Jonathan Cattana Wealth Insights
This may be difficult as you may intend to place your child in preschool and this means your investment is only working for five years from the birth of your child. Of course an investment compounding for 10 years or more is going to yield a better result.
As a parent, it is your duty to make financial education a regular dinner conversation in your home. You need to practice it and your children need to learn how to budget and save.
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Now that you have a better understanding of what to invest in and where to go to start, get smart and start today. We are all responsible for our wellbeing and future prosperity. The good news is it’s never too late to start so get going.
Perceptions of an investor—your questions answered
Many people have questions about various types of asset classes and following is an attempt to answer the more common questions I receive.
Can I lose on cash? I thought it was the safest asset.
Cash needs to be invested in order for it to grow. Just leaving your funds in cash will not produce growth in your overall wealth. It needs to be invested or otherwise inflation will eat away at your wealth. Yes, in this sense, you certainly can lose by investing in cash.
Isn’t fixed interest a low risk strategy?
There have been many examples of investors losing money on their fixed interest investments—one example is debentures. Some debentures are backed by second mortgages and when a property markets turns sour or slows down, some property developers are unable to sell their properties and therefore cannot pay back the loan. If you buy a bond for more than its par value (its original issue price) and that bond falls in value, you will lose on that investment if you need to sell it before its maturity.
What advantages does property provide?
Good property is a sound investment if it’s your home. After all, the purchase of your home is also a lifestyle decision. There are tax advantages in owning your own home upon sale , but the home loan is a non-deductible debt. There are no tax advantages with having this type of debt. It’s bad debt.
Aren’t shares risky and volatile?
If your portfolio consists of one or two individual shares then yes, your portfolio is a very high risk one and it will also be volatile. Owning direct shares is not for everyone. Managed funds are a far better alternative and by starting with a managed fund you can learn what your fund manager is investing in for you