If you want to put your money at work in the markets, you're not just limited to the stock market. You can look to low-risk investments like bonds.
Low-risk investments may not offer you the potential juicy gains you can get from buying shares on the stock market, but they offer you a way to generate an income, without taking on much risk.
The most popular of low-risk investments are bonds.
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When you start trading, unlike investing, you have the option to sell a stock as well as buy.
You can do this if you think a share or other security is going to fall in value. This is known as shorting.
But shorting is a risky business.
So why is shorting so risky? And how can you short a stock?
Read on to find out why…
What is shorting?
Shorting involves selling shares or ... ››› more
An easy way to invest in bonds is through unit trusts. Unit trusts investing in bonds are known as fixed-interest funds.
They're a great option for you to consider as they give you instant diversification.
So what do you need to know about investing in fixed-interest funds?
Read on to find out…
What sort of investments are included in fixed-interest funds?
Fixed-interest funds ... ››› more
Rebalancing your portfolio is all about keeping the different types of assets you hold within certain percentages.
The idea behind this investment strategy is to reduce your portfolio risk by ensuring you don't let you portfolio get too heavy in certain assets.
But what about your returns? Rebalancing can limit your returns as by selling off assets that have grown in value, you can lose out ... ››› more
The stock market draws many investors in with the lure of making substantial profits on a few select stock picks.
Get your investments right and this may well be the case.
But with investing in shares comes higher risks. There are no guarantees. Time your investments before a stock market crash and it could take years to see your portfolio back at pre-crash levels.
So what else can you i... ››› more
Buying shares in the easy part of investing. The hard part comes from knowing when it's time to sell or time to hold on.
This is the part of investing that catches many investors out. And it causes them to lose money.
So how can you ensure that you sell or hold on at the right time?
This crucial aspect of investing is how you can make decent returns or lose money.
Read on to find out m... ››› more
When it comes to putting forex trades on, you can't just concentrate on your returns alone. You need to measure them in terms of absolute cash.
This includes all your costs.
If you don't take your costs into account, you may be following a strategy that gives you consistent winning trades, but the costs are eating into your returns.
Let's take a closer look at how this works…
The ... ››› more
Risk management should be high up on your list of priorities if you invest, particularly in penny stocks.
But it's not always that easy. Some measures that you take when you invest may work well. Yet if the stock market starts to behave erratically, your risk management strategies can't keep up.
So what should you do?
Read on to find out…
The problems with risk management strateg... ››› more
When you trade forex, managing your risk can be the determining factor on how long you survive trading.
Pay no attention to the risk factors involved and you could quickly wipe out your trading capital.
Managing your risk is essential to becoming a successful forex trader.
If you opt to trade currency futures, how can you manage your risk effectively?
Let's take a closer look…
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Your primary goal when you invest is to make money. But if you take on too much risk when you invest, you're putting that goal at risk.
So what can you do to reduce the risk you take on when you invest?
Read on to uncover four strategies to help you…
Why reducing your investment risk is so important
If you take on huge amounts of risk when you invest, your money is much more vulne... ››› more
Profitable investing all comes down to controlling risk. If you can take steps to control your risk, you're halfway there to having a winning investment portfolio.
So what steps can you take to risk-proof your portfolio?
Read on to uncover three different ways…
Three ways to reduce the risk of your investment portfolio
Strategy #1 to risk-proof your portfolio: Understand what yo... ››› more
After weakening substantially in the middle of last week, the rand is holding onto gains it made on Friday.
Locally, the rand has two main focuses this week.
This is the release of consumer inflation data for last month on Wednesday. And the Reserve Bank's statement after its monetary policy committee meeting, where interest rates will be on the table for discussion.
Let's take a closer l... ››› more
Being a successful investor isn't all about investing in the most profitable stocks and investments.
It's also about spending a lot of time thinking about the risk you take on when you invest.
It you control how much risk you take, this will help you become a more successful investor. It will also mean you worry less about your investments.
So what exactly is risk? And how can you lower y... ››› more
When you find a new share or other investment opportunity to put your money into, it's easy to concentrate on the potential profits you can make.
Many investors give little thought to the risks involved.
Investors got a stark reminder last month when stock markets around the world pulled back. This showed many investors that the stock market can be very volatile.
So why exactly is volatil... ››› more
The majority of individual investors have never even heard of this investment, but it's popular with sophisticated investors. The kind that manage billions of rands.
This investment has the safety of a bond, in that it pays regular income. But it's better than a bond... It has the upside of stocks.
That's why I often call it the "perfect income investment."
So if you’re sitting on sp... ››› more
If you enjoy a glass of fine wine, learning more about it and collecting it, investing in wine may seem a good option.
Not only could you combine your love of wine, but you could potentially make money from it too.
But is it something you should seriously consider?
Let's take a closer look…
How much will investing in wine cost?
If you’re serious about investing in wine, only... ››› more
If you chatted to different forex traders, chances are they would use different trading strategies to pinpoint trades.
But there's one thing that's paramount to being a successful forex trader, making money and sticking at it long-term.
It all boils down to risk management.
So what sort of risk management should you employ that will work with your trading strategy?
Read on to find out... ››› more
You may think that making money in the stock market all comes down to investing in the right shares. If you invest in too many losers, you'll be worse off as a result.
A recent study shows that this is in fact not the case. Your losers can outweigh your winners and you can still bank healthy profits.
So how can you do this with your portfolio? It all comes down to risk management and knowing... ››› more
Do you ever close a winning trade early just to book a profit?
And, when you have a losing trade, do you sit and wait for it to turn around so that you can break-even. But it just never does?
Well, this is how non-profitable traders think. Your natural instincts go against profitable trading.
I'm going to show you how you can re-program your thinking so that you can become a consistent pr... ››› more
Last week, after work, I went to gym to do a bit of cardio. While I was putting on my gym clothes, I realised something!
I forgot my t-shirt at home and all I had was my white collar work shirt.
Initially I thought about giving gym a miss.
But then I realised that I didn't care about what people thought.
In fact, I thought about how going to gym, no matter what I was wearing, was bette... ››› more