Posts Tagged ‘common stock’

How do Savings Bonds Work

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
Wondering Why You Should Invest in US Savings Bonds?

Wondering Why You Should Invest in US Savings Bonds?

Are you wondering why you should invest in United States savings bonds, or how savings bonds work? This is a question that not enough people are considering these days, because most people are pressing their luck instead by gambling with stocks and other investments. So many people are turning to penny stocks thinking that they cannot lose, but this thrilling stock market is no way to turn a buck. Instead, people should look at savings bonds as a valuable part of an investment portfolio even if they do not appear to be as exciting as an investment.

First of all, you need to understand what a U.S. Savings Bond is if you want to take advantage of these lucrative investments. Back in the day, savings bonds were a popular form of long term investment for people who could not afford to buy common stock. This is back when a long term investment was only an investment that lasted longer than a couple of weeks. There are plenty of different savings bond options available to you out there, but the ones that are the best and the most worthy of your time are the ones that are backed by the United States. At their basic level, these savings bonds are a promise that if you lend money to the government, you will get it back with interest attached. The one risk lies in that the entity you lend to may not be able to pay it off as they have agreed to. However, when lending to the United States Government through US treasury bonds, the risk is a great deal less. Unless the entire American government goes bankrupt, you will eventually get your money back and you will earn interest in the process.

For all intents and purposes, you are lending money to the government when you purchase a United States savings bond. In the days of huge deficits, it is much easier for the United States government to raise money by selling US treasury bonds and savings bonds than to have to go to foreign lenders who require much larger interest rates and much higher returns on their investments. US treasury savings bonds are better for the government and the country because they do not require American citizens to pay taxes to pay foreign governments back for their loans.

Not only is this a lucrative deal for the government when it needs financial assistance, but because of compounding interest, it is also a lucrative deal for you. If you begin with a $1000 initial investment and make $50 monthly deposits, after taxes your nest egg would be nearly $20,000. Increase the interest rate by only a little bit to 3 percent and you will have a nest egg of $22,000 or more. If you think you can put away $100 a month instead of $50, your nest egg will grow exponentially to $42,000. There are also tax benefits associated with these bills that you will want to look into as well.

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Originally posted 2008-11-26 05:01:05. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Are Stocks a Good Investment?

Sunday, November 15th, 2009

The first step that you need to understand when it comes to determining whether or not stocks are a good investment is to understand how stocks work in general. A share of stock is the smallest unit of ownership possible in a company. Owning a share of a company’s stock essentially makes you a partial owner of said company. Determining whether or not stocks are a good investment is not easy as a whole, because some stocks do make good investments while others do not. Determining whether a specific stock is a good investment or not is a completely different matter, because it depends on the company the stock belongs to, the industry that they are in, the market in general, and numerous other factors as well.

Do you thumbs up or down stock investments?

Do you thumbs up or thumbs down stock investments?

If you are thinking about investing in stocks and you want to know if stocks are a good investment or not, consider this:

Common stock represents the majority of the stock that is held by the public, offering voting rights and the right to share when it comes to dividends. When you hear or read about “stocks” and the stock market, the stocks they are referring to are common stocks. Preferred stock on the other hand offers fewer rights than common stock except for when it comes to dividends. Companies which issue preferred stock pay consistent dividends, and preferred stock has the first call on any dividends over common stock.

Investors tend to buy preferred stock for the current income from dividends, so it would be wise for you to look for companies that are earning big profits, because then preferred stock can be used to return some of those profits through dividends.

Liquidity is another benefit of common stocks. They are highly liquid in most circumstances. Small and more obscure companies may not necessarily trade on a frequent basis, but most large companies are trading almost daily, which creates ample opportunity for you to buy or to sell shares. Thanks to the stock market, you can now buy or sell the shares of most companies that are traded publicly almost any day that the market is open.

With a good working knowledge of stocks and the stock market, stocks could be a good investment worth considering. However, if you do now have a good knowledge of how the stock market works, you may be better off choosing an investment vehicle with more security behind it. The recent downturn of the stock market is a good example of what is possible, but while it is frightening many stock traders and threatening some jobs, it is not the end of the world. Most savvy stock investors know when to get out, and when to stay in – And this is powerful knowledge if you want to make the most out of a stock portfolio. Stocks can be risky, and may not always be a safe bet, but they can be a good investment vehicle if you invest in the right companies and at the right time.

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Originally posted 2008-11-17 05:59:47. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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