Investing Articles

Article / Updated 11-21-2022

Factor investing is an investment portfolio general strategy that favors a systematic approach using factors or “shared characteristics” of individual stocks (and other assets, such as bonds) that have a historical record of superior risk and return performance. These factors can range from individual characteristics, such as the company’s sales (revenue indicated on the company’s income statement) or debt (total liabilities indicated on their balance sheet), to their performance in macro environments, such as inflation or economic growth. A factor is a trait or characteristic that can explain the performance of a given group of stocks during various market conditions. There are two main categories of factors: style factors and macroeconomic factors. Style factors Style factors take into account characteristics of the individual asset, such as its market size, value and industry/sector, volatility, and growth versus value stocks. Style factors help to explain or identify characteristics that drive that asset’s price performance in the marketplace. These factors are also referred to as microeconomic because they are an individual security or asset that drives its performance as a singular member or participant of the overall market and economy. Style factors include value, size, quality, dividend, growth, volatility, and momentum. We'll go over a few of these here: Value factors Looking at value means typically looking at the company’s fundamentals. The fundamentals are the most important financial data of the company, like the company’s sales and net profits, balance sheet (assets and liabilities), and important ratios, like the price-earnings (P/E) ratio. Looking at public companies (as through their common stock) through the lens of value factors is one of the most important factors because value investing has survived and thrived ever since they were initially codified by the work of Benjamin Graham during the Great Depression years. One of the most important reasons to embrace value as a primary factor (especially for beginning investors) is the emphasis on stocks that are undervalued, which makes them safer than other stocks. Undervalued means that all the key fundamental financial aspects of the company (like book value or the price-earnings ratio) generally indicate that the price of the stock is not overpriced, meaning that you will not pay an excessive stock price versus the value of the underlying company and its intrinsic worth. The reason becomes obvious in market data; overpriced stocks are more apt to decline more sharply in a correction or bear market versus reasonably priced stocks. The bottom line is the fundamentals of a stock mean a safer bet and a better chance at long-term price appreciation. Size factor The size of the asset, in this case, public company, is a reference to its market size based on market cap or capitalization (total number of shares outstanding times the price per share). The most common cap sizes used are small cap and large cap. If you’re seeking growth, lean toward the small-cap factor. Large-cap assets may be safer but typically don’t exhibit the same growth or price appreciation relative to the small-cap stocks. The historical data generally bears this out. Growth factor The growth factor highlights the measure of change in sales and earnings by the company in relation to its group (like in individual industries or sectors). Is the stock growing better than its peers? If so, this factor should be considered. As the historical market data suggests, companies with growing sales and revenue show stronger relative stock price appreciation, since investors notice the growth and buy up the stock. Volatility factor Market research over an extended period of time suggests that low-volatility stocks tend to earn a better return over the long term compared to high-volatility stocks. Given that, this factor will be beneficial. A useful indicator to look at is beta, which is listed at many popular financial websites for a given stock. The beta indicates how much more (or less) a given stock is volatile versus the general market (based on recent market trading data). For beta, the stock market itself is assigned a value of 1. A stock with a beta that is less than 1 is less volatile than the general stock market, while a stock with a beta greater than 1 is more volatile than the general stock market. A stock with a beta of 1.2, for example, is considered 20 percent more volatile than the general stock market. A stock with a beta of, say, .9 is 10 percent less volatile than the general stock market. A good example of a stock that has low volatility would be a large-cap public utilities company. A good example of a high-volatility stock would be a small-cap technology firm. If you’re a retiree, you would most likely benefit from this factor to ensure getting low-volatility stocks. Macroeconomic factors You could compare stocks and the stock market/economy to fish in a pond. You can analyze the fish and choose great fish (using, for example, style/microeconomic factors). But you should also analyze the pond (macroeconomic factors). You could choose the greatest fish in the pond, but what if the pond is polluted? Then even the great fish will underperform (putting it mildly). Shrewd investors will find a different pond. For investors, the U.S. economy and stock market represent the “biggest pond” on the global financial scene. So if you’re going to participate, you should understand the good, the bad, and ugly of this marketplace. Economic growth factor Gross domestic product (GDP) is one of the most watched economic indicators by investors and non-investors alike. It’s a broad measure of the economic output (value of products and services) in a given timeframe (typically a calendar quarter or year) by a nation’s economy. When GDP is growing, companies (and their stocks) are doing well. In fact, when the economy is growing and doing well, the stock market tends to outperform other markets (such as the bond market). Factors tied to economy growth such as GDP offer profitable guidance for investors. Given that, the major investing sites regularly report this and related economic data so that this factor helps investors optimize the returns in their portfolio. Inflation factor Inflation is a key factor. Most folks look at price inflation (the rising price of consumer goods and services). However, price inflation is not a problem. It’s a symptom. Many people don’t understand the cause of inflation (including many government officials and economic policy makers unfortunately). The cause is monetary inflation (the overproduction of a nation’s currency supply) that precedes the price inflation. When too much money is created and when that supply of money is chasing a finite basket of goods and services, then the price of these goods and services will rise. The goods and services didn’t become more valuable the currency lost value (due to overproduction). A complicating factor is the supply shortage issues during late 2021 to 2022 that augurs in cost-push inflation. When shortages occur (supply issues) and consumers contain to purchase the products in question (demand), the price inflation is further exacerbated. In early 2021, when the federal government and the Federal Reserve were increasing the money supply (by spending trillions of dollars), this was the cue for alert investors to consider the inflation factor. This factor would have guided portfolio managers toward securities that would have outperformed in an unfolding inflationary environment. Interest rates factor In early 2022, the Federal Reserve (America’s central bank) is (and likely will be) raising interest rates. Interest rates are essentially the price of borrowed money, and a factor on interest rates is key to making more optimal choices in your portfolio. In general (and all things being equal), low interest rates are good for the economy while high (or rising) interest rates tend to be negative. Because so much economic activity (both business and consumer activity) is tied to credit (business loans, credit cards, home mortgages, and so on), rising interest rates tend to dampen or diminish economic activity while low or decreasing rates tend to do the opposite. Given that, factors tied to interest rates can help you avoid stocks (and bonds) that would be harmed by rising interest rates so that your portfolio can continue to perform satisfactorily.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 11-10-2022

Factor investing helps maximize your odds of being a successful investor in many ways, including helping you control and avoid self-defeating investor behaviors. Understanding the behavioral finance aspect of factor investing, as well as how great investors have dealt with it in the past, can make you an even better investor.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 11-08-2022

Listen to the article:Download audio You're investing in stocks — good for you! To make the most of your money and your choices, educate yourself on how to make stock investments confidently and intelligently, familiarize yourself with the online resources available to help you evaluate stocks, and find ways to protect the money you earn. Also, be sure to do your homework before you invest in any company's stock.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 10-21-2022

Are you surprised that it's so hard to consistently earn money on the stock exchange? The explanation is as simple as it is sobering: It's because we are all human beings, with all the associated genetic dispositions that come with that fact. The neural structure of the human brain is the result of our evolutionary development. Your thought and behavior patterns, such as the deep-seated fight-or-flight response, continue to influence your decisions today on the financial markets. Your nature is not particularly well-suited to trading, but you can learn to do it. The human brain is capable of change and development. You can learn the mental prerequisites for brain-compatible trading. With the right mindset, you can recognize and avoid errors before they occur. The innovative discoveries of modern neurofinance research will lead the way to success factors for brain-compatible and, therefore, successful trading.

Article / Updated 10-06-2022

Established in 1848, the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) used to be the oldest commodity exchange in the world. The CBOT was the go-to exchange for grains and other agricultural products, such as oats, ethanol, and rice. The exchange also offered several metals contracts targeted at individual investors, including the mini gold and mini silver contracts. In 2007, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) merged with the CBOT as part of a great consolidation wave. CME rolled up the CBOT's popular grain contracts and now offers them on its electronic platform. Many traders still refer to some of these contracts as CBOT grains. CME is the largest and most liquid futures exchange in the world. The CME has the heaviest trading activity — and open interest — of any exchange, partly because of the depth of its products offerings. Besides agricultural commodities, it trades economic derivatives (contracts that track economic data such as U.S. quarterly GDP and nonfarm payrolls), foreign currencies (it offers a broad currency selection, ranging from the Hungarian forint to the South Korean won), interest rates (including the London Inter Bank Offered Rate, the LIBOR), and even weather derivatives (contracts that track weather patterns in various regions of the world). Because of its broad products listing, the CME is perhaps the most versatile of the commodity exchanges. In addition, the CME was one of the first exchanges to launch an electronic trading platform, the CME Globex, which became an instant hit with traders. It now accounts for more than 60 percent of the exchange's total volume. In 2006, the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) entered into an agreement with the CME to trade its marquee energy and metals contracts on Globex, an electronic trading system. In 2008, the CME went on a series of acquisitions and purchased the NYMEX and COMEX. The CME is also the first exchange to go public. Investors greeted the initial public offering with enthusiasm, raising the stock from $40 in 2003 to more than $500 in 2006. For more on the CME, check out its website, which also includes helpful tutorials on all its products.

Article / Updated 09-29-2022

People who invest online are usually do-it-yourself investors. This means they're probably working without a tax consultant. But this can make it hard to understand how the money they earn while investing is taxed. That's where understanding capital gains taxes enters the picture. When you sell a stock held in a taxable account that has appreciated in value, you usually have taxes to pay. Generally, such capital gains taxes are calculated based on the holding period. There are two holding periods: Short-term: That's the type of capital gain you have if you sell a stock after owning it for one year or less. You want to avoid these gains if you can because you're taxed at the ordinary income tax rate, which, as I explain shortly, is one of the highest tax percentages. Long-term: That's the type of capital gain result you get if you sell a stock after holding it for more than one year. These gains qualify for a special discount on taxes. You must own a stock for over one year for it to be considered a long-term capital gain. If you buy a stock on March 3, 2019, and sell it on March 3, 2020 for a profit, that is considered a short-term capital gain. Also, an important thing to remember is that the holding-period clock starts the day after you buy the stock and stops the day you sell it. Selling even one day too soon can be a costly mistake. If you're interested in cutting your tax bill in a taxable account, you want to reduce, as much as possible, the number of stocks you sell that you've owned for only a year or less because they're taxed at your ordinary income tax levels. You can look up your ordinary income tax bracket at this Internal Revenue Service website. Need an example? Say a stock rose from $10 to $100 a share (for a $90 per share gain). Say that you had $50,000 in taxable income that year and sold the stock after owning it for just three months. Your gain would fall from $90 to $67.50 after paying $22.50 in taxes. By owning stocks for more than a year, gains are taxed at the maximum capital gain rate. The rate you pay on long-term capital gains varies based on your normal tax bracket, but such rates are almost always much lower than your ordinary income tax rate, if not zero. Yes, zero — some investors' long-term capital gains are tax free! Long-term capital gains rates, though, can change dramatically due to political pressure. The following table shows the maximum capital gain rates for 2009 and 2010 for typical investments such as stocks and bonds. Maximum Capital Gain Rate If Your Regular Tax Rate Is Your Maximum Capital Gain Rate Is Greater than 35% 20% 25% or higher 15% Lower than 25% 0% Source: Internal Revenue Service

Article / Updated 09-29-2022

A stop-loss order (also called a stop order) is a condition-related order that instructs the broker to sell a particular stock in your investment portfolio only when the stock reaches a particular price. It acts like a trigger, and the stop order converts to a market order to sell the stock immediately. The stop-loss order isn’t designed to take advantage of small, short-term moves in the stock’s price. It’s meant to help you protect the bulk of your money when the market turns against your stock investment in a sudden manner. Say that your Kowalski, Inc., stock rises from $10 to $20 per share and you seek to protect your investment against a possible future market decline. A stop-loss order at $18 triggers your broker to sell the stock immediately if it falls to the $18 mark. If the stock suddenly drops to $17, it still triggers the stop-loss order, but the finalized sale price is $17. In a volatile market, you may not be able to sell at your precise stop-loss price. However, because the order automatically gets converted into a market order, the sale will be done, and you’ll be spared further declines in the stock. The main benefit of a stop-loss order is that it prevents a major loss in a stock that you own. It’s a form of discipline that’s important in investing in order to minimize potential losses. Investors can find it agonizing to sell a stock that has fallen. If they don’t sell, however, the stock often continues to plummet as investors hope for a rebound in the price. Most investors set a stop-loss amount at about 10 percent below the market value of the stock. This percentage gives the stock some room to fluctuate, which most stocks tend to do from day to day. If you’re extra nervous, consider a tighter stop-loss, such as 5 percent or less. Please keep in mind that this order is a trigger and a particular price is not guaranteed to be captured because the actual buy or sell occurs immediately after the trigger is activated. If the market at the time of the actual transaction is particularly volatile, then the price realized may be significantly different.

Article / Updated 09-15-2022

Investing appears to be complicated and complex. But if you can take some relatively simple concepts to heart and adhere to them, you can greatly increase your success. Here are ten time-tested principles of investing success. Following these principles can pay you big dividends (and capital gains) for many years to come. Regularly save and invest 5 percent to 10 percent of your income: Do this as soon as you begin earning money on a regular basis. Preferably, invest through a retirement savings account to reduce your taxes and ensure your future financial independence. Understand and use your employee benefits: Often, the most valuable benefit you have through your employer is a retirement savings plan, such as a 401(k) plan that enables you to make contributions and save on your current income taxation. Thoroughly research before you invest: Be sure you understand what you're investing in. Don't purchase any financial product that you don't understand. Ask questions until you understand the risks and returns of the product. Shun investments with high commissions and expenses: The cost of the investments that you buy is an important variable you can control. All fees must be disclosed in a prospectus, which you should always review before making any investment. Invest the majority of your long-term money in ownership investments: With your long-term money, focus on investments that have appreciation potential, such as stocks, real estate, and your own business. When you invest in bonds or bank accounts, you earn a return that probably won't keep you ahead of inflation and taxes. Avoid making emotionally based financial decisions: Successful investors keep their composure when the going gets tough. You need the ability and wisdom to look beyond the current environment, understanding that it will change in the months and years ahead. Be especially careful about making important financial decisions after a major life change, such as marriage, the birth of a child, a divorce, job loss, or a death in your family. Make investing decisions based on your plans and needs: Your investment decisions should come out of your planning and your overall needs, goals, and desires. This requires looking at your overall financial situation first and then coming up with a comprehensive plan. Tap information sources with high quality standards: You need to pare down the sources you use to keep up with investing news and the financial markets. Give priority to those that aren't afraid to take a stand and recommend what's in your best interests. Trust yourself first: Look in the mirror. You'll see the best financial person that you can hire and trust. What may be missing is enough education and confidence to make more decisions. If you need help making a major decision, hire conflict-free advisors who charge a fee for their time. Work in partnership with advisors. Never turn over control. Invest in yourself and others: Don't get so wrapped up in making, saving, and investing money that you lose sight of what matters most to you. Invest in your education, your health, and your relationships with family members and friends.

Article / Updated 09-15-2022

Bond investing has a reputation for safety, not only because bonds provide steady and predictable streams of income, but also because as a bondholder you have first dibs on the issuer’s money. A corporation is legally bound to pay you your interest before it doles out any dividends to people who own company stock. If a company starts to go through hard times, any proceeds from the business or (in the case of an actual bankruptcy) from the sale of assets go to you before they go to shareholders. However, bonds offer no ironclad guarantees. All investments carry some risk, such as tax risk. When comparing taxable bonds to other investments, such as stocks, some investors forget to factor in the potentially high cost of taxation. Except for municipal bonds and bonds kept in tax-advantaged accounts, such as an IRA, the interest payments on bonds are generally taxable at your income-tax rate, which for most people is in the 25 to 28 percent range but could be as high as 35 percent . . . and, depending on the whims of Congress, may rise higher. In contrast, stocks may pay dividends, most of which (thanks to favorable tax treatment enacted into law just a few years back) are taxable at 15 percent. If the price of the stock appreciates, that appreciation isn’t taxable at all unless the stock is actually sold, at which point, it’s usually taxed at 15 percent. So would you rather have a stock that returns 5 percent a year or a bond that returns 5 percent a year? From strictly a tax vantage point, bonds lose. Paying even 25 percent tax represents a 67 percent bigger tax bite than paying 15 percent. (Of course — getting back to the whims of Congress — these special rates are also subject to change.) Tax risk on bonds is most pronounced during times of high interest rates and high inflation. If, for example, the inflation rate is 3 percent, and your bonds are paying 3 percent, you are just about breaking even on your investment. You have to pay taxes on the 3 percent interest, so you actually fall a bit behind. But suppose that the inflation rate were 6 percent and your bonds were paying 6 percent. You have to pay twice as much tax as if your interest rate were 3 percent (and possibly even more than twice the tax, if your interest payments bump you into a higher tax bracket), which means you fall even further behind. Inflation is not likely to go to 6 percent. But if it does, holders of conventional (non-inflation-adjusted) bonds may not be happy campers, especially after April 15 rolls around.

Article / Updated 09-14-2022

Bond investing has a reputation for safety not only because bonds provide steady and predictable streams of income, but also because as a bondholder you have first dibs on the issuer’s money. A corporation is legally bound to pay you your interest before it doles out any dividends to people who own company stock. If a company starts to go through hard times, any proceeds from the business or (in the case of an actual bankruptcy) from the sale of assets go to you before they go to shareholders. However, bonds offer no ironclad guarantees. All investments carry some risk, such as downgrade risk. Even if a bond doesn’t go into default, rumors of a potential default can send a bond’s price into a spiral. When a major rating agency, such as Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s, or Fitch, changes the rating on a bond (moving it from, say, investment-grade to below investment-grade), fewer investors want that bond. This situation is the equivalent of Consumer Reports magazine pointing out that a particular brand of toaster oven is prone to explode. Not good. Bonds that are downgraded may be downgraded a notch, or two notches, or three. The price of the bond drops accordingly. Typically, a downgrade from investment-grade to junk results in a rather large price drop because many institutions aren’t allowed to own anything below investment-grade. The market therefore deflates faster than a speared blowfish, and the beating to bondholders can be brutal. On occasion, downgraded bonds, even those downgraded to junk (sometimes referred to as fallen angels), are upgraded again. If and when that happens (it usually doesn’t), prices zoom right back up again. Holding tight, therefore, sometimes makes good sense. But bond ratings and bond prices don’t always march in synch. Consider, for example, that when U.S. Treasuries were downgraded by Standard & Poor’s in 2011 from an AAA to an AA rating, the bonds did not drop in price but actually rose, and rose nicely. Why? In large part, it was because of the credit crisis in Europe and the realization of Japan’s rising debt. In other words, although the United States appeared to be a slightly riskier place to invest vis-à-vis other nations, it actually started to look safer.