The stock market can be an enticing, yet intimidating way to invest money. Playing the market often rewards preparation and patience. Some stock options may be better than others in suiting the military lifestyle, so be sure to explore.
Here are a few starting places:
Stocks aren’t the only way to invest money and may be too risky for small savings. If your expenses exceed how much you expect to earn in the market, it’s better to put your money toward your debt, savings, CDs or bonds.
There are a few ways to approach investment in stocks. Mutual funds, preferred stock and common stock each have advantages and shortcomings for an investor to gauge.
Before investing, look into a few documents about the company. The 10K is filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and has plenty of information on the company. The 10Q is a smaller version filed quarterly. A proxy statement will provide information on the board of directors, management pay and shareholder proposals. The annual reports are also a great place to look.
After you search through investment sites, such as InvestorGuide.com and MarketWatch.com, you can start to choose your mutual fund or stocks. In doing so, create a plan by considering the following things:
» MORE: Check VA loan eligibility
VA loans allow Veterans to have a co-borrower on the loan. Here we break down co-borrower requirements and provide common scenarios around co-borrowing and joint VA loans.
Your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) verifies you meet the military service requirements for a VA loan. However, not everyone knows there are multiple ways to obtain your COE – some easier than others.