An individual retirement arrangement (IRA) is a personal savings plan that offers specific tax benefits. IRAs are one of the most powerful retirement savings tools available to you. Even if you’re contributing to a 401(k) or other plan at work, you might also consider investing in an IRA.
The income tax benefits offered by 529 plans make these plans attractive to parents (and others) who are saving for college or K-12 tuition. Qualified withdrawals from a 529 plan are tax free at the federal level, and some states also offer tax breaks to their residents. It’s important to evaluate the federal and state tax consequences of plan withdrawals and contributions before you invest in a 529 plan.
Diversification — not putting all your eggs in one basket — is one of the most cherished principles of investing. That’s one reason why mutual funds have become a popular choice for many investors’ workplace retirement accounts. They’re an easy way to invest in many different securities at once, and to do so at a lower cost than you might be able to achieve on your own.
When you’re choosing among mutual funds, you should take into account what the fund will cost you in fees and expenses. The higher those costs, the better the fund’s performance needs to be to compensate for them.
The first step in investing is defining your dreams for the future. If you are married or in a long-term relationship, spend some time together discussing your joint and individual goals.
You’ll end up with a list of goals. Some of these goals will be long term (you have more than 15 years to plan), some will be short term (5 years or less to plan), and some will be intermediate (between 5 and 15 years to plan). You can then decide how much money you’ll need to accumulate and which investments can best help you meet your goals.
It’s nice to own stocks, bonds, and other investments. Nice, that is, until it’s time to fill out your federal income tax return. At that point, you may be left scratching your head. Just how do you report your investments and how are they taxed?
Businesses sell shares of stock to investors as a way to raise money to finance expansion, pay off debt, and provide operating capital. Each share of stock represents a proportional share of ownership in the company. As a stockholder, you share in a portion of any profits and growth of the company. Dividends from earnings are paid to shareholders, and growth is realized by the increase in value of the stock.
A successful investor maximizes gain and minimizes loss. Though there can be no guarantee that any investment strategy will be successful and all investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal, here are six basic principles that may help you invest more successfully.
Recent market news — around social-media driven stock trading that created extreme price swings for shares of certain companies — may have you wondering whether you should jump into the excitement. Before you leap, you might consider this advice from legendary investor and teacher Benjamin Graham, considered the father of value investing: “The individual investor should act consistently as an investor and not as a speculator.” (1)
Why do so many people never obtain the financial independence that they desire? Often it’s because they just don’t take that first step — getting started.
Armstrong Dixon
1500 Sulgrave Ave.,
Baltimore, MD 21209
443-563-1111
Armstrong Dixon is a private wealth management firm, founded in 2013 and headquartered in the Mt. Washington Village of Baltimore City, MD.
Stay up to date with our monthly newsletter.
The LPL Financial Registered Representatives associated with this site may only discuss and/or transact securities business with residents of the following states: DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, MD, MO, NC, NY, OR, PA, VA and WV
Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advice offered through ADE, LLC, a registered investment advisor. ADE, LLC and Armstrong Dixon are separate entities from LPL Financial.