ETF: What it is And Why Should it Interest You?

Investors everywhere look for investment products which are safe and which provide good return on the invested money. The commonly available products such as stock, bonds, forex market and commodities market have their own merits and demerits. Stocks can prove risky, bonds may not sound exciting and understanding the forex market often needs a mathematics genius, despite what the advertisers would have you believe.

2Welcome to Exchange Traded Fund, the relatively new investment product in the market. ETFS are similar to the conventional unit trust and mutual fund. However, your money here is invested in different stocks belonging to a particular stock group. In the market, some indices perform well and some do not perform well. In ETF, you have the opportunity of investing your hard earned money in different indices simultaneously and so the risk is considerably less. ETF invests money in different sectors and instead of monitoring individual stock, they monitor the sector performance and benefit from them. ETFs issue dividends like many other investment products. They charge a fund management fee amounting to about 2% of your total fund value.

The ETFs are gaining popularity in the investment market for their high reliability and less management issues. They are traded in the stock market in real time. Many mutual fund houses and banks are starting their own ETF products in the market as well. You can collect all necessary information about ETF in the internet. Find out what ETFs can do to your hard earned money.

Using Tax Refunds As A Savings Plan

 

Some people choose to let the income tax deduction choices on their job filing status be a savings plan. While most folks want the government to receive the minimum possible from their hard won earnings, some see it differently. At the tax filing season, some people owe the government money, some are owed. If you’ve chosen to have extra deductions, without having the extra expected income, then you are likely to get a refund. It’s a unique savings plan.

For those who have trouble being disciplined savers, such as the sort of person who finds they need a payday loan every two weeks, this can be an easier way to accrue earnings without having to think about it. Of course, if they had more discipline, they would gain some benefits by saving with a bank. Access to their funds in an emergency is one advantage. Earning interest on that money is another. The government allows for neither when it collects income tax from employee’s through their employers.

There is something exciting about getting a large check all at once, versus the more mundane savings method. Perhaps it’s an immature approach, but it does have the benefit of working toward building savings that otherwise wouldn’t happen. Some people need a gimmick or excitement associated with their money. With interest rates so low, it’s not much of a loss to do it this way. It’s a way more successful strategy than gambling or playing a lottery.

Key Differences Between Treasury and Junk Bonds

Stocks and bonds are good ways of investing your hard- earned money, especially if you’re not so sure about other financial options, but even in these common categories, there are dozens of sub- types that might turn you off from the whole idea of investing. Fortunately, these different types of options can be categorized into understandable terms in order for novices to become better acquainted with their investment plan.
When you’re considering investing in bonds, you might hear of Treasury bonds and junk bonds fairly often. Treasury bonds are investments that are backed by the Canadian government and thus are less risky. The downside is that they offer very low yields. Junk bonds on the other hand have higher potential yields but are considered more risky because of their diversified background. This is an oversimplified explanation of these two investment options ; in order to familiarize yourself with the industry lingo, you’ll also have to look into the spread.
The spread is the risk involved in any investment plan. If the spread is too wide, then the option is riskier but might pay out a higher yield and vice- versa. When looking at the spread, check out the yields currently being offered by Treasury bonds and compare that to the London Interbank Offer Rate (or LIBOR) although LIBOR’s credibility is under fire lately. These two figures can tell you how stable the market currently is. If there is a huge disparity, then it might not be worth investing at the moment.
If you’re still interested, then keep track of all of these rates until you find a good time when the risks are relatively low, but the yields are comparatively high.

How to Earn Income from a Dividend Reinvestment Plan

1Anyone new to the world of investments might be confused with the number of financial instruments that are currently available in banks and other investment institutions. Traditional options such as bonds and mutual funds are still available, but it might be worth looking into newer investment types such as Dividend Reinvestment Plans or DRIPs.
A DRIP is like a stock investment except that your money goes directly towards stocks that pay dividends. These dividends are the earnings investors get for owning a company’s stock. Depending on a company’s performance, a stock might earn one cent or fifty cents. It might not sound like much, but when the usual practice is to purchase tens or hundreds of stock options, you can see how much investors can earn per share.
With DRIPs, you have the option of collecting the dividends awarded by the company, or reinvest those earnings into your current DRIP portfolio. In the beginning, your earnings may seem insignificant, but if you choose to reinvest, you’ll see your portfolio grow larger and earn more frequently, especially if you choose to go with company stocks that pay dividends semi- annually or even quarterly.
DRIPs sound like a worthwhile investment, but take care not to put too much faith into one option alone ; as with all financial options, DRIPs can be risky especially if you don’t know anything about the stocks you’re choosing. The best way to earn from your investment would be to do thorough research before even considering purchasing a single DRIP option.