The Top 12 Tips For Your Investments

Investments should be an important part of planning for your retirement. Professional investors are trained to know and understand which investments are the best and how to make the most out of our investments. For those of us that take care of our own investments it can be a bit of a challenge. Try these top 12 tips for your investments and get the most out of your money.

1. Be Cautious Of Unexpected Offers - When the phone rings or you receive that email offering an investment that sounds too good to be true. Stop! Don't buy in! Investments that offer a return that's far above the average and require your investment right now more often than not are scams. Remember if it sounds too good to be true it probably is too good to be true. Be cautious and make sure that you thoroughly investigate any of these too good to be true offers before you part with any money.

2. Never Let Anyone Pressure You - Stay clear of any investment opportunity that tries to pressure you into investing immediately. Any one that tells you tomorrow is too late or that you must act screams scam loud and clear and only a fool would be parted from their money.

3. Always Be Skeptical Of Large Returns - Be very wary and skeptical of any investment that guarantees to double your money or offer a large return in a very short period of time. Investments don't work that way. Sometimes an investment doubles in a short period of time but generally this type of promotion is false. Chances are you won't even see your initial investment back.

4. Always Get The Investment Terms In Writing - Get the investment terms in writing. Read it over thoroughly and make any necessary changes that need clarification. Be careful because it is easy for someone to create false contracts so you will need to validate it.

5. Get The Prospectus - A prospectus outlines the financial statements of the investment plan as well as provides the information on the company. It will show you past performance as well as future projections. Be sure to read the entire prospectus because it contains important information in it that you should know about.

6. Ask A Financial Adviser For His/Her Opinion - You should always ask a financial adviser to have a look at the prospectus and give you their opinion on whether they think the investment is worthy before you decide to commit to any investment.

7. Be Suspicious Of Special Deals - If that special deal is just for you, or there is a hot tip that is just for you such as insider information you need to be suspicious and by the way insider trading is a criminal offense. These ploys are designed to part you and your money with no basis of truth at all. It's all hype.

8. Buy Only From Reputable Brokers - Always deal with a business or broker that is reputable and that you personally know to be reputable. Never deal with anyone that you are unsure about or who is working on their own with no attachment to a recognized broker. Don't' be too eager to part with your money unless you are 100% confident.

9. Confirm The Offering - Check any company or individual offering to sell you investments. Check that they are licensed to sell securities and that they've been around for some time.

10. Don't Walk Instead Run Away As Fast As You Can - When in doubt don't walk away run as fast as you can. Offers over the telephone should not be bought into and do not give any personal information or credit card information over the phone.

11. Phishing - The internet is full of email scams called Phishing that want nothing more than to collect your personal information by offering you an investment that is too enticing to turn down. Do yourself a favor and ignore it.

12. Listen To Your Intuition - There's nothing wrong with listening to that inner voice. In fact it is likely to keep you out of trouble financially so follow it!

Investments are a big part of you enjoying the type of retirement you dream of. So make sure that you hard earned money is earning you hard returns. Follow these 12 tips for your investments and you'll be investing wisely.