Principles of Investing: How to Invest Wisely

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Following investment principles will allow you to build your wealth over time. You can invest as risky or as non-risky as you would like by finding investments where you don’t risk your cash as much. Over time, you will grow your finances with your investments, and some things like stocks will yield an average 10 percent return each year. Keep in mind, all investing carries some risk, and investors have lost billions of dollars in some cases.

Penny Stocks: What You Need to Know

Penny stocks carry perhaps the highest reward in the market, but they carry an equally high level of risk of losing money. People learning how to day trade penny stocks have grown in recent years, but most of these companies are small and new. They often have no proven track record in the market, and it can be hard to gauge. Still, you stand to gain a fortune if you can learn how to trade penny stocks well. For finding the best penny stocks, you can review a guide that will help you to succeed with them.

Don’t Try to Predict Market Highs and Low

Most successful investors will tell you not to try to predict what the market will do. Yes, there are common household expenses affected by inflation that you can expect, but that is different than thinking you can predict the market. Instead, they tell you to stay invested even in hard times. To give an example, 2020 was a rough year for many people. The volatility of the market was scaring investors into withdrawing. If you invested $100,000 on January 1, 2020, but you withdrew on the top 10 trading days, you missed an estimated $51,256 toward the end of the year in comparison to someone who stayed invested the whole time. The biggest issue with hopping in and out is how you cut your gains short on some level.

Build a Portfolio Based on Risk Tolerance

How comfortable do you feel with temporary losses in the market? Not everyone can handle seeing their portfolio lose 40 percent of its value in a stock market crash. You want to understand your risk tolerance and build a portfolio around it. Another big mistake that investors make is assuming past performance equals future performance. A stock may have performed excellently for you in past, but you should never chase past performance. Always look where the company might be headed. Have they started to take on a bunch of debt and made poor acquisitions? Things like this can ruin a company.

Minimize Your Taxes and Fees

You don’t want to lose your profits to taxes and fees. As much as possible, you should minimize the costs. Hanging on to a stock for a full year will give you tax advantages, depending on your income tax bracket. Pay special attention to the net return because what you see will differ if you don’t account for the fees and taxes. Holding stocks in a company for a minimum of 365 days will give you tax advantages. Long-term capital gains get taxed at a different rate than short-term capital gains, but you should speak with your tax specialist to know the details.