INVESTMENT ACCOUNTS » Investing Money

By Casey Bond

Stock market investing is a scary subject for some. It’s common knowledge that in order to make the highest return on an investment, you have to take on some risk–the higher the risk, the greater the potential reward. Savings accounts and CDs are great ways to protect your money while earning a bit of interest, but if you really want to see some gains, you have to dive into the stock market.

Investors were given good news on Friday from analysts who said financial institutions are ready to pay dividends again after a three-year break. Some of the nation’s largest banks plan to restore dividends in the first half of the year now that they’ve been able to repair some of the damage to their balance sheets.

Billions to Hit Pension Funds

Potential growth opportunities co-mingled with true safety within the same financial vehicle is rare to find. Investors are either compelled to risk safety for better growth of the funds or succumb to lower growth prospects considering questions of safety. However, with innovations like Equity Indexed Annuity hitting the insurance sector, you can now expect higher returns along with proper security of your investments.

What is an Equity Indexed Annuity?

Photo Courtesy of Ethan0026 via Wikimedia

January is often used to predict how the stock market will move for the rest of the year–and according to market forecasters, 2011 is looking good. As recently reported by USA Today, based on this month’s indicator numbers, stocks are on the right track. If they continue as they are, we could see increases by the year’s end.

The “Early Warning Signal” Boosts Confidence for 2011

If you’ve ever considered making a charitable contribution to help a good cause or organization you care about, one form of giving that you should look into is donating stocks or securities as opposed to straight cash. There are some benefits that could really help you maximize your generosity.

Charitable contributions through the form of stock donations is one route many people choose to follow because they can enjoy tax benefits if those assets have appreciated in value. The advantage only really applies if you’ve actually made an unrealized profit on your stock purchase, though–there’s no donated stock tax benefit if your investment has depreciated in value since your purchase.

Hello, 2011! You sure got here quick.

A new year is upon us, and with it comes a mix of hope and uncertainty. Looking back at 2010, the previous year certainly had its share of good and bad, yet all things considered, the economy has made a lot of progress from being on the verge of collapse just a few years ago to making its current climb–albeit slow and uneasy–back to recovery.

The Federal Reserve and the Obama administration seem committed to jump-starting the economy, whether or not the rest of the population will follow will be the biggest ongoing development of 2011. Here’s a look into a few of the key 2011 predictions and areas that will determine whether your money has a good year, or one that leaves more to be desired.

Major stocks are expected to see an average increase of 10 percent in 2011, according to a recent Barron’s report. The study found big-cap shares like Exxon Mobil Corp, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Pfizer Inc. will be among those leading the way in increases this year.

2011 to Mark Another Year of Gains

ETF shares are very often the stepchild of investment portfolios because many investors don’t understand their value or simply don’t know what they are. That’s according to a new survey from Mintel Comperemedia that revealed many investors feel ignorant when it comes to this investment option.

Clueless about ETFs

This is the final installment of our financial myth-busting series. We’ll close by going over the myths associated with investing. Be sure to check out the rest of the series.

When it comes to financial myths, there is no category with more mistaken beliefs than investments. Whether you’re talking about investing for retirement, in the stock market or even more sophisticated assets like real estate, commodities or bonds, there are so many “experts” with varying opinions that it’s hard to grasp just a few that really work for your strategy.