In 2014 and maybe 2015 and beyond, investing money is likely to be tougher and putting together the most effective investment portfolio might mean investing money for safety vs. higher investment returns. The most effective investment ideas are slim pickings. There is very little that is normal in today's world of finance. My reasoning and background follows.In 1971 I'd my Masters in Business (finance) and knew nothing in regards to the investment world or investing money. Actually, I found it quite embarrassing, because adults that I would meet in the business world thought that I would have the most effective investment ideas within my pocket - as a result of my education. The years that followed weren't the most effective investment environment, and I became a share broker in Columbus, Ohio in 1972. I learned real quick what my job was exactly about: selling investment ideas... SELL the sizzle NOT the steak... I was informed by my sales manager power. Forty years later, investing money is a game that I find has changed little. It's all but impossible to find the best investment, and the planet of investing money is primarily a sales game directed at uninformed investors (more than 90% of the investing public). I once read that NOW is always the hardest time to invest money. I've seen difficult times in the markets for over 40 years and I've NEVER repeated that phrase until now. At the moment, I am afraid that it is really true. Allison and I have three children, who are all basically 30-something and trying to make it in a hard world. Investing money for retirement is not an selection for them. It's a complete necessity if they don't want to work for the others of these life. Many folks my age are covered by pension funds plus other entitlements, but that's not typical for 2014 and beyond. Now, let's get down seriously to business and discuss investing profit 2014 and beyond; and the most effective investment ideas I will muster as an older (but still on top of my game) retired financial planner power. When you yourself have a 401k at work be involved in it, and take maximum advantage of one's employer's matching contribution if your company offers this feature (it's free money). Investing money listed here is automatic and almost painless. This really is one of the greatest investment ideas available for accumulating a nest egg for retirement. Plus, the tax advantages will put a look on your face each year at income-tax time. Open a Roth IRA with an important NO-LOAD mutual fund family and start investing money every month through their automatic investment plan. Enter "no-load funds" into a search engine and you'll see a few of the biggest and best fund companies at the the surface of the page, names like Vanguard, Fidelity and T Rowe Price. Let them have a toll-free call when you have questions - like would you qualify, simply how much is it possible to invest a year, and will they give you free literature. A Roth IRA (or Roth 401k if available) is one of the very most best investment ideas for accumulating money for retirement. A Roth account (IRA or 401k) is TAX FREE investing, so long as you follow the rules. Tax free is as effective as it gets and difficult to find. Mutual funds are the typical investor's best investment vehicle because they feature both professional management and instant diversification in the proper execution of a managed portfolio of stocks, bonds, and money market securities. Whenever you invest profit a fund, you own a really small part of (own shares in) a very large investment portfolio. There is always a cost for investing profit funds. All funds charge for yearly expenses. This will total less than 1% a year in NO-LOAD FUNDS, without sales charges once you invest money and no extra ongoing management fees. Or, you are able to pay 5% in sales charges off the very best once you invest money, 2% or maybe more for yearly expenses and 1% to 2% in additional management fees if you work by way of a sales representative (financial planner, adviser, or whatever). One of the greatest investment ideas for 2014, 2015 and beyond: keep your cost of investing money as low as possible. This could change lives of thousands of dollars on the long term. A buck saved is a dollar earned. Do all as possible to understand about investing money; and especially understand stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. Once you recognize stocks and bonds, finding a handle on mutual funds is a piece of cake. What're the investment options within your employer's 401k plan? A large proportion of them tend mutual funds - mostly stock funds, bond funds, and/or balanced funds (that spend money on both stocks and bonds). There may likely also be a couple of safe investment options that pay interest: a money market funds and/or a reliable account. Investing money successfully in 2014 and beyond could be extremely tough as a result of today's investment environment. First, record low interest rates mean that safe investments that pay interest are paying close to nothing. Second, bonds and bond funds pay more interest, but when interest rates return back up to normalcy levels they WILL LOSE money; that's the way bonds and bond funds work. Third, stocks and stock funds are pricy, having risen in value and price more than 100% since 2009. Quite simply, best investment ideas are few and far between. Here's the most effective investment strategy in 2014 and beyond for beginners who wish to start investing money for retirement and keep it simple. In a 401k and/or Roth IRA account invest (monthly or each payday) equal amounts into a share fund, bond fund, and money market fund. If your 401k has a reliable account option use this as opposed to the money market fund when it pays more interest. Mutual funds are usually one of the greatest investment ideas for some investors - if you invest profit low-cost no-load funds. (Your 401k plan should don't have any loads, sales charges). When investing money for retirement in 2014 and 2015 keep three factors in mind. Two of the always apply: keep costs low and invest money over the board in all three fund types listed above. Your third factor is to give money market funds equal weight in 2014 and beyond for added safety. Normally, you'd let them have less weighting. A retired financial planner, author James Leitz comes with an MBA (finance) and 40 years of investing experience. His complete investing guide for beginners, Invest Informed, teaches just how to invest beginning with investment basics. Have a look at his book, INVEST INFORMED at power
