At EWM we’ve made it a priority to educate our clientele and the greater community. A solid foundation in the basics of investments can make a big difference in the decisions you must make about your investments. Any discussion of the shear basics must cover the types of investments, the types of accounts that can hold them and the financial institutions that make it all possible.
The most common investments of the financial markets are:
- Individual Stocks
- Bonds
- Mutual Funds
- Exchange Traded Funds
The most common investment accounts are:
- Individual Brokerage Account
- Traditional IRA
- Roth IRA
- SEP IRA
- Individual 401k
- Roth 401k
The above investments and the investment accounts that hold them are the business of financial institutions called brokerage firms. These firms offer similar services to traditional banks. In your brokerage account you can write personal checks or use a debit card. But the brokerage firms capabilities go far beyond just those basic services. These firms have the ability to execute orders to purchase and hold investments within your account.
Key discussion topics:
- Traditional IRA vs. Roth IRA – Tax treatment, Contribution limits, Income limits, Required minimum distribution, IRA Rollovers and Roth Conversions
- What are the similarities and differences between Mutual Funds, Exchange Traded Funds, and Index Funds
- The importance of Time Horizon, Diversification, and Asset Allocation to the investment process