5 Tips for Evaluating Investment Risk

There is no doubt about it: investing any sum money in the stock or real estate market can be risky. There are a number of contributing and mitigating circumstances that could either make you rich or incredibly poor. However, investing in the stock market has been one of the most fundamental cornerstones of the world economy. Investing helps the economy by helping businesses grow. These businesses could then offer more jobs. And the more jobs people are securing, the more money will find its way back into the economy. However, the economy’s cyclical nature can either work for you or against you when you are investing. Whether you are a seasoned investor or a newbie, no matter what, you could risk losing it all. Here are 5 tips for evaluating investment risk.

1. Know the value of the investment by staying current on your bank or investment firm’s evaluations. Only the banks and investment firms know first hand how much the company you have stock in is worth. Knowing how much its current standing is, as well as its future standing will allow investors the decision to pull the fund or let it sit to make a return. Sometimes when there is a high interest rate on the money you have in a certain investment, this is a sign that the stock is too risky.
2. When you place your money or buy a certain amount of stock, you must know how volatile the company you are investing in is. Essentially, you need to know the back-story of the company’s past reports. Were there any major losses within the last ten years? Are you seeing the same trends now? Sometimes evaluating a company’s volatility can be like looking into a crystal ball to see if you are making a smart investment or a bad one.
3. Read the company’s business plan before you invest one cent. Sometimes a business will release their company’s five-year plan and it might include information that will dissuade you from investing. Perhaps they have a long-term plan of introducing a product that is too costly to make with an unsure market place. Essentially, some of the money you invest will be used to make that product and if there is not a marketplace or the product doesn’t sell, you could lose out big time.
4. You don’t want to be left looking for payday loans after you’ve lost out big time on a risky investment. However, some of the riskier investments can end up making the most money. The best way not to lose money is to diversify and put some money into less risky, higher yielding accounts. This will give you the financial leverage to play your hand more in riskier stocks, even if you lose once in a while.
5. Understand the consequences of long term investments. If your money is sitting in a certain account and accruing lots of interest, it should fine, but if your investment is sitting in a risky fund that is getting bashed against the rocks as a result of fluctuations in the economy, it might be smart to pull out and put your money elsewhere. Sometimes smart investing is all about admitting your failures.