Do you ever feel like this when thinking of your portfolio? Making investments without factoring in your investment process could end up adding more clutter to your portfolio without adding any value.
As you might recall the investment process starts with Strategic Asset Allocation, which is the establishment of your mix of stock, bonds and cash (see my post from 11/4/11). Followed by layering in tactical allocation, overweighting or underweighting asset classes as the opportunity arises (see my post from 12/2/11).
Choosing the proper type of investment is vital to the continuation of your process. There are many different types of investments that may be appropriate for you. Individual company stock is usually the first that comes to mind for investors. Common stock represents direct equity ownership in a corporation. Returns can come from dividends paid or price appreciation.
One could also purchase bonds issued by many of these same companies, as well as governments or municipalities. This means the entity owes you your principal at a specified date in the future and interest in the mean time in exchange for borrowing from you. Many factors need to be considered when investing in a stock or bond and this can be overwhelming even for many investment professionals. So many investors turn to professional money management.
Professional money managers can take two basic approaches to investing. First, active management is simply an attempt to "beat" the market as measured by a particular benchmark or index. Passive management is more commonly called indexing. Indexing is an investment management approach based on investing in exactly the same securities, in the same proportions, as an index.
So if you find yourself buried in stacks of paper every month talk to your Investment Professional to de-clutter your portfolio and determine which types of investments may be appropriate for you.
Dividends are not guaranteed and must be authorized by a company’s board of directors. Bond prices and yields are subject to change based upon market conditions and availability. If bonds are sold prior to maturity, you may receive more or less than your initial investment. Holding bonds to term allows redemption at par value. The information contained in this report does not purport to be a complete description of the securities, markets, or developments referred to in this material. Any information is not a complete summary or statement of all available data necessary for making an investment decision and does not constitute a recommendation.