What is the Safest Investment For an IRA?
When choosing an investment for your IRA, carefully consider your risk tolerance, age until retirement and financial situation before opting for investments with low fees and commissions.
Growth stocks and funds may experience fast appreciation; however, their gains can also be highly unpredictable. To safeguard gains over the long run with less risk and uncertainty, consider an asset class fund like VWELX that offers diversification.
Small-Cap Stocks
Small-cap stocks can make an excellent addition to an IRA portfolio, as these companies typically boast higher growth potential than larger cap companies with lower share prices, making your initial investment more manageable and affordable. Unfortunately, their volatility may mean they’re less closely followed by financial institutions and analysts than larger cap stocks.
This ETF invests in an assortment of undervalued small-cap stocks that have earned Morningstar Economic Moat Ratings of wide or narrow. Furthermore, their management teams earned Standard or higher Capital Allocation Ratings; both characteristics ensure the fund has a greater chance of succeeding over time, particularly during periods of market distress. Nonetheless, as it remains new it may underperform over some time periods.
Growth Stocks
IRA investors who can tolerate volatile stocks may find growth stock investments appealing. This type of stock represents companies which are expected to expand sales and earnings more rapidly than the overall market; as a result, its prices can quickly spike before rebounding just as swiftly.
Growth stocks typically don’t distribute dividends because their profits are reinvested back into their businesses to spur further expansion and accelerate growth. Firms like Alphabet and Amazon dominate key indexes and represent an outsized share of assets under management.
If you aren’t quite ready for individual growth stocks, another alternative would be a mutual fund or ETF that offers growth-oriented returns such as T. Rowe Price Balanced which uses a team of top managers to curate an equity-rich portfolio with over 65% in equity investments.
Dividend Stock Funds
Stocks offer the greatest potential for growth but carry greater risk than bonds, so finding a long-term investment strategy tailored specifically to your goals, time horizon and risk preferences should be your goal.
Dividend-focused mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) provide more security, diversification, and attractive yields – look for one with low fees and a proven record of increasing dividend payouts.
Many IRA funds contain stocks with lower risk because they offer cash dividends that help limit volatility. That doesn’t mean these investments are completely risk-free; bondholders typically hold priority during bankruptcy proceedings over stockholders; however, your money in your IRA won’t ever be taxed so it is wise to carefully consider your options and select wisely.
Target-Date Funds
Target-date funds have become an increasingly popular option in workplace 401(k) plans and retirement IRAs for investors who prefer investing on autopilot. Also referred to as lifecycle funds, target-date funds provide access to professionally designed investment mixes which gradually move away from higher risk investments as you approach retirement.
As your target date nears, a fund automatically reduces exposure to equities while increasing allocations to lower-risk bonds and money market accounts. Some funds known as “through” funds continue rebalancing and adjusting asset allocation even beyond your target date. Choose the fund that’s right for your situation by reading its prospectus to assess whether its glide path aligns with your risk tolerance level.
Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) are companies that own and manage a portfolio of real estate properties. By foregoing corporate taxes, REITs can pass profits directly onto investors without incurring corporate tax burden.
Investors can acquire publicly traded REITs through mutual funds or exchange-traded funds that track an REIT index. REITs tend to be diversified, although some REITs focus their assets in one area or industry.
REITs typically offer strong management, competitive long-term returns and substantial dividend yields, yet can be riskier than stocks due to interest rate sensitivity and less liquid market positions. Therefore, REITs may be best suited for IRAs or tax-deferred accounts as investors should consult their financial advisor to determine an ideal percentage allocation of their portfolio to REITs.
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