Find a good financial planner to help you generate investing ideas. (Photo Credit: CC BY-ND/Brook Rushing/Creative Loafing)

People invest because they want to create wealth. Day traders may savor the adrenaline rush, but profit is the purpose. In order to invest effectively, however, it pays to know some basics. It also pays to know how not to invest.

Invest in a 401(k)

Experts advise getting started with a 401(k) plan from your place of employment, preferably with matching funds from the company. The money deposited is not taxable as long as it remains in the account, earning dividends, interest and capital gains. Let it sit for a while and gain interest for your retirement.

About.com reminds investors that a 401(k) is not an investment per se but an account that holds investments in stocks, bonds, mutual funds and more, depending upon your 401(k) variant.

Save for a rainy day

In addition to a retirement account, it is essential to establish savings. Online resources like Motley Fool or any worthwhile financial adviser can help you decide how much you should realistically be saving.

Max out your Roth or Traditional IRA

A Roth IRA retirement account gives you the flexibility to make contributions after taxes, so taxes are paid only upon withdrawal. Maxing out your contribution limits will enable you to build a fine nest egg. Even if you don’t qualify for a Roth, a Traditional IRA still grants you sizable tax benefits.

Expanding beyond the retirement account

Producing additional wealth can mean opening a brokerage account and buying stocks. Before investing, however, you should have a clear vision of your goal. Know what you want and how long it will take you to get there based upon the amount of the investment and rate of return.

Pay off your credit cards first

The interest rate on credit cards make them the worst debt consumers can hold. Take care of all credit card debt before beginning to invest in stocks.

How NOT to invest: Don’t sit on your hands

Motley Fool points out that stock market is unpredictable, but t if you venture nothing, you will gain nothing. The miracle of compound interest smiles upon those who buy in. If you invest in stocks and stop paying attention, you’re asking the market to swallow your cash. Follow your stocks and move on if and when the time is right. Remember your financial goals and don’t go too far outside your comfort zone unless you’re prepared for possible loss.

In and out is expensive

If you’re investing through a brokerage firm, frequent trading in and out of the market will produce major fees. Day traders make up for this in volume, but for the basic investor, long-term investments (ideally five years or longer) are the safer course. If short-term investment is necessary, consider money market funds or CDs, advises Motley Fool.

Sources

About.com

Motley Fool

From socks to stocks

Do you know what a mutual fund is?

A mutual fund is the name applied to an investment vehicle where multiple investors combine their money in order to buy an assortment of stocks. The stocks that are included in the fund have been specially selected according to each investor’s financial goals. For instance, some mutual funds are focused primarily on earning an income from the fund’s dividends, while another may be focused on seeing growth or a certain level of improvement for fund stocks. As an investment vehicle, a mutual fund is carefully targeted towards a particular objective upon which the investment group has agreed.

Who is in charge of the mutual fund?

A mutual fund is closely monitored by a portfolio manager or a team of portfolio managers. These managers choose which stocks will be a part of the fund and make other investment choices on behalf of the investors. Such choices include when to buy stocks, which ones to buy and when stocks should be sold. The fund manager is responsible for all of the important decisions made on behalf of the group and should, therefore, be selected very carefully.

How many stocks does a mutual fund have?

Every mutual fund is different. Some may only have 25 stocks, while others may have hundreds. This really depends upon the fund’s objective, how many investors the fund has and how much money each investor has in the fund.

Can money be taken out of a mutual fund?

Yes. If an investor needs emergency cash or even if she just changes her mind on the investment, money can be withdrawn from a mutual fund. If the stocks contained in the fund are up, an investor may realize a profit when withdrawing from the fund. Conversely, if prices have dropped, an investor may also realize a loss when withdrawing from a mutual fund.

Is it better to invest in a mutual fund or individual stocks?

This really depends on the investor and the investor’s financial goals. A mutual fund is sometimes less risky, because the investment is diversified over a variety of different stocks. Therefore, if one stock performs poorly, the investor may only realize a small, temporary loss while other stocks in the fund may continue to perform well. However, if that investor were only investing in one stock that ends up performing poorly, the loss is more noticeable. Smart investors realize the value in diversification, which makes mutual fund investments a good choice for many.

Do I need a lot of money to invest in a mutual fund?

A mutual fund is often the investment vehicle of choice for those who don’t have a lot of money to invest or those who are new to stock investing. Because investments made to the fund are under the supervision of portfolio management, a mutual fund is also a way for people to learn more about investing without having to do a lot to manage their investment on a daily basis. Of course, wealth education calls for learning a lot more along the way and selecting the right mutual fund is very important in the entire process. However, it doesn’t require a lot of money. This makes mutual funds a good consideration for beginning investors.

Think tax-deferred golden eggs

A 401(k) plan is a type of retirement plan that is offered as a voluntary investment opportunity for employees. Individual employees determine a percentage of the wages that they’d like to invest before taxes are taken out. The allowable percentage will vary from employer to employer, and the federal government places a maximum on how much can be invested annually. This maximum amount fluctuates, however, according to the consumer price index and inflation, so it is not necessarily the same each year.

Often, employers will match their employee’s contributions to a 401(k) plan either in whole or in part. The contributions made by the employer and the employee, however, are not immediately taxed, nor is the interest that the investment accrues. However, when funds are withdrawn for retirement or other needs, they are taxed at that time.

What happens to money in a 401(k) plan?

Most who invest in a 401(k) plan have the option of applying their money to many different investment vehicles, such as mutual funds, stocks and other investments. It is important, however, for employees to understand all potential risks and benefits associated with these investments and make a decision based upon this information. It is always a good idea to sit down with a qualified financial planner to help make this determination.

What if I need to withdraw money before I retire?

Money can be withdrawn from a 401(k) plan before retirement for emergency cash or for other reasons. Generally, it is a good idea to refrain from doing so, however, unless it is absolutely necessary. The reason for this is that money that is withdrawn is subject to taxation and the money will no longer earn interest or other gains once it is removed from the account. However, some people find themselves in a position where they need money right away. In this case, it is good to discuss withdrawing cash from a 401(k) plan with a financial planner or an accountant to be sure about what will be owed on the money and to discuss any other pertinent details about withdrawing it before retirement.

Can I change my mind about how to invest the money in my 401(k) plan?

Most often, this answer is yes. Unless a person is invested in their company’s stock program, money from a 401(k) plan can be channeled to another investment. Usually, a person will choose to do this when their financial goals have changed or when they are unhappy with the performance of the investment vehicles they have chosen. At any rate, most plans allow a person to make changes by making a simple phone call. In some cases, changes can be made daily, while others only allow for changes at certain intervals. This is another reason why it is advisable to sit down with a financial planner before investing in order to know what your options are should you change your mind.

Invest now for a bright future

Understanding what a 401(k) plan is and how it operates increases a person’s wealth education. With a sound financial plan, that includes retirement planning and investing, people can grow their wealth and make their money work for them. No matter a person’s income level or debt situation, everyone should be thinking forward and learning what opportunities exist for investing in a bright financial future.

New York Stock Exchange (photo: flickr.com)

It has often been said that if you want to get good at something find someone who’s already doing it, and do what they do. If you can learn to think like they do, that’s even better. If your area of interest is investing and wealth building, there’s no better person to model after than Warren Buffet.

Warren Buffet is by far the most successful individual investor in the history of investing. So, how do you gain access to the man, his mind, and his method? You can find a number of good books online, but here are some highlights.

Think of investing as your job

Many people approach investing in stocks as a hobby or a scheme. But the key, according to Buffet, is to investing as seriously as if it were your main job. You wouldn’t take dangerous risks with your main source of income, so don’t do it when you invest, either.

Too many investors want to get in, get rich, and get out quickly.  This leads to mistakes and unnecessary gambles. Act as though you are the owner of a business or as though your investing decisions are your main source of income.  This will lead to longer-term and more profitable investments.

Concentrate on the best

With businesses falling off big board left and right, it’s tempting to spread your investments out against the perceived risk, using mutual funds to diversify and protect yourself from the losses of any one company.  According to Buffet, this can be a big mistake. His approach is to focus on the interaction between you and the companies you invest in.

If you have done your homework, you will have a gut feeling for the companies you are comfortable with and those you aren’t. Stick with the companies that are best for you rather than investing your dollars into companies that are your 10th, 20th, or 100th choices. You’ll be better off in the long run.  And by the way, Warren Buffet never invests in mutual funds.

Keep your eye on the prize

This bit of advice might seem contrary to doing your homework, but Buffet suggests never listening to market forecasts. What he’s talking about are generalized forecasts that make sweeping predictions about the overall stock-market.  These generic forecasts tend to be useless. Choose the particular targets that are right for you. When the time and price are right for you, strike no matter what the forecasters are saying.

The bottom line is drawn by you

The pattern for success is easy to follow. Find someone who is doing what you want to do and then learn to act and think like they do. You need to have confidence in yourself to take your investment activities seriously. You have to concentrate on what you think are the right targets for you. Finally, trusting your own hard work and research, you have to strike when you think the time is right. Only you can establish the bottom line for your success. But when in doubt, it’s still okay to ask yourself this question: “What would Warren Buffet do?”

It can take years to save money for your child's college education (photo: flickr.com)

While 529 education savings plans can’t really promise quick cash for college, in recent years they’ve gained prominence as an effective way for parents to provide for the future higher education expenses of their children. A 529 education savings plan is a tax-deferred investment, similar to an Individual Retirement Arrangement (IRA), except that the qualified withdrawals are related to higher education expenses as opposed to retirement.

Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code sanctions two types of educational plans: prepaid and savings. The prepaid plans allow participants to buy credits for future, public, in-state education at present-day prices. The savings plans, like many standard investments, are basically mutual-fund investments and are tied to market performance.

2008 stock market crash

Because they’re subject to market trends, 529 savings plans were severely eroded in the crash of 2008, with many of them losing more than ten percent of their value almost overnight. Not surprisingly, the investors who suffered these losses have been reconsidering the wisdom and value of maintaining 529 savings plans.

State offers vs. private offers

529 education savings plans are administered by individual states rather than the federal government, although they may be bought and sold – or re-sold – across state lines throughout the country. This has led to two distinct markets for 529 savings plans: those issued by the state directly and those offered privately by brokers and financial planners.

Private offers

The plans sold by brokers and planners were particularly hard hit in 2008 because many of them were invested aggressively and included a number of additional fees and costs that were added on in the re-sale market. Additionally, the brokers and planners who offer re-sale plans almost always retain the incentives paid by the issuing state. Unless you intend to contribute a lot of money quickly and require a very aggressive investment strategy, these re-sale 529 plans are probably not a good idea.

State offers

Many of the state plans fared better in the 2008 crash than private plans did. In part this was because the state plans were invested more conservatively. But their better performance was also related to their overall expense and state-incentive structure. Many states offer their 529 plans at extremely low rates and also provide the additional incentive of state income-tax credits or deductions. Some state 529 savings plans are tied to offers made by state university systems as well, which provides an additional incentive.

Overall benefits of 529 savings plans

As is the case with a Roth IRA, contributions to 529 savings plans are not deducted from your federal taxes, although they may be deducted from your state income taxes. However, distributions for qualified education expenses are tax-free and earnings within the plan are tax-deferred, even if they are not ultimately applied to qualified education expenses. Coupled with the easy “hands-off” nature of the plans and the maintenance of parental control, 529 plans really can’t be beat as a way to save for your child’s future college expenses.

Should you keep your 529 education savings plan?

Even if you lost a lot of money in the 2008 crash and are now hoping for quick cash to regain your financial footing, maintaining a 529 savings plan for your child’s college education is still a good idea. If your plan was purchased through a broker or planner, you should probably have it transferred to a 529 plan offered directly by your state. Even if you live in one of the few states that do not offer tax incentives, the lower administration costs and more conservative investment strategy will make the transfer worth the effort.