Whatever your reason for investing it is important to select an investment that suits your needs and objectives. We will help you navigate through your criteria for investing. Key elements of your investment plan should include:
You will need to understand the risks associated with your investment. Risk is normally measured in terms of the likelihood or probability of your investment achieving an expected return over a given period of time.
You will usually need to achieve your investment objectives within a specified time frame. This is your investment horizon and could be short, medium or long term. Generally, the longer period you have to invest the more risk you are able to accept as volatility tends to reduce over time. You may still require confidence and steadfast determination in your investment strategy though to brave market downturns.
Your personal circumstances can change so before making an investment it is important to consider how quickly you might convert your investment to cash and leaving funds available in cash so as not to access your investments unnecessarily.
The return you achieve on an investment will be subject to tax. It is therefore important for you to consider the potential taxation consequences of your investment prior to investing or changing an existing investment.
Diversification or spreading your risk across a number of investments is an important part of any well structured investment plan. Diversifying investments in your portfolio can help to reduce the impact of fluctuations in return from any single investment.
An investment plan is not about setting and forgetting. Once a plan has been prepared and implemented, it will need to be monitored to track progress and to make adjustments when necessary. Fine tuning your portfolio will ensure it continues to run smoothly and keep your dollars working hard for you.
A managed fund is a collection of stocks, bonds, property, infrastructure or other securities. Investors pool their money into the fund and purchase shares of the managed fund that is then managed by a professional investment company. Investments in these managed funds are designed for the medium to long term time frame. This range is from 5 to 7 years.
A typical managed fund holds anywhere from 20 to 40 different securities that offer some measure of diversification — a sharp decline in an individual security won’t be nearly as damaging to your portfolio as it would be if you only owned
a few securities.
The investments are managed by a team of investment professionals who concentrate on managing your money – something most people don’t have the time or the expertise to do.
