Making your first investment
Intro
You have a variety of options for investing, including online, via mobile, over the phone, in person, and even by mail. These may be carried out through online brokers, banks, wealth management firms, stockbrokers, or investment fund platforms and marketplaces.
There are typically three service tiers to select from. Read along.
Execution only
In order to create your own portfolio, you would use this service. Since no advice is given and all investment decisions are made by you, this method typically has the lowest cost. However, this means that you will not benefit from professional advice.
Advisory
A financial specialist will give you advice and make investment suggestions based on your unique situation, objectives, and risk tolerance. The price of an advice service will vary depending on the supplier and your investment capacity.
Discretionary management
With this choice, you appoint professionals to manage your investments and make choices on your behalf. Those with more money to invest and less time or skill tend to favour this alternative.
A discretionary service’s price will vary depending on the provider and on how much money you have available to invest.
Ways to Invest
Regular contributions
You can arrange for regular contributions into an investment account, frequently starting as low as $100 per month. A “little and often” strategy can help you start out modest, develop a habit of investing, and pick up new skills along the way. Additionally, your ability to grow your money is higher the longer you invest.
Lump sum
If you have a large quantity of money available and are willing to put it away for a while, perhaps for five years or more, without having easy access to it, you can invest it all at once.
Lump sum investing doesn’t have to involve huge amounts of money. You can invest any lump sum from as little as $100 and, if you choose to, combine it with regular contributions
Your disciplined investor guide takeaways
6 key things to remember:
- Before making an investment, save aside three to six months’ worth of living expenses as an emergency fund and pay off any short-term debts.
- Consider beginning small and applying our guidelines for disciplined investing.
- Always work with accredited, trusted, and regulated brokers. Technology and pricing are also big factors in deciding which broker to choose.
- If possible, search for tax-efficient investment vehicles, such as spread-betting trading, and seek the relevant information on the local capital gains tax laws of the jurisdiction where you are a resident.
- Play the long or the short game depending on your financial ability and status.
- Always remember, by investing you can gain or lose money, so always be on top of your portfolio.
We sincerely hope you have enjoyed this Investing 101 educational series; for additional details, please visit Livemarkets.com
Key takeaway
Speculating is dangerous. Investors who are disciplined look at the long term, maintain composure, and follow the strategy.
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