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Investment Tips: Investment Type Suited for your Needs

There are tons of different ways to invest your money. The real question here is what type of investment is right for you? Looking for the most suitable investment type that will reap a good harvest is a daunting task.

One biggest element in growing your wealth is the value of return you will get on your investment. There are occasions where you may need to put your money somewhere for a while, although you won’t acquire very good revenue (short-term investments). Or you may also be willing to take a risk and consider a long-term investment that has a higher probability of maximizing your returns. Whichever investment type you choose, here is a guide to the most common short-term and long-term vehicles you might want to consider.

SHORT-TERM SAVINGS VEHICLES

Bank savings account: This is the most availed saving medium used by many people. Bank savings account has low monetary return but this is much more preferable than using your old piggy banks.

Money market funds: This have higher returns compared to bank savings account, however, certificate of deposit are much more preferable than money market funds when it comes to earning more.  Money market funds are designed with a maintaining value of $1 per share at all times.

Certificate of deposit (CD): The interest rate on CD’s depends on its fixed maturity date. The maturity date is fixed which means that you cannot get your money (there’s a penalty if you want to) not until the maturity expires. The accumulated interest plus the original amount will be returned once the maturity ends. It’s a specialized deposit issued by commercial banks and are usually insured up to $100,000.

LONG-TERM INVESTING VEHICLES

Bonds: This type of investment option is where an investor loans money to a government or corporation to finance their various projects and activities. In return, the investor will be the owner of the bond and the issuer who borrows the money for a defined period of time will pay a fixed rate of interest during the life of the bond.

Stocks: Stocks is a type of investment where a company or business allows an individual to own a portion of the company. The worth value in the market of the share is proportional to the company’s growth.

Mutual funds: It is an investment vehicle where investors pool their money to invest in securities such as stocks, bonds, money markets that money managers think as worthwhile.  

RETIREMENT PLANS

Planning for retirement should now occupy your mind. Nowadays, various special plans are created for retirement savings and many of these allow the early transfer of money from your paycheck before the deduction of taxes. If you intend to buy a home or pay for education, there are some retirement plans which allow early withdrawal of your money without penalty fees. In some cases, making retirement savings as collateral to borrow money from the account or apply for a low-interest secured loan is permitted too.

Individual retirement account (IRA): IRA’s are specialized accounts which allow the account holder to invest the money freely in any manner. In this type of retirement plan, you will not be taxed unless you withdraw your fund. If you meet certain requirements, IRA payments may be considered tax deductible.

Roth IRA: This type of retirement plan does not demand tax payments on your contributions and offers exemption from federal taxes when you decided to withdraw from the account.

401(k): Employers offer this type of retirement savings and most commonly a suitable choice for many people. 401(k) has tax advantages with the potential benefit of corporate matching.

403(b): This retirement plan is the nonprofit version of a 401(k) plan. There is also a so-called 457 plan offered by the local and state government.

Keogh: A tax-deferred special type of IRA for self-employed individuals or small businesses for retirement purposes.

Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) plan: A Keogh-based plan established by employers and self-employed individuals to provide retirement plans that are easier to administer compared to normal pension plans.

A closer look at stocks

Stocks have much better returns compared to bonds and other investment vehicles. Investing in stocks means being one of the many owners of a company, thus, you have a claim on every asset and earning the company generates. The higher your share, the greater your ownership stake in the company. The existence of stock market starts in the 16th century by Dutch corporations as a way for businessmen to finance their company using investor’s money. In return, the investor can claim ownership of assets and profits of a company as a part-owner.

What is common stock?

Common stock is the most prevailing type of stock most people choose since anyone can participate in buying this type of investment without imposing restrictions. When you purchase a common stock, you become a part-owner of the company with the power to vote or elect a board of directors. The board of directors is a group of individuals capable of influencing corporate policies and decisions for the growth of the company. If they want to fire the company manager, they can do so because they possess the power to manage the entire company. However, if the company doesn’t generate a positive income, the value of shares will decrease too. In the event of company bankruptcy, the stock will then become worthless.

Classes of Stock

Usually, the difference between the classes of stock is a number of voting rights assigned. As an example, Class B share can have a single vote for each share while Class A possesses 10 votes per share. This is often considered an unfair deal for many investors and they often avoid companies with this kind of strategy. And the reason for creating this is for the owner to retain the control over the business. They usually give the class of shares with the fewest number of votes to the public while reserving the class with the largest number of votes attached to it for the owners and major investors.

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Security and Risk Online: The rising threat of mobile malware

Cath's day was like any other - until she picked up her phone. It was dead except for a spinning penguin on its screen.

Her phone was locked and trapped inside was a year's worth of irreplaceable photos, messages, appointments and contacts.

For Cath this proved devastating: "I thought I had everything saved to the SIM, but that had been completely stripped of all information, photos, contacts, and texts. The photos in particular were the hardest loss to bear."

Sending her phone to her telco proved fruitless - they were unable to fix it. It wasn't a hardware failure. The only option that made any sense was malware, malicious software that is used to disrupt devices.

Mobile malware is becoming more commonplace both in New Zealand and overseas.

Mark Gorrie, Symantec's Australasian manager, said ransomware attacks (which sees PCs smartphones and other devices encrypted and locked until a fee gets paid) has increased by 163 per cent in the last 12 months.

Our part of the world is the third-most targeted region for ransomware attacks.

According to Symantec, cyber-crime is also growing. Identity thefts happen on average every two seconds.

Cybercrime affected 668 million people from 21 countries this year. Phishing attacks and other cyber-fraud cost US$126 billion globally last year.

Phones are increasingly targeted by cyber criminals as more people use them for online shopping.

The trouble is, it can difficult to tell if a website is genuine with a mobile browser and it can be easy to click an innocent-looking link or advert that then installs malware on your phone.

Vodafone offers six tips to avoid malware.

·         Only install applications from official app stores: If you own an Android device, you can set it to only allow authorised apps to be download from the Google Play store. Apple devices only allow apps from its store.

·         Do not jailbreak/root your device as this exposes it to threats.

·         Do not use the same username/passwords across all your apps or sites.

·         Ensure your device has a  password or PIN enabled. If it has a fingerprint scanner, use it

·         Keep the operating system up to date. Doing so ensures your device gets protected against any current vulnerabilities that could be exploited by malware.

·         Install mobile a security app (it'll detect and block malware) as well as a cloud-based photo app which will back up photos so they're not lost should your phone be stolen/broken or hacked.

One option as a security app is Symantec's latest version of Norton Mobile Security.

It can protect up to five devices so it should cover an entire household's PCs, smartphones and tablets.

The app offers basic malware protection at no cost but to get more advanced protection if you pay an annual fee of $99.

The free version includes antivirus/malware/spyware detection and removal, anti-theft capabilities, web protection plus call blocking.

The paid version features App Advisor which checks out apps installed on your phone and vets apps before you install them.

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Online Security: ‘No refund if you lose money to cyber fraud through your fault’

Losing money to a cyber fraud may not earn you a refund from your bank if proven that you were at fault in the transaction, a consumer forum ruled recently.

The Additional Thane District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum last week dismissed a complaint by a Navi Mumbai couple, stating that they had not taken due care in handling their bank account.

The couple had filed the complaint against a multi-national private bank, alleging that it was responsible for fraudulent transfer of money from their account. The complaint stated that the couple was deceived by a fraudster who used the bank’s name. When they brought this to the attention of the bank, they did not receive a positive response, which constituted a deficiency in service, they claimed.

According to the complaint, the couple, who had a joint NRI account, received text messages from the bank informing them of four withdrawals from their account, which they did not make. When they tried to log in to their account to change the user ID for Internet banking, they found the password changed. The couple immediately informed the bank and asked them to disable their net banking facility and debit card. A complaint too was made with the bank and an FIR lodged with the cyber cell of the Mumbai police and the local Rabale police station. The cyber police investigated and found who the money had been transferred to, the plea stated. The bank, however, did not give a positive response to their complaint, it added.

“On perusal of the complaint, it appears that the complainant received a mail allegedly from the opposite party and he clicked on the link mentioned in the said mail and furnished details about his user id and password and other details as were asked in the email. Thereafter, the fraudster carried out fraudulent transactions,” the order states.

“It is apparent that the complainant has not been diligent in his operations related to banking and has given his user id and password to the fraudster/hacker on his own. The opposite party, the bank, always reminded its customers never to share user id and passwords of their bank accounts with anyone to prevent any unauthorised access to bank accounts,” the forum states, adding that the complainant had therefore given up protection to his bank account by giving the details to the fraudster. The forum dismissed the plea stating it was not maintainable.

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Dr. Richard Isaacs: Medical Profile

Otolaryngology (ENT) Sacramento, CA

Physician-in-Chief / Director, The Permanente Medical Group, Board of Directors, Oakland, CA

SUMMARY

Professional Background

“I joined Kaiser Permanente in 1995 and have Advanced Certification in Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery. My specialties include: orbital, nasal, and maxillofacial surgery, as well as thyroid and parathyroid surgery. I function as a regional resource for the management of advanced tumors of the head and neck and provide the otolaryngologic approach for tumors at the skull base. Additionally, I am trained in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive surgery and perform rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty, otoplasty, and rhytidectomy. I have an interest in post-tumor facial reconstruction and facial reanimation surgery. I am a Fellow of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, and also a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

I received my Bachelor of Science degree, with Distinction, from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and my Doctor of Medicine degree, with Honors, from Wayne State University in Detroit. Then, I completed my Otolaryngology training in New York at the Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospital / New York Hospital-Cornell Medical College. Subsequently, I received additional Head and Neck Oncologic and Skull Base Surgical training from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and The University of California, Davis. I am also a 2004 graduate of the Kenan-Flagler School of Business Advanced Leadership Program, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and the University of California, San Francisco, CHCF Advanced Leadership Program. “

Roles

“In April of 2005, I was appointed to the Physician-In-Chief and Chief-of-Staff positions for the South Sacramento and Elk Grove Medical Facilities. I am very fortunate to be able to continue my head and neck surgical practice and I greatly enjoy my administrative position as well. I provide leadership to our 450 physicians/providers and more than 2000 nurses and staff who care for the 200,000 Kaiser Permanente members in the South Sacramento/Elk Grove area.”

CLINICAL SPECIALTIES & INTERESTS

Otolaryngology (ENT): General Otolaryngology/ENT, Head & Neck Microvascular Surgery, Head & Neck Oncologic Surgery

EDUCATION & TRAINING

* University of California Davis

* Cornell University Medical College

* Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

* St Vincent's Hospital and Medical Center

* Wayne State University School of Medicine

CERTIFICATIONS & LICENSURE

* CA State Medical License

1992 – 2016

* American Board of Otolaryngology

Otolaryngology

AWARDS, HONORS, & RECOGNITION

* Fellow (FAAO-HNS)

American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery

* Presidents Award for Scientific Exhibit: "Skull Base Surgical Approaches to Distal Carotid Aneurisms."

American Academy of Otolaryngology

* Top MD

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