difficult, but it can also be rewarding, both personally and financially. To help you get more out of your portfolio, you could consider these tips. However, these suggestions alone are not enough – it is also important to thoroughly research every potential investment.

Buying Stocks for Beginners: A Guide