- Introduction
- Fund Your Retirement Plans First
- Liquidity Needs
- Deposit Insurance
- Money Market Funds*
- Savings Bonds
- Emergency Funds
- Goals and Time Horizon
- Defining Risk
- What's Your Risk Profile?
- Why Take Any Risk?
- Asset Allocation
- Dollar-Cost Averaging
- Portfolio Management
- Buying Investments
- Putting It All Together
Savings vs. Investments
First, you need to understand the difference between savings and investments. Savings are funds that need to be available for your liquidity needs. They are what you will need for short-term expenses in the next couple of years, or they are your emergency funds. This money should be set aside in short-term vehicles, such as CDs and money market funds. Investments are funds that you won't need for a while. They can go into longer-range vehicles, such as mutual funds, stocks, bonds and real estate.
Emergency Funds
It is prudent to plan for unanticipated events. Things happen. Jobs end. People get sick. Children may come along unexpectedly. For those times, it is important to have a little extra money set aside. Or maybe more than a little.
How Much Is Enough?
The general financial planning rule is to have three to six months of your expenses set aside for emergencies. Your "expenses" are how much it would cost you to live if you lost all your sources of income. Figure out what a bare-bones, no-frills budget would be.
This is a general rule. How much you personally need depends on your own particular situation. For investment vehicles that will provide you with liquidity, you should consider money market funds, CDs, and savings bonds. You should also be aware of what you can do in an emergency when your liquid assets just aren't enough.
- ARE NOT A DEPOSIT
- ARE NOT FDIC-INSURED
- ARE NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY
- ARE NOT GUARANTEED BY THE BANK
- MAY GO DOWN IN VALUE
Important information about procedures for opening a new account
To help the government fight the funding of Terrorism and money laundering activities, Federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person who opens an account.
What this means to you: When you open an account, we will ask you for your name, address, date of birth and other information that will allow us to identify you. We may also ask to see your driver's license or other identifying documents.
Investment products are offered through Osaic Institutions, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. Insurance products offered through Osaic Institutions, Inc.
