Basics Beginner: Investments

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1.
Professional management is a benefit of investing in an index mutual fund.
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False. Index funds are passively managed mutual funds, meaning the portfolios simply mirror an index like the SP 500. Actively managed funds have continuous monitoring and management from investment professionals.
2.
When you invest in a bond you are guaranteed to receive your principal back because bonds have a maturity date and fixed term.
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False. Only US government bonds have a guaranteed return of principal if the bond is held to maturity.
3.
When you purchase stock from a company, you become _______ of the company.
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An owner. When you purchase stock, you receive shares of ownership from the company.
4.
Social Security is meant to cover _______ of your retirement income needs.
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Some. While it can be an important piece of your income during retirement, most of your income should come from your retirement investments. Social Security was never intended to provide the majority of someone's retirement income.
5.
The interest you earn on a savings account or similar cash investment is not taxed as ordinary income by the federal government.
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False. Interest is taxed as ordinary income at both the state (if you are required to pay state taxes) and federal levels.
6.
If an investor has a time horizon of 18 months to invest for a specific goal, they should consider investing what percentage of their investment dollars in stocks?
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0%. In general, 18 months is too short a time period to invest in stocks due to the chance for short-term price swings. You increase the risk of loss if you have a short timeline until needing to sell your stock investments. A general rule when buying stocks is that investors should be willing to hold stocks for five years or longer.