Is Your Advisor Giving You The Information Needed To Succeed? - Investment Options

By Frank Miller


Many people question why you would get involved in a high yield investment program, but really, the answer is simple. Extraordinary profit. While it's true that most high yield investment programs are high risk, they also provide the opportunity to make a large amount of money in a relatively short period of time. High yield investment programs are not for the weary or the timid as it's very high risk investing, but those who do take part are usually not sorry for the experience. High yield investment programs, or HYIP is something that many investors simply steer clear of because they have heard horror stories or had a bad investment experience and don't want to risk losing their hard earned cash. But, being involved in an HYIP doesn't have to be a bad thing, and for most people, the results are well worth the risk that is involved in this type of investing.

Forty years later, investing money is a game that I find has changed little. It's all but impossible to find the best investment, and the world of investing money is primarily a sales game aimed at uninformed investors (more than 90% of the investing public). I once read that NOW is always the hardest time to invest money. I've seen difficult times in the markets for over 40 years and I've NEVER repeated that phrase until now. At this time, I am afraid that it is really true. Allison and I have three children, who are all basically 30-something and trying to make it in a difficult world. Investing money for retirement is not an option for them. It is an absolute necessity if they don't want to work for the rest of their life. Many folks my age are covered by pension funds plus other entitlements, but that's not the norm for 2014 and beyond. Now, let's get down to business and talk about investing money in 2014 and beyond; and the best investment ideas I can muster as an older (but still on top of my game) retired financial planner.

Investors needn't worry about the fact that some high yield investment programs fall apart, because it's like any business, some succeed, and some fail. It's up to the investor to do his or her research about any one program and decide if it meets all the safe investing criteria. The thing about an HYIP program is that it can be here today and gone tomorrow if people stop investing, which is where a lot of the risk comes from when you invest in this type of program. But, if you get in on the ground level and pull out when things don't seem to be going quite as well, you can still make an extraordinary amount of money in a rather small amount of time.

Mutual funds are the average investor's best investment vehicle because they offer both professional management and instant diversification in the form of a managed portfolio of stocks, bonds, and money market securities. When you invest money in a fund, you own a very small part of (own shares in) a very large investment portfolio. There is always a cost for investing money in funds. All funds charge for yearly expenses. This can amount to less than 1% a year in NO-LOAD FUNDS, with no sales charges when you invest money and no extra ongoing management fees. Or, you can pay 5% in sales charges off the top when you invest money, 2% or more for yearly expenses and 1% to 2% in additional management fees if you work through a sales rep (financial planner, adviser, or whatever). One of the best investment ideas for 2014, 2015 and beyond: keep your cost of investing money as low as possible. This could make a difference of tens of thousands of dollars over the long term. A dollar saved is a dollar earned.

Do all that you can to learn about investing money; and especially learn about stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. Once you understand stocks and bonds, getting a handle on mutual funds is a piece of cake. What are the investment options inside your employer's 401k plan? The vast majority of them are likely mutual funds - mostly stock funds, bond funds, and/or balanced funds (that invest in both stocks and bonds). There will likely also be one or two safe investment options that pay interest: a money market funds and/or a stable account. Investing money successfully in 2014 and beyond could be very difficult due to today's investment environment. First, record low interest rates mean that safe investments that pay interest are paying close to nothing. Second, bonds and bond funds pay more interest, but when interest rates go back up to normal levels they WILL LOSE money; that's the way bonds and bond funds work. Third, stocks and stock funds are pricy, having gone up in value and price well over 100% since 2009. In other words, best investment ideas are few and far between.

Here's the best investment strategy in 2014 and beyond for beginners who want to start investing money for retirement and keep it simple. In a 401k and/or Roth IRA account invest (monthly or each payday) equal amounts into a stock fund, bond fund, and money market fund. If your 401k has a stable account option use this instead of the money market fund if it pays more interest. Mutual funds are always one of the best investment ideas for most investors - if you invest money in low-cost no-load funds. (Your 401k plan should have no loads, sales charges). When investing money for retirement in 2014 and 2015 keep three factors in mind. Two of these always apply: keep costs low and invest money across the board in all three fund types listed above. Your third factor is to give money market funds equal weight in 2014 and beyond for added safety. Normally, you would give them less weighting.




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