As you approach your golden years, you may be wondering how you can protect your accumulated assets so that they’re there when you need to access them. Being too aggressive could spell disaster in a couple of years when you really need that nest egg to live. Here are a few tips on how to keep your investments safe before you retire from the rat race.
Stocks to Bonds
Experts often recommend switching from stocks and moving over to bonds or U.S. Treasury bonds. There are different types of bonds that are rated by Moody’s. Bond ratings range from AAA (the highest grade) while C is considered junk bonds. https://www.moodys.com/Pages/amr002002.aspx
If you have a broker, consider only taking in safe bonds so the value of your principal investment isn’t diminished. Always be diligent in your selection of a stock broker. You can’t risk getting burned by one now. Know the name of a securities fraud law firm at all times so you can protect your investments.
Consider Portfolio Insurance or Resilience
To keep risk low, some brokers take the “portfolio insurance” approach that has many kinds of options, such as buying and selling index options in an effort to minimize the risk; however, other investors say this approach doesn’t really add value over the long haul. Many experts, instead, prefer building resilience into a portfolio through the allocation of cash and short-duration, high-quality bonds.
Sell When the Time is Right
Even when you don’t have something else to buy doesn’t mean you shouldn’t sell a particular stock — meaning if one of your stocks or mutual funds has hit their price target, sell even if you don’t have a suitable replacement at that moment in time, says Market Watch.
Diversify
It’s simple but true. Maintaining a broad range of investment options, without a focus on one particular avenue, is a wise way of thinking. This way, you can experience a solid return on investment on an annual basis, providing a safe cushion for when you retire. A subset of this approach is to use common sense when evaluating investment opportunities. A fair amount of research goes into how your stock broker manages your funds, but some of it has to do with gut instinct. You can use all the tools in the world to measure market volatility and the like; but without an instinct for when to buy and sell, or where to put your money for the most effective return, you won’t get very far.
Know Your Style
As with anything else, your investment style should reflect the lifestyle you are trying to reach. And be honest with yourself. Everybody wants to have more, but not risk as much. Of course, there are other types of investments like real estate, but for our purposes, we are solely talking about financial investments here.
Call Thomas Law Group if you need a professional who will help you recover your losses in the event your stock broker has made unsuitable recommendations.