portfolio/Mutual funds
- Thread starter dehawk
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CHRISTYM2000
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I would check out Vanguard. The best thing is their S&P 500 for something not too risky...
pinkflutterbys
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Check out the Vanguard 2045 mutual fund. It's managed to meet the needs of investors that will retire around the year 2045.
When it comes to investing, more risk tends to lead to more reward. You are young enough that if your investments take a downturn, you have time before retirement for your investments to rebuild themselves. Now is the time that you can makeriskier investments and enjoy some greater returns and still have the peace of mind that comes with knowing you can make up for any losses in the future. I don't mean speculative investments, like a start-up internet company in a 3rd world country, but riskier investments like stocks, which are riskier than bonds.
When it comes to investing, more risk tends to lead to more reward. You are young enough that if your investments take a downturn, you have time before retirement for your investments to rebuild themselves. Now is the time that you can makeriskier investments and enjoy some greater returns and still have the peace of mind that comes with knowing you can make up for any losses in the future. I don't mean speculative investments, like a start-up internet company in a 3rd world country, but riskier investments like stocks, which are riskier than bonds.
pinkflutterbys
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Yes, I think stocks are they way to go while you're young.
I'd recommend the investment company Vanguard because they have really low fees. Look into their index funds and target retirement funds, like the Target 2045. Basically, you want a mutual fund or two because they contain lots of different kinds of stocks--they're diversified, and that's good because you don't want to put all your eggs in one basket. Also, they are professionally managed by a really smart nerd in an office somewhere, so you don't have to worry about the day-to-day stock picking and market swings and all that scarey sounding stuff.
I'd also recommend putting your investments in a Roth IRA if you are in a lower tax bracket (25% or less) or a traditional IRA if you are in a higher tax bracket (28% or more). If you make up to about $72,000 as a single person or about $120,000 as a married couple, you're in a "lower" tax bracket.
I'm not sure, however, how to deal with putting a lump sum into an IRA. There's a limit each year of what you can contribute-- it's $4,000 this year and goes up to $5,000 next year. If you do some kind of rollover thing, you might be able to contribute more. This would be a good thing to discuss with a professional. I'm not a professional yet, but I'm working on it.
A Roth IRA is good because your earnings grow tax free and you can take out the contributions any time without a penalty. You can even take out earnings in some situations without a penalty (buying a first home, education, important life events like that).
If you go with Vanguard, you can totally set the whole thing up online, which I think is pretty convenient. You can start an IRA or just buy shares of a mutual fund.
Boy, do I wish I had your problem!
Another thought-- do you have any major debts to pay off? If so, you might want to consider taking care of those first, or else the interest on debts could cancel out the return on investments.
I'd recommend the investment company Vanguard because they have really low fees. Look into their index funds and target retirement funds, like the Target 2045. Basically, you want a mutual fund or two because they contain lots of different kinds of stocks--they're diversified, and that's good because you don't want to put all your eggs in one basket. Also, they are professionally managed by a really smart nerd in an office somewhere, so you don't have to worry about the day-to-day stock picking and market swings and all that scarey sounding stuff.
I'd also recommend putting your investments in a Roth IRA if you are in a lower tax bracket (25% or less) or a traditional IRA if you are in a higher tax bracket (28% or more). If you make up to about $72,000 as a single person or about $120,000 as a married couple, you're in a "lower" tax bracket.
I'm not sure, however, how to deal with putting a lump sum into an IRA. There's a limit each year of what you can contribute-- it's $4,000 this year and goes up to $5,000 next year. If you do some kind of rollover thing, you might be able to contribute more. This would be a good thing to discuss with a professional. I'm not a professional yet, but I'm working on it.
A Roth IRA is good because your earnings grow tax free and you can take out the contributions any time without a penalty. You can even take out earnings in some situations without a penalty (buying a first home, education, important life events like that).
If you go with Vanguard, you can totally set the whole thing up online, which I think is pretty convenient. You can start an IRA or just buy shares of a mutual fund.
Boy, do I wish I had your problem!
Another thought-- do you have any major debts to pay off? If so, you might want to consider taking care of those first, or else the interest on debts could cancel out the return on investments.
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nnblockparty21
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I use fidelity and it is a great service. Easy to use and they have Fidelity Funds that are free to buy. However if you want to buy a non-fidelity fund (load or no-load), it is rather expensive ($75 I think), although i never buy these... the fidelity ones seem more trustworthy.