Investing Archives | Page 105 of 222

Jul

2023

Money Managers Explained

By Austin Kilham | Growing Wealth, invest, Investing | Comments Off

Money managers can help individuals set financial goals, plot and implement investment strategies, and more. You may not think you need one, either, but an experienced, trustworthy, and savvy guide can be a tremendous help when trying to wrangle your finances. Amid the sea of financial professionals are money managers, who can take a hands-on approach with an investment portfolio.

Before hiring a money manager, however, it’s important to understand what they do, how they get paid, and how they may differ from other financial professionals.

What Is a Money Manager?

Money managers are also known as portfolio, asset, or investment managers. They are people or companies that provide individualized advice about building a portfolio. They buy and sell securities on behalf of their clients, provide updates, and make suggestions for changes as market conditions shift. Clients include individuals and institutional investors like universities and nonprofit organizations.

Money managers have a fiduciary duty to their clients: They are obligated by law to put their clients’ best interests first. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it is not necessarily true of all financial professionals.

Investment advice must advance a client’s goals, not because it is more profitable for the advisor. For example, a money manager could not suggest a particular investment to a client just because the manager would receive higher compensation.

Fiduciary rules mean that advice must be as accurate as possible based on the information that is available. A fiduciary (from the Latin “fidere,” meaning “to trust”) is to take into account cost and efficiency when making investments on behalf of clients, and alert clients to any potential conflicts of interest.

💡 Quick Tip: Investment fees are assessed in different ways, including trading costs, account management fees, and possibly broker commissions. When you set up an investment account, be sure to get the exact breakdown of your “all-in costs” so you know what you’re paying.

What Makes Money Managers Different?

As you search for someone who can help you invest, you may encounter any number of titles, from asset manager to financial advisor, wealth manager to registered investment advisor. To make matters more confusing, “financial planner” covers a broad range of possible professions. They could be investment advisors, brokers, insurance agents, or accountants.

A potential client can check the registration status and background of a professional or firm on Investor.gov, the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website, FINRA’s BrokerCheck, and/or individual state securities regulators.

Here’s a look at some of the most common financial professionals you may encounter and what may make money managers different.

Registered Investment Advisors

Registered investment advisors, as the name suggests, provide investment advice to clients. They must register with the Securities and Exchange Commission or a state authority, and they have a fiduciary duty to hold a client’s interests above their own. They can manage client portfolios, making trades and offering advice on investment strategies.

Registering as an investment advisor means disclosing investment styles and strategies, total assets under management, and fee structure. RIAs must also disclose past disciplinary action and conflicts of interest.

Broker-dealer

A broker-dealer is an individual or company licensed to buy and sell securities. Brokers act as middlemen, buying and selling stocks and other securities for other people. When they are buying for their own accounts they are functioning as dealers.

Stockbrokers usually work at brokerage firms and earn their money by charging a fee for transactions they make.

Brokers register with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, an industry group. FINRA has enforced a “suitability” rule for them, meaning they needed to have reasonable grounds to believe that a recommended transaction or investment strategy involving a security or securities was suitable for the customer.

Now the SEC is enforcing a new rule, Regulation Best Interest, that establishes a “best interest” standard for broker-dealers. It requires them to stop referring to themselves as advisors if they aren’t working under a fiduciary standard.

Certified Financial Planners

Financial professionals who carry the CFP® credential have gone through the rigorous training and experience requirements required by the CFP® board. They must also pass a six-hour exam.

They have a fiduciary duty to their clients but can offer services that don’t require regulation. They can help with general financial planning, such as putting together a retirement plan or a debt reduction plan. They may make recommendations about asset allocation, investment accounts, and tax planning.

Money Managers

Money managers may offer a combination of the services mentioned above. They chiefly manage people’s investment portfolios, but they may also offer other forms of financial planning. They likely give investment advice, which means they must be registered as an RIA.

	Fiduciary?	Offer advice?	Area of focus
Money Managers	Yes	Yes	Portfolio management
Certified Financial Planners	Yes	Yes	Financial planning (retirement, etc.)
Broker-dealers	Sometimes	Sometimes	Facilitating transactions
Registered Investment Advisors	Yes	Yes	Investment advice

Pros and Cons of Hiring a Money Manager

HIring a money manager, like any other financial professional, can have its pros and cons.

Pros of Having a Money Manager

The advantages of having a money manager are rather obvious: You get expertise and experience in helping you make financial decisions. This can save you a ton of resources–such as time–when trying to decide your next moves. It could, potentially, save you money, too, in saving missteps that need to be rectified (rebalancing your portfolio, for instance). In short, though, the pros of hiring a professional are that you have a professional guiding hand helping you out.

At the end of the day, a money manager is theoretically better at managing money than the average person.

💡 Looking for a DIY approach? Check out our Money Management Guide for Beginners.

Cons of Having a Money Manager

Likely the biggest drawback, in most people’s minds, to hiring a money manager is that you need to pay for their service. Some people may also like to make their own decisions as it relates to their money, and have trouble handing over the reins, so to speak. There’s also the chance that a money manager has a conflict of interest or is not acting in your best interests — something to be aware of when looking to make the right hire.

How Do Money Managers Get Paid?

Money managers typically charge a management fee equal to a percentage of a client’s portfolio each year. On average, advisors charge between 1% and 2% of clients’ assets under management. But there are a lot of variables to consider.

A manager’s fees may be assessed quarterly, which could mean the amount you pay at the end of the year may be a bit more or less than if you were to pay annually.

An asset manager’s fees may also decrease depending on the size of an account. For example, fees on very large accounts may be smaller so that single clients don’t end up paying exorbitant amounts.

Asset managers and other financial advisors may also charge an hourly rate, especially if they are doing any consulting or working on a special project. They may also charge fixed fees for certain services. Some advisors and managers may earn a commission when purchases or trades are made. And there may be performance-based fees if a portfolio performs beyond an established benchmark.

Fee-only advisors earn their money only from the fees they charge clients. They do not earn commissions. This fact makes them distinct from fee-based advisors, who may earn money from fees and commissions.

💡 Quick Tip: When you’re actively investing in stocks, it’s important to ask what types of fees you might have to pay. For example, brokers may charge a flat fee for trading stocks, or require some commission for every trade. Taking the time to manage investment costs can be beneficial over the long term.

Should You Hire a Money Manager?

Managing your money can take a lot of time and effort, especially if you have multiple investment accounts or you’re juggling a lot of assets.

Money managers typically have many advantages when it comes to choosing investments. Not only are they trained to make investment decisions but they typically have access to a lot of information — including analytical data, research reports, financial statements, and sophisticated modeling software—that the average person doesn’t have. So they may be better equipped to make informed decisions.

For investors who have struggled to understand how to best put their money to work in order to meet financial goals, a money manager may be able to help. A large portfolio isn’t necessary. Even those who are just starting out may be able to benefit from working with one.

Even if you’re just starting to invest, it may be worth it to look into hiring one.

3 Tips on Choosing a Money Manager

You can review some money management tips, but additionally, here are a few things to keep in mind when choosing a money manager.

1. Know What You’re Looking For

Before hiring a money manager, figure out what type of financial help you need. If you’re just starting out, you may want to hire someone who can help you put together a long-term financial plan, for example.

2. Check Credentials

An online check with one or more of the aforementioned official websites will show how long an advisor has been registered, where they have worked, and what licenses they hold.

3. Interview

After narrowing the search, it’s a good idea to speak to a few candidates to get an idea of how they communicate, how they typically work with clients, and how they are compensated. If an advisor is cagey about answering the latter question, that’s a red flag.

The Takeaway

With so many titles and options, from financial planner to broker and money manager, it might be hard to choose a guide to handle your finances. A money manager is a strategist who specializes in managing investment portfolios and has a fiduciary duty to clients.

There are a slew of different types of advisors, planners, and managers in the financial world, so it’s important to know the differences. It’s also important to keep in mind that hiring a money manager can have pros and cons. Bringing in professional help may not be the best route for everyone.

Ready to invest in your goals? It’s easy to get started when you open an investment account with SoFi Invest. You can invest in stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), mutual funds, alternative funds, and more. SoFi doesn’t charge commissions, but other fees apply (full fee disclosure here).

For a limited time, opening and funding an Active Invest account gives you the opportunity to get up to $1,000 in the stock of your choice.

FAQ

What is the difference between a money manager and a financial advisor?

A money manager is a sort of subset of financial advisors, often with more specialized services offered to clients. The differences likely lie in the specific services and expertise offered.

Is it worth it to use a money manager?

If you value expertise and a guiding hand in the market, hiring a money manager may be worth it to you. Be aware, though, that there are costs to hiring a money manager, and the costs may not always outweigh the benefits for everyone.

Is it better to have a financial advisor or a financial planner?

Depending on your individual circumstances, goals, and needs, whether a financial advisor or planner is better will vary. Each may offer different services, so know what you’re looking for before hiring either.

SoFi Invest®
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SoFi Invest encompasses two distinct companies, with various products and services offered to investors as described below: Individual customer accounts may be subject to the terms applicable to one or more of these platforms.
1) Automated Investing and advisory services are provided by SoFi Wealth LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser (“SoFi Wealth“). Brokerage services are provided to SoFi Wealth LLC by SoFi Securities LLC.
2) Active Investing and brokerage services are provided by SoFi Securities LLC, Member FINRA (www.finra.org)/SIPC(www.sipc.org). Clearing and custody of all securities are provided by APEX Clearing Corporation.
For additional disclosures related to the SoFi Invest platforms described above please visit SoFi.com/legal.
Neither the Investment Advisor Representatives of SoFi Wealth, nor the Registered Representatives of SoFi Securities are compensated for the sale of any product or service sold through any SoFi Invest platform.

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

Claw Promotion: Customer must fund their Active Invest account with at least $25 within 30 days of opening the account. Probability of customer receiving $1,000 is 0.028%. See full terms and conditions.

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Jul

2023

Guide to Brokerage Accounts

By Samuel Becker | Growing Wealth, invest, Investing | No Comments

What Is a Brokerage Account?

A brokerage account is a type of investment account typically opened with a brokerage firm. Brokerage accounts allow owners to invest their money, and buy, sell, or trade stocks, bonds, and other types of financial securities. There are different types of brokerage accounts, and they’re offered by a range of financial firms.

For prospective investors, knowing what a brokerage account is and how they work is important. For seasoned investors, learning even more about them can help deepen their knowledge, too.

How Does a Brokerage Account Work?

As noted, brokerage accounts allow owners to invest in stocks and other financial securities. They’re offered by different types of financial firms, too. In fact, there are many brokerage firms that investors can choose from. While all offer brokerage accounts, they usually come with different fees and services:

• A full-service brokerage firm usually provides a variety of financial services, including allowing you to trade securities. Full-service firms will sometimes provide financial advice and automated investing to customers.

• A discount brokerage firm doesn’t usually provide any additional financial consulting or planning services. Thanks to their pared down services, a discount brokerage firm often offers lower fees than a full-service firm.

• Online brokerage firms provide brokerage accounts via the internet, although some also have brick and mortar locations. Online brokers often offer the lowest fees and give investors freedom to trade online with ease. They also tend to make information and research available to consumers.

Opening a brokerage account generally starts out as a similar experience to opening any other type of cash account. Consumers can simply start an account either online or in person.

💡 Quick Tip: Look for an online brokerage with low trading commissions as well as no account minimum. Higher fees can cut into investment returns over time.

Some brokerage firms require investors to use cash to open their accounts and to have enough funding in their account to cover the cost of stocks or bonds, as well as any commission fees. There are some however, that don’t require any initial deposit.

In order to make their first investment however, consumers usually need to deposit money. They can do this by moving money from another account, such as from their checking or savings accounts. From then on, the brokerage firm can help individuals execute buy or sell orders on stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), bonds, or mutual funds.

Unlike a retirement account, there are generally no restrictions on how much money a consumer can put in. There are also typically no restrictions on when individuals can withdraw their cash from brokerage accounts. Investors do need to claim any profits — or “capital gains” — as taxable income.

Here’s a closer look at how brokerage firms differ from other types of money accounts.

Brokerage Accounts vs Retirement Accounts

The primary difference between a retirement account and a brokerage account is if there’s any tax advantage at play.

For stocks, bonds, exchange traded funds, mutual funds, options etc, brokerage account holders are liable to pay capital gains taxes on most of their profits from trading these securities. That’s why brokerage accounts are also known in the industry as “taxable accounts.”

Retirement accounts are set up with money that has some kind of tax advantage and can be used to buy securities. For example, 401(k)s are set up by an employer and funded with money that comes from an employee’s paycheck before taxes and can be matched by an employer.

These accounts, which also include traditional and Roth IRAs, have specific rules about the amount that can be contributed and when money can be withdrawn. Meanwhile, with brokerage accounts, there are few limits on funding or withdrawals.

Brokerage Accounts vs Checking Accounts

Brokerage accounts and checking accounts have one important thing in common: they can both have cash in them. Sometimes brokerage accounts will “sweep” your cash into a money market fund managed by that same brokerage, allowing you to earn interest. Meanwhile, in a traditional bank checking account, you don’t earn any interest but you do have easy access to your cash.

An important distinction between brokerage and checking accounts is the level of protection you get from them. A checking account offered by a bank will typically have insurance provided by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), which protects the first $250,000 deposited at a bank that has a charter from the FDIC. This means that $250,000 deposited can be withdrawn even if the bank itself goes out of business.

Brokerage accounts, on the other hand, typically have insurance provided by the Securities Investors Protection Corporation (SPIC), which unlike the FDIC, is not a government agency. What SIPC insurance does is protect the custody of stocks, bonds, and other securities as well as cash in a brokerage account, not their value.

This means that if a brokerage fails, the SIPC insurance will protect cash deposited in a brokerage account up to $250,000 and securities and cash combined up to $500,000.

This simply means you get your cash deposited in the account and the securities back, not that you have insurance from the value of those securities going down.

Brokerage Accounts vs Checking and Savings Accounts

Cash management accounts are something of a hybrid between checking and brokerage accounts.

They are not offered by banks but can, on a case by case basis, partner with banks and other financial service providers to give clients access to ATMs and even FDIC insurance.

Pros and Cons of Opening a Brokerage Account

Brokerage accounts can be powerful financial tools, but they can have their advantages and drawbacks, too.

Pros of Brokerage Accounts

The most obvious advantage of a brokerage account is that it allows its owner to trade financial securities and invest their money. They tend to have a high degree of liquidity, too, meaning that it’s relatively easy to buy and sell securities. There are also no general requirements for contributions or withdrawals.

Cons of Brokerage Accounts

Cons of brokerage accounts include the fact that they can’t be used for traditional transactions, like, say, a checking account. While your account may have a cash balance, you can’t use it to purchase a soda from the corner store.

Further, getting your money in and out of a brokerage account may take some time. There are often fraud checks and other elements at play when transacting a cash balance in or out of an account, and it may take a couple of days. There are also no tax advantages — something that may be present for certain retirement accounts.

Pros and Cons of Brokerage Accounts
Pros	Cons
Ability to trade securities	Can’t be used for transactions
High liquidity	Slow transaction times
No limits on contributions and withdrawals	No tax advantages

A couple of other things that may be worth considering, especially if you’re interested in investing for beginners.

Before you consider opening a brokerage account, make sure you have sufficient money set aside for an emergency fund. Common financial advice recommends setting aside three to 12 times your streamlined monthly expenses. It’s also good practice to contribute to your 401(k) or IRA before opening a brokerage account.

If you have an emergency fund stashed away and are making regular contributions to a retirement account, think about what types of assets you plan on investing in. A brokerage account would only be required if you plan to buy stocks, bonds, or other securities. If you only plan on investing in mutual funds, you might not need a brokerage account.

4 Types of Brokerage Accounts

There are also a few distinct types of brokerage accounts, though they all work in a similar fashion — trading securities, after all, is what brokers do. They are cash brokerage accounts, margin accounts, joint brokerage accounts, and discretionary accounts.

1. Cash Brokerage Accounts

A cash brokerage account is the “vanilla” option. If you open a cash brokerage account, you deposit money and start trading securities.

2. Margin Brokerage Accounts

A margin brokerage account may require approval from a brokerage. These types of accounts let owners use “margin” when trading. That means that they can effectively borrow money to trade with from the brokerage. These obviously come with a higher degree of risk, too.

3. Joint Brokerage Accounts

Joint brokerage accounts are more or less cash brokerage accounts that are opened by more than one person. It’s like a joint bank account, in many respects.

4. Discretionary Accounts

Another type of account that some brokerage firms offer is a discretionary account. This type of brokerage account, sometimes referred to as a managed account, allows an authorized broker to make trades on behalf of the client. The client usually must sign a discretionary disclosure with the broker. Many brokerage firms require account minimums for this type of account.

💡 Quick Tip: Are self directed brokerage accounts cost efficient? They can be, because they offer the convenience of being able to buy stocks online without using a traditional full-service broker (and the typical broker fees).

How To Open a Brokerage Account

Most firms allow you to set up a new account online. You’ll need to provide basic personal information, and most firms will ask about your net worth, your employment status, what assets you currently own, and what you have defined as your investment goals.

Requirements for Opening a Brokerage Account

There may be some requirements for opening a brokerage account.

Initial Investments

Depending on the type of brokerage account you are opening, most firms let you open an account with about $1,000 but some require an initial investment of $2,500 or more.

Account Minimums

You will need to have enough money in your account to pay for one or more shares of the stock you want to buy plus the commission fee (if applicable). Each account and brokerage firm is different, so check with your preferred company to determine what the account minimums are.

Agreeing to Terms and Conditions

You’ll need to play by the rules, and a brokerage firm will likely have you agree to certain terms and conditions for using your account. That may include agreeing to certain fee schedules, too.

Funding a Brokerage Account

There are at least five ways to transfer money from your bank account into your brokerage account:

• Electronic funds or wire transfers involve moving money electronically from one’s bank account into another account. Individuals typically have to go to their bank and fill out the required information and direct where the money should be transferred.

• Deposit a check: Customers can withdraw money via a paper check from their checking, savings, or another existing brokerage account. They can then mail the check to the brokerage account they’d like to deposit the funds at.

• Transfer an existing investment from another broker. Customers can typically transfer funds between brokerage accounts through an automated process known as the Automated Customer Account Transfer Service (ACATS). Customers usually fill out a form. Transfers involve assets such as cash, stocks, bonds, or listed options.

• Deposit an existing paper stock certificate: Paper stock certificates are much rarer today in the age of electronic trading, but if a customer does have one, they can mail it to their broker to be deposited. Inheriting a certificate may require additional verification and paperwork, and in general, mailing with insurance is recommended.

Brokerage Account Taxes

Another important thing to remember is that there are taxes associated with brokerage accounts. Specifically, any interest or dividends earned from your brokerage account will be taxable.

If you sell an investment and earn a profit, you will have to pay a capital gains tax. However, if you sell a stock at a loss, that becomes a capital loss and you could get a tax break from that sale which could lower your taxable income.

Investing with SoFi

Brokerage accounts allow owners to buy and sell investments and financial securities. They are offered by a number of financial institutions, and come in a few different types. By and large, though, they’re a very popular choice for investors looking to get their money in the markets.

They do have their pros and cons and associated risks, however. It may be beneficial to speak with a financial professional to learn more about how you can use a brokerage account to your advantage in pursuit of your financial goals.

For a limited time, opening and funding an Active Invest account gives you the opportunity to get up to $1,000 in the stock of your choice.

FAQ

How do I open a brokerage account?

Most brokerage firms allow prospective customers to open an account online or in person. Opening a brokerage account generally requires some personal information related to identity and financials, and some money to make an initial deposit.

Is there a minimum deposit to open a brokerage account?

Different brokerage firms will have different rules regarding minimum deposits, but there are many that don’t require a minimum deposit. Again, it’ll depend on the specific firm.

Do brokerage accounts have fees?

Yes, most brokerage accounts have some sort of associated fees. There may be commission fees involved, though they’re less common today than they once were, but there can be other types of fees to be aware of, too.

Jul

2023

How to Use a Trailing Stop-loss Properly

By Rebecca Lake | Growing Wealth, invest, Investing, Terminology | Comments Off

A trailing stop loss allows investors to create a built-in safety mechanism to insulate themselves against downward pricing trends. It’s an important exit strategy that day traders can use to manage their risk.

Understanding how a trailing stop order works and how to use it properly can help cap potential losses when day trading investments.

What Is a Trailing Stop-loss?

A trailing stop-loss offers a flexible approach to minimizing investment losses. A trailing stop order trails the price of the underlying investment by a percentage or a specific dollar amount. So, if an investor buys shares at $50 each, they might impose a trailing stop limit of 10%. If the stock’s share price dipped by 10% they’d be sold automatically.

To understand trailing stop-loss, it helps to have a basic understanding of how limit orders and stop orders work.

A limit order is an order to buy or sell a security once it reaches a specific price. If the order is to buy, it only gets triggered at or below the limit price. If the order is to sell, the order can only get executed at or above the limit price. Limit orders are typically filled on a first-come, first-served basis in the market.

A stop order, also referred to as a stop-loss order (yet another of the stock order types), is also an order to buy or sell a particular investment. The difference is that the transaction occurs once a security’s market price reaches a certain point. For example, if you buy shares of stock for $50 each, you might create a stop order to sell those shares if the price dips to $40. Once a stop or limit order is executed, it becomes a market order.

Stop orders help you either lock in a set purchase price for an investment or cap the amount of losses you incur when you sell if the security’s price drops. While you can use them to manage investment risk, stop orders are fixed at a certain share price.

💡 Quick Tip: How do you decide if a certain trading platform or app is right for you? Ideally, the investment platform you choose offers the features that you need for your investment goals or strategy, e.g., an easy-to-use interface, data analysis, educational tools.

How a Trailing Stop Order Works

Using a trailing stop to manage investments can help you capitalize on stock market movements and momentum. You determine a preset price at which you want to sell a stock, based on how a particular investment is trending, rather than pinpointing an exact dollar amount.

You can decide where to set a trailing stop limit, based on your risk tolerance and what you expect an investment to do over time. What remains consistent is the percentage by which you can control losses as the investment’s price changes.

Example

So, assume that you purchase 100 shares of stock at $50 each. You set a trailing stop order at 10%. If the share price dips to $45, which reflects a 10% loss, those shares would be sold automatically capping your total loss on the investment at $500.

Now, assume that the stock takes off instead and the share price doubles to $100 with the same 10% trailing stop in place. Your stop order would only be triggered if the stock’s price falls to $90. If you had set a regular stop order at $40 instead, there’d be a much wider margin for losses since the stock’s price has further to fall before shares would be sold. Thus, trailing stops enhanced downside protection compared to a regular stop order.

3 Advantages of Using a Trailing Stop Order

There are several benefits that come with using a trailing stop limit to manage your investments.

1. Tandem Movements

First, trailing stops move in tandem with stock pricing. As a stock’s per share price increases, the trailing stop follows. In the previous example, when the stock’s price doubled from $50 to $90, the trailing stop price moved from $45 to $90. In effect, it’s a hands-off tool — which can be great for some investors.

2. Confidence

Implementing a trailing stop limit strategy can offer reassurance since you know shares will be sold automatically if the stop order is triggered. That can offer investors some confidence in what may be a chaotic market environment. That, for many, can be very valuable.

3. Take Emotion Out of the Equation

Trailing stop limits rely on math rather than emotions when making decisions. That can also help you avoid the temptation to try to time the market and either sell too quickly or hold on to a stock too long, impacting your profit potential.

💡 Quick Tip: How to manage potential risk factors in a self directed investment account? Doing your research and employing strategies like dollar-cost averaging and diversification may help mitigate financial risk when trading stocks.

How Do You Set up a Trailing Stop Order?

If you’re day trading online, it’s relatively simple to set up a trailing stop loss order for individual securities. Because the orders are flexible, you can choose where you want to set the baseline percentage at which stocks should be sold. For example, if you’re less comfortable with risk you might set a trailing stop at 5% or less. But if you’re a more aggressive portfolio, you may bump the order up to 20% or 30%.

You can also control whether you want buy or sell actions to happen automatically or whether you want to place trades manually. Automating ensures that the trades happen as quickly as possible, but performing them manually may be preferable if you’re more of a hands-on trader.

Example of a Trailing Stop-loss Order

Though we’ve already given some quick examples of how a trailing stop-loss order might work in a practical sense, let’s run through it again.

Say that you buy 100 shares of Company A stock for $10. You set up a trailing stop-loss order at 10%, meaning that if Company A stock falls to $9 or below, a sell order will automatically be executed. The next week, Company A stock’s value rises to $12 — the trailing stop loss order follows. The week after, Company A’s stock loses 15% of its value, falling from $12 to $10.20.

The stop-loss order kicked in when the stock lost 10%, so your shares were sold at $10.80, saving you $0.60 per share, for a total of $60.

Again, this can be helpful if investors want to “lock in” their gains and cash out stocks with a positive return.

Are There Any Downsides of Using a Trailing Stop?

Investing is risky by nature, and no strategy is foolproof. While trailing stops can help minimize losses without placing a cap on profits, there are some downsides to consider.

Accessibility

Depending on which brokerage account you’re using, you may face limits on which investments you can use trailing stop loss strategy with. Some online brokerages don’t allow any type of stop loss trading at all.

Potential to Lock-in Losses

If a stock you own experiences a two-day slide in price, your stop loss order might require your shares be sold. If on the third day, the stock rebounds with a 20% price increase, you’ve missed out on those gains and locked in your losses. If you want to repurchase the stock you’ll now have to do so at a higher price point, and you’ve missed your chance to buy the dip.

Velocity Challenges

If share prices drop too quickly there may be some lag time before your trailing stop order can be fulfilled. In that scenario, you might end up incurring bigger losses than expected, regardless of where you placed your stop price limit.

No Market for the Security

It’s possible an investor finds themselves holding a stock that nobody wants — meaning that it has no liquidity, and can’t be traded. This is unlikely, but in this case, a stop-loss order couldn’t execute as there’s no one to trade with.

Market Closure

If you’ve set up trailing stop-loss orders, they can’t and won’t execute when the market is closed. Security prices can go up and down after-hours, but market orders can only be executed during normal operating hours for stock exchanges.

Using a market-on-open order may be another tool to consider if investors are concerned about this scenario.

Gaps

On the same note as market closures, pricing gaps — which may occur due to after-hours pricing movements, for instance — can and do occur. A stop-loss order may not help in those cases, and investors may lose more than anticipated as a result.

How to Use a Trailing Stop-loss Strategy

Using trailing stops is better suited as part of a short-term trading strategy, rather than long-term investing. Buy-and-hold investors focused on value don’t need to worry as much about day-to-day price movements.

With that in mind, there are a few things to consider before putting trailing stop orders to work. A good starting point is your personal risk tolerance and the level of loss you’d be comfortable accepting in your portfolio. This can help determine where to set your trailing stop loss limit.

Again, if you’re a more conservative investor then it might make sense to set the percentage threshold lower. But if you have a larger appetite for risk, you could go higher. You can also tailor thresholds to individual investments to balance out your overall risk exposure.

Technical Indicators

Becoming familiar with technical indicators could help you become more adept at reading the market so you can better gauge where to set trailing limits. Unlike fundamental analysis, technical analysis primarily focuses on decoding market signals regarding trends, momentum, volatility and trading volume.

This means taking a closer look at a security’s price movements and understanding how it’s trending. One indicator you might rely on is the Average True Range (ATR). The ATR measures how much a security moves up or down in price on any given day. This number can tell you where to set your trailing loss limit based on whether price momentum is moving in your favor.

In addition to ATR you might also study moving averages and standard deviation to understand where a stock’s price may be headed. Moving averages reflect the average price of a security over time while standard deviation measures volatility. Considering these variables, along with your risk tolerance and overall investment goals, can help you use trailing losses in your portfolio correctly.

Applying Your Stock Trading Knowledge With SoFi

Whether you plan to use trailing stop strategies in your portfolio or not, making sure you’re working with the right brokerage matters. Ideally, you’re using an online brokerage that offers access to the type of securities you want to invest in with minimal fees so you can keep more of your portfolio gains.

Keep in mind, though, that utilizing stop-loss orders isn’t foolproof, and that there can be pros and cons to doing so. It’s also a somewhat advanced tool to incorporate into your strategy — if you don’t feel like you fully understand it, it may be worth discussing with a financial professional.

For a limited time, opening and funding an Active Invest account gives you the opportunity to get up to $1,000 in the stock of your choice.

FAQ

How does a trailing stop-loss work?

A trailing stop-loss is a built-in mechanism that automatically sells an investor’s holdings when certain market conditions are met — specifically, when a stock loses a predetermined amount of value.

What is a disadvantage of a trailing stop-loss?

There are several potential disadvantages to using trailing stop-losses, including the fact that they won’t execute during market closures. Securities may lose value during that time, and traders could experience a pricing gap as a result.

What is a good trailing stop-loss percentage?

A good stop-loss percentage will depend on the individual investor’s risk tolerances, but many investors would likely be comfortable with a 5% or 10% trailing stop-loss.

Photo credit: iStock/akinbostanci

Jul

2023

Where Should I Invest My Money?

By Amanda Holden | Growing Wealth, invest, Investing | Comments Off

At any given time, there are numerous places and ways to invest your money, ranging from the stock market to real estate. But how and where you invest your money also brings up numerous potential risks and potential outcomes — for that reason, it can be difficult to decide what to do.

And while investors are right to wonder what investments make sense given the current economic and political climates, they may be surprised to hear that other, longer-term factors are just as important. As such, you may find it useful to learn the behavior of the available investment types, and then compare those patterns to whatever it is that you’re trying to accomplish, and along what timeline.

Learning About Investment Options

If you’re wondering “where should I invest my money right now?” there are several different potential answers and investment opportunities out there. But before you do anything, you’ll need to make some key decisions.

The first is to make a decision by investment type, which involves deciding to invest in certain asset classes or asset types. Your portfolio mix will be your asset allocation, which is covered below.

Stocks, bonds, cash, and money market funds, and real estate are just a few of the asset classes available to investors. Generally, the first order of business is to determine which is most appropriate for the financial goals an investor has. In order to determine this, it’s important to understand how each investment type earns a return.

💡 Quick Tip: If you’re opening a brokerage account for the first time, consider starting with an amount of money you’re prepared to lose. Investing always includes the risk of loss, and until you’ve gained some experience, it’s probably wise to start small.

Where to Invest Money

As noted, there are many different assets that investors can utilize or add to their portfolio. Here’s a rundown.

Stocks

A stock represents a share of ownership in a company. When an investor buys a share in a company, they own a small proportion of that company. Shareholders may even receive voting rights. This is why stocks are sometimes referred to as equities; investors now own equity in that company.

A stock can earn money in two ways. The first way is through the value of shares appreciating over time; this is called capital appreciation. The second is through periodic cash payments made to shareholders, called dividends.

Stock prices can be influenced by both internal and external factors, such as a new product launch or broader national or global events like a political event or natural disaster. Because the nature of business is highly unpredictable, stock prices can be volatile.

Bonds

A bond, on the other hand, is an investment in the debt of a company or government. The bondholder earns a rate of return by collecting a rate of interest on that debt for a predetermined amount of time, such as 10 or 20 years. Because the terms are stated upon purchase, bond values generally tend to be less volatile than stocks, but have more modest returns. That said, bonds are not completely without risk, and it is possible for bonds to lose value.

When interest rates are low, overall, bonds will likely pay out a lower rate of interest. Interest rates can change, and quickly, sometimes, which is something investors may want to take into account.

Typically, stocks are considered to have a higher potential for returns over time, but that comes with the price of volatility — the possibility of an investment losing value, especially in the short-term. Bonds are often considered a safer, more stable investment that may be more appropriate for investors who aren’t as comfortable with the volatility of the stock market.

A big part of deciding where to invest has to do with determining your relative comfort level with each of the different asset classes.

Mutual Funds

Investing directly in stocks isn’t the only option available to investors. Mutual funds present another way to invest in the stock market. Think of funds as baskets that hold an assortment of some other investment type, such as those mentioned above — stocks, bonds, and real estate holdings. Funds provide investors an easy way to access diversified exposure to many investments at once, but they are not an asset class in and of themselves.

Investment funds can be an affordable and quick way to get (and stay) invested, which makes them popular with both new and seasoned investors. But even if you decide to use funds as the device for which you invest in different markets, the first order of business is to understand the fund’s underlying asset class.

For example, someone who purchases a mutual fund that holds 500 stocks, is invested in those 500 stocks — and very much invested in the stock market. If you buy a mutual fund comprising 1,000 bond holdings, then you are invested in those bonds. If you buy a fund with real estate holdings, well, you get the idea.

Options

Options are a form of derivative, and are “higher-level” investments than, say, stocks or bonds. Options can be difficult to understand, but fairly easy to trade — you’d likely want to discuss options trading or investing with a financial professional before you get into it.

That said, investors can invest their money in various forms of options, but they’ll need to keep an eye on their portfolios. Options trading is an active form of investing, as there are strike prices and dates that they’ll need to be aware of.

Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs)

Exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, are very similar to mutual funds in that they’re effectively a basket of different investments, all compiled into one security. There are tons of different types of ETFs, encompassing all sorts of different market indexes, sectors, and asset classes. Odds are, if you’re looking for a specific type of ETF, there’s likely one out there that fits the bill — or that comes close to it.

Retirement Plans

A retirement plan or account is another place that investors can put their money to work. There are various types of retirement plans — the list includes individual retirement accounts (IRAs), 401(k) plans, and the Roth variations of each. Not all investors may have access to each type, so, see what’s available to you, and which type of plan best fits your investing strategy.

Index Funds

As discussed, index funds offer yet another investment vehicle. These are investment funds that track an index, which is usually a specific part of the broader market. For example, there are index funds that track the S&P 500, or there are index funds that track the tech sector.

Investing in an index fund allows investors to gain exposure to their preferred market segment, and there are numerous options out there, too.

Real Estate

Real estate investing can include physical property — houses, commercial buildings, etc. — or, it comprises purchasing certain real estate-oriented investment vehicles. While many investors may not have the capital laying around to buy a house for investing purposes, they can buy real estate stocks, or even look at REITs, or real estate investment trusts, to get real estate exposure into their portfolios.

Certificates of Deposit (CDs)

Certificates of deposit, often called CDs, should also be on investors’ radar. CDs are somewhat like savings accounts, in which investors “lock up” their funds for a predetermined period of time in exchange for interest rate payments. Functionally, they’re similar to bonds, but there can be fees if you need to pull your money out of a CD before it matures.

Options for Cash

In some instances, it may make the most sense to keep the money for a particular goal in cash. It is helpful to understand what options are available for cash savings.

Savings accounts at a traditional bank or credit union: This is likely the most familiar option. Traditional and commercial banks remain popular for their large geographical footprint. Note that many traditional banks tend to pay a relatively low rate of interest on any cash holdings.

Online-only checking and savings accounts: A newer option for bankers, online-only banks and banking platforms may offer a slightly higher yield than a savings account at a commercial bank. Additionally, many do not require minimums or charge monthly maintenance or account fees.

Money market funds: Often found in brokerage accounts, a money market fund is a fund that holds cash and or other “very liquid investments,” like short-term government securities.

Certificate of deposit (CD): As discussed previously, certificate of deposit is a savings account that holds money for a fixed amount of time, like one year or three years. A fixed rate of return is paid out during that period. Generally, there is a penalty to cash out a CD prior to expiration.

When considering cash as an asset class, consider the risk and reward tradeoff, just as one would for any other investment type. Although cash might not be risky when considered in terms of volatility, it does not come without risk. Cash carries the risk of losing value over the long-term due to the effects of inflation, or prices rising over time.

Beginner-Friendly Places to Invest

If you’re a beginner investor looking for places to put your money, it may be beneficial to revisit some basic investing rules or guidelines. For instance, you’ll likely want to build an emergency savings fund before focusing on your stock portfolio.

But assuming you’re ready to put your money in the market or otherwise start building your investment portfolio, many beginners begin with some basic investment funds. ETFs are a popular choice, as are mutual funds — but note that there are some differences to be aware of.

If you’re not sure where to turn or what to do, consider speaking with a financial professional for advice.

💡 Quick Tip: When you’re actively investing in stocks, it’s important to ask what types of fees you might have to pay. For example, brokers may charge a flat fee for trading stocks, or require some commission for every trade. Taking the time to manage investment costs can be beneficial over the long term.

Which Investments Provide the Highest Returns?

You’ve probably heard a certain phrase before: The higher the risk, the higher the reward. That largely holds true in the financial space, although not in every instance. It’s all to say that riskier investments tend to provide higher returns.

Assets like stocks are probably, by and large, going to provide higher or better returns than, say, bonds. Trading options can likewise be more profitable than buying and holding stocks, too. But there are significant risks involved in any strategy, and those risks can be magnified by the specific investments involved.

Again, if you’re looking for the highest possible return, it may be best to consult with a financial professional for guidance, or to give some thought to how each type of investment fits with your overall strategy.

Creating a Goals-Based Strategy

Contrary to how many new investors are encouraged to think about investing, it may not make sense to try and pick “hot” stocks right out of the gates.

Instead, take a step back and consider the bigger picture view, and ask whether stocks are even appropriate given your goals and investing timeline. This decision on which combination of asset classes to be invested in, and in what proportions, is called asset allocation.

To determine your asset allocation, start by thinking of each “bucket” or “pot” of money independently. For example, maybe someone has $1,000 set aside for retirement and another $1,000 that they’d like to use as a down payment for a home. Think about this intuitively; these are very different goals with different timelines and therefore, may require different investing strategies.

Next, consider the financial goals, risk tolerance, and investment time horizon for each bucket. This can sound pretty boring especially if you’ve been conditioned to believe that you should invest in whatever is currently the talk of the town.

Risk vs Reward

The asset allocation decision really boils down to an examination of an investment’s risk and reward characteristics in order to determine whether it’ll work on a personal level. Here’s what’s so important to understand: with investing, risk and reward are two sides of the same coin. Investors cannot have one without the other. For more reward potential, an investor will have to take more risk. There is no such thing as an investment that produces returns with no risk.

Let’s consider, again, the two hypothetical investment goals from above: $1,000 for a down payment and $1,000 for retirement. How do goals lead one down the path of where to invest?

First, the $1,000 for a down payment: If the money is designated for use in the next few years, the risk of losing any money in a volatile investment may outweigh the potential to earn investment returns. Therefore, it might be best to keep this money in a lower-risk investment or cash equivalent.

Next, the $1,000 for retirement. Many retirement investors have the goal of reasonable growth over the long-term. Because of this long time horizon, there should be enough time to grow beyond spates of short-term volatility. Therefore, it may be suitable to create a portfolio that is primarily invested in the stock market or a combination of stocks and bonds.

Retirement investors close to retiring may opt to consider some exposure to bonds for both diversification purposes and to lower the overall volatility of the portfolio. Ultimately, a person’s comfort level with the stock market will determine their specific stock and bond allocations. And it’s worth noting that an investing strategy isn’t stagnant. As a person ages, their goals and investing strategy will likely need to evolve, too.

Opening the Right Account

Here’s another way to answer the question, “where should I invest my money?” By doing so, in an appropriate account type, at a brokerage bank or on an investing platform.

Just as it makes sense to keep cash in a bank account, the same must be done with investments. But with investments, opening the right account can be a bit trickier.

It is not uncommon to hear someone refer to a 401(k) or a Roth IRA as if one of those is, in itself, an investment. But retirement accounts are not investments — they are accounts. Granted, they can hold investments, but they are still accounts.

Money is contributed to any investment account in cash, and then those proceeds are used to purchase investments, like stocks, mutual funds, and ETFs. (In a plan sponsored by a workplace plan, like a 401(k), the investing might happen automatically, hence the confusion about it being an investment itself.)

It is also possible to invest in an account that is not designated for retirement. At a brokerage firm, these are often simply referred to as brokerage accounts. If you use a trading platform, it may be referred to as an individual or a wealth account.

Retirement accounts offer some sort of tax benefit, like tax-free growth on your investments, which make them suitable vehicles for long-term goals. But because they offer a tax benefit, there are more rigid rules for use. For example, some retirement accounts, like 401(k) and Traditional IRAs, levy a 10% penalty on money withdrawn before retirement age (there are some exceptions to this withdrawal fee). Also, there are limits to how much money can be contributed annually to retirement accounts.

💡 Learn more: How to Open an IRA Online

Weighing Your Options

It all comes down to the individual. You’ll need to look at your risk tolerance, time horizon, and personal preferences to determine the most suitable investing path or accounts.

For short-term goals that require more flexibility, a non-retirement account may be a better choice. Because there are no special taxation benefits, there are generally no rules about when money can be withdrawn or how much can be contributed. Because of this, non-retirement accounts can also be a good place to invest for folks who have met their maximum contribution amount for the year in their retirement accounts.

Investing With SoFi

At any given time, there are a plethora of places or vehicles in which you can invest your money. You can invest in stocks, bonds, funds, real estate — the list is long. But each has its own considerations and risks that must be taken into account. Overall, an individual’s investing strategy is the most important thing to keep in mind.

As for where to open an account, new investors may want to focus on an institution or platform where they are able to keep costs low. There’s not a whole lot that investors can control, like investment performance, but how much they pay in fees is one of them. There are lots of options for investors.

SoFi Invest offers educational content as well as access to financial planners. The Active Investing platform lets investors choose from an array of stocks, ETFs or fractional shares, but restrictions apply.

For a limited time, opening and funding an Active Invest account gives you the opportunity to get up to $1,000 in the stock of your choice.

FAQ

Which investment gives the highest returns?

Higher-risk investments tend to give the highest returns, but can also give the highest losses. These can include certain stocks or investment funds, particularly those focused on market segments that are risky or volatile.

Where can you invest your money as a beginner?

Beginners can use any number of investment vehicles to invest their money. Some choices include investment funds like ETFs or mutual funds, or even retirement accounts or plans.

Where can you invest money to get good returns?

There are numerous investment vehicles that can provide good returns, but those returns can be thwarted by down markets. Stocks and more volatile investments tend to provide higher returns, but also tend to have higher risks than other investment types.

Jul

2023

What Is the Spot Market & How Does It Work?

By Brian Nibley | Growing Wealth, invest, Investing, Terminology | Comments Off

The spot market of a commodity is a market where buyers meet sellers and make an immediate exchange. In other words, delivery takes place at the same time payment is made. This is the simplest spot market definition available.

Commodity markets are somewhat different from the markets for stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and ETFs, all of which trade exclusively through brokerages. Because they represent a physical good, commodities have an additional market — the spot market. This market represents a place where the actual commodity gets bought and sold right away.

Spot Markets Definition

If you’re trying to define the spot markets, it may be helpful to think of it as a public financial market, and one on which commodities are bought and sold. They’re also bought and sold for immediate, or quick, delivery. That is, the asset being traded changes hands on the spot.

Prices quoted on spot markets are called the spot price, naturally.

One example of a spot market is a coin shop where an individual investor goes to buy a gold or silver coin. The prices would be determined by supply and demand. The goods would be delivered upon receipt of payment.

Understanding Spot Markets

Spot markets aren’t all that difficult to understand from a theoretical standpoint. There can be a spot market for just about anything, though they’re often discussed in relation to commodities (perhaps coffee, corn, or construction materials), and specific things like precious metals.

But again, an important part of spot market transactions is that trades take place on the spot — immediately.

Which Types of Assets Can Be Found on Spot Markets

As noted, all sorts of assets can be found on spot markets. That ranges from food items or other consumables, construction materials, precious metals, and more. If you were, for instance, interested in investing in agriculture from the sense you wanted to trade contracts for oranges or bananas, you could likely do so on the spot market.

Some financial instruments may also be traded on spot markets, such as Treasurys or bonds.

How Spot Market Trades Are Made

In a broad sense, spot market trades occur like trades in any other market. Buyers and sellers come together, a price is determined by supply and demand, and trades are executed — usually digitally, like most things these days. In fact, a spot market may and often does operate like the stock market.

You may be surprised to learn that stock markets are, in fact, spot markets, with financial securities trading hands instantly (in most cases).

💡 Quick Tip: The best stock trading app? That’s a personal preference, of course. Generally speaking, though, a great app is one with an intuitive interface and powerful features to help make trades quickly and easily.

What Does the Spot Price Mean?

As mentioned, the spot price simply refers to the price at which a commodity can be bought or sold in real time, or “on the spot.” This is the price an individual investor will pay for something if they want it right now without having to wait until some future date.

Because of this dynamic, spot markets are thought to reflect genuine supply and demand to a high degree.

The interplay of real supply and demand leads to constantly fluctuating spot prices. When supply tightens or demand rises, prices tend to go up, and when supply increases or demand falls, prices tend to go down.

The Significance of a Spot Market

The spot market of any asset holds special significance in terms of price discovery. It’s thought to be a more honest assessment of economic reality.

The reason is that spot markets tend to be more reliant on real buyers and sellers, and therefore should more accurately reflect current supply and demand than futures markets (which are based on speculation and can be manipulated, as recent legal cases have shown. More on this later.)

Types of Spot Markets

There’s only one type of spot market — the type where delivery of an asset takes place right away. There are two ways this can happen, however. The delivery can take place through a centralized exchange, or the trade can happen over the counter.

Over-the-counter

OTC trades are negotiated between two parties, like the example of buying coins at a coin shop.

Market Exchanges

There are different spot markets for different commodities, and some of them work slightly differently than others.

The spot market for oil, for example, also has buyers and sellers, but a barrel of oil can’t be bought at a local shop. The same goes for some industrial metals like steel and aluminum, which are bought and sold in much higher quantities than silver and gold.

Agricultural commodities like soy, wheat, and corn also have spot markets as well as futures markets.

Spot Market vs Futures Market

One instance that makes clear the difference between a spot market and a futures market is the price of precious metals.

Gold, silver, platinum, and palladium all have their own spot markets and futures markets. When investors check the price of gold on a mainstream financial news network, they are likely going to see the COMEX futures price.

COMEX is short for the Commodity Exchange Inc., a division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. As the largest metals futures market in the world, COMEX handles most related futures contracts.

These contracts are speculatory in nature — traders are making bets on what the price of a commodity will be at some point. Contracts can be bought and sold for specific prices on specific dates.

Most of the contracts are never delivered upon, meaning they don’t involve delivery of the actual underlying commodity, such as gold or silver. Instead, what gets exchanged is a contract or agreement allowing for the potential delivery of a certain amount of metal for a certain price on a certain date.

For the most part, futures trading only has two purposes: hedging bets and speculating for profits. Sophisticated traders sometimes use futures to hedge their bets, meaning they purchase futures that will wind up minimizing their losses in another bet if it doesn’t go their way. And investors of all experience levels can use futures to try to profit from future price action of an asset. Predicting the exact price of something in the future can be difficult and carries high risk.

The spot market works in a different manner entirely. There are no contracts to buy or sell and no future prices to consider. The market is simply determined by what one party is willing to purchase something for.

Spot Market vs Futures Market
Spot Market	Futures Market
No contracts to buy or sell	Contracts are bought and sold outlining future prices
Trades occur instantly	Trades may never actually occur at all
Non-speculative	Speculative by nature

Another important concept to understand is contango and backwardation, which are ways to characterize the state of futures markets based on the relationship between spot and future prices. Some background knowledge on those concepts can help guide your investing strategy.

Note, too, that some investors may be confused by the concepts of margin trading and futures contracts. Margin and futures are two different concepts, and don’t necessarily overlap.

💡 Quick Tip: Distributing your money across a range of assets — also known as diversification — can be beneficial for long-term investors. When you put your eggs in many baskets, it may be beneficial if a single asset class goes down.

Example of a Spot Market

Consider the spot and futures markets for precious metals.

Precious-metal prices that investors see on financial news networks will most often be the current futures price as determined by COMEX. This market price is easy to quote. It’s the sum of all futures trading happening on one central exchange or just a few central exchanges.

The spot market is more difficult to pin down. In this case, the spot market could be generally referred to as the average price that a person would be willing to pay for a single ounce of gold or silver, not including any premiums charged by sellers.

Sometimes there is a difference between prices in the futures market and spot market. The difference is referred to as the “spread.” Under ordinary circumstances, the difference will be modest. During times of uncertainty, though, the spread can become extreme.

Futures Market Manipulation

To fully answer the question “What does the spot price mean?” it’s important to include one final note on futures markets. This will illustrate a key difference between the two markets.

Recent high-profile cases brought by government enforcement agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commision and Commodities and Futures Trading Commission highlight the susceptibility of futures markets to manipulation.

Some large financial institutions have been convicted of engaging in practices that artificially influence the price of futures contracts. Again, we can turn to the precious-metals markets for an example.

During the third quarter of 2020, JP Morgan was fined $920 million for “spoofing” trades in the gold and silver futures markets and lying about it to COMEX.

Spoofing involves creating large numbers of buy or sell orders with no intention of fulfilling the orders.

Because order book information is publicly available, traders can see these orders, and may act on the perception that big buying or selling pressure is coming down the pike. If many sell orders are on the books, traders may sell, hoping to get ahead of the trade before prices fall. If many buy orders are on the books, traders may buy, thinking the price is going to rise soon.

Cases like this show that futures markets can be heavily influenced by market participants with the means to do so.

Spot markets, on the other hand, are much more organic and more difficult to manipulate.

3 Tips for Spot Market Investing

For those interested in trying their hand in the spot market, here are a few things to keep in mind.

1. Know What’s Going On

Often, prices in the spot market can change or be volatile in relation to the news or other current events. For that reason, it’s important that investors know what’s happening in the world, and use that to assess what’s happening with prices for a given asset or commodity.

2. Keep Your Emotions in Check

Emotional investing or trading is a good way to get yourself into financial trouble, be it in the spot market, or any other type of trading or investing. You’d likely do well to keep your emotions in check when trading or investing on the spot market, as a result.

3. Understand the Market

It’s also a good idea to do some homework and make a solid attempt at trying to understand the market you’re trading in. There may be jargon to learn, terms to understand, price discovery mechanisms that could otherwise be foreign to even a seasoned investor — do your best to do your due diligence.

Spot-on Investing

Spot markets are where commodities are traded, instantly. There are numerous types of spot markets, and there are numerous types of commodities that might be traded on them. Investors would be wise to know the basics of how they work, and come armed with a bit of background knowledge about the given commodity they’re trading, in order to reach their goals.

Spot market trading can be a part of an overall trading strategy, but again, investors should know the ropes a bit before getting in over their heads. It may be a good idea to speak with a financial professional before investing.

For a limited time, opening and funding an Active Invest account gives you the opportunity to get up to $1,000 in the stock of your choice.

FAQ

What is spot market vs a futures market

Trades on a spot market occur instantly, on the spot. Trades in the futures market involve contracts for commodities with prices outlined for some time in the future — if they occur at all.

What does spot market mean?

The term spot market refers to a financial market where commodities are bought and sold by traders. The trades occur on the spot, or instantly, for immediate delivery.

What is the difference between spot market and forward market?

Forward markets involve trading of futures contracts, or transactions that take place at some point in the future, whereas spot market trades occur instantly, often for cash.

Money Managers Explained

What Is a Money Manager?

Get up to $1,000 in stock when you fund a new Active Invest account.*

Access stock trading, options, auto investing, IRAs, and more. Get started in just a few minutes.

What Makes Money Managers Different?

Registered Investment Advisors

Broker-dealer

Certified Financial Planners

Money Managers

Pros and Cons of Hiring a Money Manager

Pros of Having a Money Manager

Cons of Having a Money Manager

How Do Money Managers Get Paid?

Should You Hire a Money Manager?

3 Tips on Choosing a Money Manager

1. Know What You’re Looking For

2. Check Credentials

3. Interview

The Takeaway

FAQ

What is the difference between a money manager and a financial advisor?

Is it worth it to use a money manager?

Is it better to have a financial advisor or a financial planner?

Guide to Brokerage Accounts

What Is a Brokerage Account?

How Does a Brokerage Account Work?

Get up to $1,000 in stock when you fund a new Active Invest account.*

Access stock trading, options, auto investing, IRAs, and more. Get started in just a few minutes.

Brokerage Accounts vs Retirement Accounts

Brokerage Accounts vs Checking Accounts

Brokerage Accounts vs Checking and Savings Accounts

Pros and Cons of Opening a Brokerage Account

Pros of Brokerage Accounts

Cons of Brokerage Accounts

4 Types of Brokerage Accounts

1. Cash Brokerage Accounts

2. Margin Brokerage Accounts

3. Joint Brokerage Accounts

4. Discretionary Accounts

How To Open a Brokerage Account

Requirements for Opening a Brokerage Account

Initial Investments

Account Minimums

Agreeing to Terms and Conditions

Funding a Brokerage Account

Brokerage Account Taxes

Investing with SoFi

FAQ

How do I open a brokerage account?

Is there a minimum deposit to open a brokerage account?

Do brokerage accounts have fees?

How to Use a Trailing Stop-loss Properly

What Is a Trailing Stop-loss?

How a Trailing Stop Order Works

3 Advantages of Using a Trailing Stop Order

1. Tandem Movements

2. Confidence

3. Take Emotion Out of the Equation

Get up to $1,000 in stock when you fund a new Active Invest account.*

Access stock trading, options, auto investing, IRAs, and more. Get started in just a few minutes.

How Do You Set up a Trailing Stop Order?

Example of a Trailing Stop-loss Order

Are There Any Downsides of Using a Trailing Stop?

Accessibility

Potential to Lock-in Losses

Velocity Challenges

No Market for the Security

Market Closure

Gaps

How to Use a Trailing Stop-loss Strategy

Technical Indicators

Applying Your Stock Trading Knowledge With SoFi

FAQ

How does a trailing stop-loss work?

What is a disadvantage of a trailing stop-loss?

What is a good trailing stop-loss percentage?

Where Should I Invest My Money?

Learning About Investment Options

Where to Invest Money

Stocks

Student Loan
Refinancing

Personal
Loans

Online
Investments