“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” Diversify!

“Don’t put all your eggs in one

basket.”

Diversify!

INVESTMENT TOOLS

Stocks -A type of security that signifies ownership in a corporation and represents a claim on part of the corporation's assets and earnings.  

Bonds - A debt investment in which an investor loans money to an entity (corporate or governmental) that borrows the funds for a defined period of time at a fixed interest rate. Bonds are used by companies, municipalities, states and U.S. and foreign governments to finance a variety of projects and activities.

Mutual funds - A mutual fund is a type of professionally managed collective investment vehicle that pools money from many investors to purchase securities. While there is no legal definition of the term "mutual fund", it is most commonly applied only to those collective investment vehicles that are regulated and sold to the general public.

Savings accounts – Usually tied to a checking account. Savings accounts typically generate a very small amount of interest. Current average is 0.06%.

IRA – Individual Retirement Accounts – 2 most common types are Traditional and Roth. Contributions to Traditional IRAs are made with pre-tax income and are taxed when withdrawn. Roth contributions are made from after-tax income and are typically not taxed when withdrawn. Contribution limits of $5500 >50, $6500 <50

Keogh - Keogh plans are a type of retirement plan for self-employed people and small businesses in the United States. All contributions are pre-tax and have higher limits than IRAs. They are less common because they are more difficult to set up. 

401k - The 401(k) account is a pension plan account with annual contributions limited to $17,500 as of 2013. Contributions are "tax-deferred"—deducted from paychecks before taxes and then taxed when a withdrawal is made from the 401(k) account. Depending on the employer's program a portion of the employee's contribution may be matched by the employer. Typically incurs 10% penalty if withdrawn before age 59½ .

403b -  403b retirement account is an invested savings account open to certain public sector employees