Are you a new investor or a seasoned pro?
Regardless of how much investing experience you have we hope these tips and tricks will help you become a better investor.
Know this:
Investing isn't easy and takes work to be successful.
In order to become a successful investor, you need to approach all your investments with logic, detachment and a long-term view. If you are patient and aware of what is going on, then you will recognize opportunities and capitalize on them. It is important to avoid silly blunders when you are investing - mistakes can add up and cause you to lose a lot of money.
People that make money with their investments have three important characteristics:
They are patient with their money and investments
They don't make decisions without doing research
They know when to sell - both at a profit and a loss
Know What You Own And Why You Own It...
Smart Investors Work Hard To Become Successful...
Smart investors work hard growing their money. If you study and consistently follow sound investment principles, then you too can become a successful investor.
Start with these important investing tips:
1. Understand Your Investments
It is not uncommon for beginners to invest in companies they do not know about.
If you are thinking of investing in a company, then it is important to be familiar with their products, logistics and market influences.
Before you invest in a company, make sure that you have an idea of the competitive landscape for their products and a decent understanding of their management.
2. Take Your Time
A great investor understands that money is not made by getting lucky and buying stocks that double overnight. An investor needs to be patient and disciplined with their investment plans.
Betting on long shots or risky investments may yield some profit; in the long run you are likely to go broke.
Consider using a slow and steady approach that doesn't put too much of your money on the line at once.
An Investment In Knowledge Pays The Best Interest
The first rule is not to lose. The second rule is not to forget the first rule.
3. Give Your Portfolio A Checkup
As an investor, you need to take an unbiased look at your portfolio. Try to identify where you are having a lot of success and where you fail.
Compare your returns with benchmarks like the S&P 500-stock index or a bond index.
Identify areas where you succeed and cut costs by identifying and eliminating weak parts of your portfolio.
4. Use Losing Investments To Lower Your Tax Bill
When you sell off losing investments, you can get a rebate on your taxes. This gives you a buffer and softens the loss of any bad investments you make.
No one is perfect - everyone experiences losses when investing.
If you take these losses and use them to offset capital gains, then you can profit on a tax write-off by lessening your tax liability.
Investing is laying out money now to get more money back in the future.
A public-opinion poll is no substitute for thought.
5. Know When To Sell
It is important to sell off stocks, even when they are successful. Many professional investors choose a set price for their stocks and sell off their shares when it hits that price.
This guarantees a profit and can help you avoid some volatility. Setting a target sell price takes some of the emotion out of selling - this causes you to make fewer mistakes.
6. Buy When Others Are Selling
Investing is actually counter-intuitive on occasion. When the markets are in a free-fall, our instinct is to sell.
However, investors who make the most money are usually contrarian. They buy when others sell and they sell when others are buying.
This usually holds true for all investments: stocks, real estate, bonds, etc.
If you take your time, educate yourself, and invest wisely, then you are well on your way towards becoming a successful investor. It is also very important to remember that investing is a marathon and not a sprint. You are looking to grow your wealth over time - NOT overnight.
- Scholarships For Women – Grants Specifically For Girls - June 24, 2016
- The Top 25 Millennial Personal Finance Bloggers You Should Be Following in 2017 - August 3, 2015
- Lifestyle Inflation Is A Beast You Must Tame - July 26, 2015
One thing I like about index ETFs is that the return is tied to the index, so you really can’t stray too far from the market returns. That and the costs are low which means you don’t have to pay for any unnecessary management fees
Hi Dan and thanks for stopping by! I agree with you completely….for most people ETF’s are actually better than mutual funds in my opinion. Fees are dirt cheap and over the long term that makes a fairly substantial difference in annual returns.