Showing posts with label investment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label investment. Show all posts

Friday, September 10, 2010

Canadian Mutual Funds And The Investor

Are you interested in Canadian Mutual Funds? The concept of mutual funds is simple. The fund is made up of money from several investors. The money is then invested by a funds manager. The money is invested in stocks or other financial securities.

Investing in mutual funds is no different from other investments as far as having a short and long term goal. The investor, who does not have a goal, or objective, will not be as successful as the one who does. Also, an investor should not be investing money he should use for the necessities.

In other words, it is not wise to invest money that one cannot afford to lose. The investor should also understand the level of risk. Money that is left over after the bills are paid, is the funds that the investor should use.

No investment is risk free, but some are less risky than others. Usually the investments that have the largest profit margins are the riskiest. The conservative investments might not be as profitable, but they are less risky. There are different types of mutual funds to invest. There is the growth mutual fund which will invest mainly in the stock of a well established company and is intended for long term capital gains.

The income mutual fund invests money in debt securities. An example of this would be an investment in government bonds. The risk is dependent on the credit rating of the debt security. Some investors favor this fund because of its high yield. Some investors like to have a more balanced portfolio and opt for a mix of growth funds and income mutual funds.

There is the no load mutual fund. Investors who do not want financial advice opt for this type. There are no commissions to be paid. The total amount of the investment goes into the fund.

But there are those who need financial advice. They choose the load mutual funds. They have to pay commissions, but they get financial advice. The benefit of the mutual fund is the same whether it is a load or no load fund. The advantage is that there are a pool of investors to share the cost.

But many feel that they are safer with other investors. The bottom line is that the market dictates profit and loss. An investor who has a good handle on the market will do better than the one who does not understand the market trends.




Disclaimer: This article is provided for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for professional and/or financial advice. The information found in this article is provided "AS IS", and all warranties, express or implied, are disclaimed by the author.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Financial Management and Financial Institutions

Finance is a branch of science that encompasses an array of economic and financial principles, aiming to increase the value of an individual, business company, or public entity. It focuses on money and the level of risk associated with many of the financial ventures. Finance studies and explains the processes through which money is saved, used, or spent.

Personal finance explores the application of a variety of financial principles to persons and family units. It deals with how the money is obtained and how it is spent. The process of decision making is often associated with time and level of risk. Personal finance involves credit cards, personal loans, bank accounts, insurance policies, tax management, and personal investments.


Corporate finance deals with the task of administering funds for the corporation's different activities. At the level of corporate finance, financial concepts are applied to increase the overall value of the company. As part of the process, the decision makers also take into account the management of risks. All business entities deal with and try to predict potential risks. It is the elimination of these risks that determine whether or not a company will be ultimately successful on the market.


Finance covers three major areas: investments, financial markets and institutions, and investments. Financial management deals with how a business entity or an individual budgets or allocates funding in order to ensure a sufficient inflow of cash. This involves maintaining and administrating a person's or a business's financial assets. The companies hire financial managers to assess the financial circumstances of the business and to come up with strategies to increase profit generation. Financial management is the task of one manager or a team of experts. The cash flow of the business depends on the performance of this individual or group.


There are various financial institutions among which investment funds, insurance companies, credit unions, and banks. These bodies work as intermediaries for both capital markets and debt markets, and lenders and borrowers. They help facilitate the flow of cash from businesses, investors, clients, and many other entities. Financial institutions operate to provide financing to businesses, earning profit as part of the lending process. These institutions also provide financial security in different forms such as savings and insurance. Financial markets provide the tools for people to buy and sell services and products. These can be various commodities and goods. Thanks to the existence of markets, sellers and buyers meet each other. Financial markets facilitate international trade, the raising of funds, and the transfer of financial risks.


Budgets document the company's plan and may include the objectives of the business entity, the set targets, financial results, the required investment level to achieve the planned sales, and the funding sources. While long term budgets span over 5 to 10 years, short-term budgets focus on the functioning of businesses during one financial year.


Investments allow individuals or companies to buy assets in exchange for profit in various forms, for example income, interest, or appreciation. Financial management and the management of risks also play role in investments. The careful ROI and investment analysis will bring positive results to the companies and individuals who venture in the field of investment. All fields of finance are interrelated. Individuals who specialize in different branches of finance typically have working knowledge that spans over the whole science of investment.