Establishing Goals and Realistic Expectations
Determining your fi nancial goals is the fi rst step to successful investing. You may have immediate goals, such as making a down payment on a home, paying for a wedding, or creating an emergency fund. You may also have long-term goals, like paying for college or retirement. Establishing goals will help assess how much money you need to invest, how much your investments must earn, and when you will need the money. The next step is to make a realistic investment plan designed to meet your goals. Setting realistic expectations about your investments and about market performance is an important part of your investment plan. Securities don’t always rise in value, and when they fall, the downturns can sometimes be lengthy. A well-conceived, diversifi ed personal investment plan can help you weather these downturns, and give you a measure of comfort when market volatility occurs.
Remember, also, that your plan should paint a broad picture of your personal fi nancial situation now and
where you want it to be in the future. In addition to goals, your plan should refl ect your time horizon, financial situation, and personal feelings about risk. Establish your goals and create an investment plan now—the sooner you begin investing, the longer your money has to work for you.
Goals and Time Horizon
Generally, your goals will dictate how much time you have to invest. For example, if you are 35 years old and investing for retirement at age 65, then you have a time horizon of 30 years before you plan to begin withdrawing money. Identifying your time horizon is important because it infl uences how you invest your assets. Typically, a shorter time frame necessitates conservative investments, while a longer period allows you to handle more risk.
Risk/Reward Tradeof f
All mutual funds involve investment risk, including the possible loss of principal. Making an informed decision to assume some risk also creates the opportunity for greater potential reward. This fundamental principle of investing is known as the risk/reward tradeoff. When forming a plan, examine your personal attitude toward investment risk. Is stability more important than higher returns, or can you tolerate short-term losses for potential long-term gains?Remember, investments that increase in value in a short period can just as quickly decrease in value. But if you’ve considered the risk/reward tradeoff, you know that investment volatility is a characteristic of a successful long-term plan.
Three Common Investment Goals
Goal No. 1: Retirement
Most individuals buy mutual funds for long-term goals, especially retirement. It is estimated that retirees will need 70 to 80 percent of their fi nal, pre-tax income to maintain a comfortable lifestyle in retirement. If you plan to retire at age 65, retirement savings should last for at least 18.5 years, since the average life expectancy for a 65-year-old is 83.5, and continues to rise. Ideally, individuals use a combination of sources to fund retirement, such as Social Security benefi ts, employer-sponsored retirement plans-like 401(k) plans—and personal savings, including Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs).
Goal No. 2: Education
Many parents and grandparents use mutual funds to invest for children’s college educations. Your time horizon is an essential consideration when investing for education: if you start when the child is born, you
have 18 years to invest. However, if a child or grandchild is in your future, the time horizon can be lengthened by investing now.
Goal No. 3: Emergency Reserves and Other Short-Term Goals
Emergency reserves are assets you may need unexpectedly on short notice. Many investors use money market funds for their reserves. Money market funds alone, or in combination with short-term bond funds, can also be appropriate investments for other short-term goals.
Determining your fi nancial goals is the fi rst step to successful investing. You may have immediate goals, such as making a down payment on a home, paying for a wedding, or creating an emergency fund. You may also have long-term goals, like paying for college or retirement. Establishing goals will help assess how much money you need to invest, how much your investments must earn, and when you will need the money. The next step is to make a realistic investment plan designed to meet your goals. Setting realistic expectations about your investments and about market performance is an important part of your investment plan. Securities don’t always rise in value, and when they fall, the downturns can sometimes be lengthy. A well-conceived, diversifi ed personal investment plan can help you weather these downturns, and give you a measure of comfort when market volatility occurs.
Remember, also, that your plan should paint a broad picture of your personal fi nancial situation now and
where you want it to be in the future. In addition to goals, your plan should refl ect your time horizon, financial situation, and personal feelings about risk. Establish your goals and create an investment plan now—the sooner you begin investing, the longer your money has to work for you.
Goals and Time Horizon
Generally, your goals will dictate how much time you have to invest. For example, if you are 35 years old and investing for retirement at age 65, then you have a time horizon of 30 years before you plan to begin withdrawing money. Identifying your time horizon is important because it infl uences how you invest your assets. Typically, a shorter time frame necessitates conservative investments, while a longer period allows you to handle more risk.
Risk/Reward Tradeof f
All mutual funds involve investment risk, including the possible loss of principal. Making an informed decision to assume some risk also creates the opportunity for greater potential reward. This fundamental principle of investing is known as the risk/reward tradeoff. When forming a plan, examine your personal attitude toward investment risk. Is stability more important than higher returns, or can you tolerate short-term losses for potential long-term gains?Remember, investments that increase in value in a short period can just as quickly decrease in value. But if you’ve considered the risk/reward tradeoff, you know that investment volatility is a characteristic of a successful long-term plan.
Three Common Investment Goals
Goal No. 1: Retirement
Most individuals buy mutual funds for long-term goals, especially retirement. It is estimated that retirees will need 70 to 80 percent of their fi nal, pre-tax income to maintain a comfortable lifestyle in retirement. If you plan to retire at age 65, retirement savings should last for at least 18.5 years, since the average life expectancy for a 65-year-old is 83.5, and continues to rise. Ideally, individuals use a combination of sources to fund retirement, such as Social Security benefi ts, employer-sponsored retirement plans-like 401(k) plans—and personal savings, including Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs).
Goal No. 2: Education
Many parents and grandparents use mutual funds to invest for children’s college educations. Your time horizon is an essential consideration when investing for education: if you start when the child is born, you
have 18 years to invest. However, if a child or grandchild is in your future, the time horizon can be lengthened by investing now.
Goal No. 3: Emergency Reserves and Other Short-Term Goals
Emergency reserves are assets you may need unexpectedly on short notice. Many investors use money market funds for their reserves. Money market funds alone, or in combination with short-term bond funds, can also be appropriate investments for other short-term goals.
No comments:
Post a Comment