One of the biggest misconceptions about securing your financial future is that you have to be a financial genius. Another is that investing requires you to be a multi-millionaire. In actuality, you just have to educate yourself, craft a plan and stick to it. The purpose of this guide is to give you a general overview of the basics of investing so that you can make informed investment decisions with the help of your HD Vest Advisor.

What is Investing?

Investing is the proactive use of your money to make more money, or the act of putting your money to work for you. While it does involve some risk and could lead to loss of principal (the amount you invested), investing offers a range of options that can offer some comfort to even the most conservative investors. It’s important to work with your HD Vest Advisor, whom you trust, and to be fully aware of the risk and what steps you can take to mitigate it.

The 3-Step Process

While no approach can guarantee that you won’t see a temporary decline in your investment value if the market declines, adhering to the "3-Step Process" can improve your chances of avoiding such an occurrence or lessening the impact of such an occurrence.

Stocks

A stock is an ownership share in a corporation. Each share denotes a part of ownership for a shareholder of that company. Stocks are traded all over the world on exchanges, such as the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Investors can buy a share in a company or a share of a diversified global portfolio of stocks.

Bonds

Although you may be more familiar with stocks, the bond market is actually larger. A bond is a debt that companies and governments offer to investors to raise money. In exchange, investors are promised a return on their investments in the form of interest.

Cash and Cash Alternatives

Cash and cash alternatives are also referred to as money market or cash investments and are considered the least risky of the three basic investment types. They also tend to produce the lowest returns over the long run. These investments may be an option for investors who desire liquidity (the easy buying and selling of investments).

Mutual Funds

Essentially, mutual funds are a grouping of individuals (or institutions) who invest their money with a company that manages that pool of money on their behalf. Mutual funds are appealing because they provide stock market diversity with a modest amount of cash. An investor can send a small amount of money to a fund company and become a stakeholder in a number of companies. Mutual funds have become extremely popular, acting as vehicles for retirement and education
planning.

Choosing an investment mix is contingent on factors such as your time horizon (the length of time until you need to sell your investments) and risk tolerance, which is determined by varying factors such as age, income and circumstance. Generally, a relatively short time horizon calls for a more conservative approach, while long-term investments allow more aggressive investing to take place. Your HD Vest Advisor will work with you to develop the appropriate mix of investment vehicles based on these factors and your overall financial situation.

Timing the Market vs. Time in the Market

Timing the market is a strategy which an investor tries to identify the best times to exit and enter the market, usually based on an outlook of market or economic conditions. Your fate depends on your ability to know when to get out of the market and when to get back in. If you time it right, timing the market could result in higher returns than a long-term strategy. If you are wrong, however, it could result in greater losses. Because markets can be difficult to predict, a long-term investment strategy that utilizes asset allocation and diversification is recommended to avoid unnecessary risk. The coupling of time with an impressive long-term investment strategy can put even the most daunting goals like retirement in reach.

Compounding

Compounding is the practice of generating earnings from previous earnings. In other words, you receive interest not only on your original investments, but also on any interest, dividends and capital gains that accumulate—so your money can grow faster and faster as time passes. This is particularly evident in retirement accounts, where principal is allowed to grow for years tax-deferred or even tax-free.

Consider this scenario. Marley and Alex are hired by the same employer on the same day. They are both 24 years old. After a year of working, Marley begins contributing $1,000 a year to her employer’s plan. Alex, on the other hand, starts contributing $1,000 after 10 years of working. Marley stops contributing after 15 years, while Alex continues to invest until he retires at age 65. They both contributed $1,000 a year and earned an 8% rate of return on their investment. Marley contributed a total of $15,000, while Alex contributed a total of $31,000 — over twice as much as his coworker. However, Marley’s returns remarkably surpassed Alex’s because of the power of compounding.

In addition, the following chart shows the negative impact that waiting just five years can have on your earning potential (depending on your investment decisions and market conditions).

In order to maximize your returns, you should consider the effect that taxes and inflation can have on what you actually get to take home.

Inflation can potentially erode the real value of your investments if you have a longer investment timeframe. However, you and your HD Vest Advisor can calculate the rate at which prices are expected to rise, which can inform your investment decisions by telling you what return your investments need to make to maintain your standard of living.

Tax is a fee charged by the government on a product, income or activity. An account is taxable if any income earned in the account is taxable at the time of earning. Investments held in taxable accounts can result in higher tax liability as the income, which comes from interest and dividends, is added to your taxable income for the year. Any sales of assets held in a taxable account that are sold for more than the investment price could also result in increased income tax liability. Your HD Vest Advisor can help you implement tax-saving strategies to maximize your take-home pay.

Choosing someone to help you with your investments is one of the most important investment decisions you will ever make. Your HD Vest Advisor has a 360-degree view of your financial picture. He or she can assess every aspect of your financial situation and develop a detailed strategy to help you pursue your goals. Before you get started, the two of you can discuss what services he or she will provide you at what cost. You, on the other hand, can remain focused on your career and family.