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Investment Complexity May Require Professional Advice
Investors today can choose from more than 5,000 publicly traded stocks, in excess of 7,000 mutual funds, 1,200-plus exchange traded funds and several thousand bond issues – and that’s just those listed in the United States.1 Then, there are the alternative asset classes that includes commodities, real estate, hedge funds and private equity.
The breadth of the public securities markets and the complexity of alternative investments require a high level of experience, and this is the value provided by a professional Financial Advisor. In addition, qualified Financial Advisors may have access to sophisticated strategies, institutional quality research and risk management tools that are generally unavailable to untrained individuals.
Discipline and Objectivity – The Hallmarks of Successful Investing
There are a number of classic mistakes that retail investors inevitably fall prey to: overreacting to market news, selling an investment too soon or holding it too long, trying to time the market, or under- or overestimating risk. A qualified investment professional is trained to identify the conditions that lead to these reactions, and may help you avoid these missteps.
Objective, third-party advice can also help you maintain a disciplined investment strategy because it requires that you set achievable goals, implement trading guidelines and establish rules for buying and selling securities. Investment publications, blogs and television and radio shows are filled with stories about investors overpaying in a bull market and panic selling during a market correction. A Financial Advisors is more likely to view such situations dispassionately and offer a more balanced and long-term perspective.
A Professional Can Offer a Comprehensive Approach
Professional advice’s added value is its holistic approach to investing, taking into account life events, shifting goals, changing economic and market environments, tax events, insurance issues and legacy planning needs. So if you are currently managing your own investment portfolio, you may want to consider tapping into a Financial Advisor’s experience. It may make a big difference in achieving your long-term goals.
Sources
- The Wall Street Journal, US Public Companies Rise Again, February 5, 2014; 2015 Investment Company Fact Book,
Investment Company Institute, 2014. Stocks do not include over-the-counter stocks.
If you’d like to learn more, please contact Julia A. Peloso-Barnes, CFP®, CPM®, ADPA®, CPRC®
Article by Wealth Management Systems Inc. and provided courtesy of Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor.
The author(s) are not employees of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC ("Morgan Stanley"). The opinions expressed by the authors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Morgan Stanley. The information and data in the article or publication has been obtained from sources outside of Morgan Stanley and Morgan Stanley makes no representations or guarantees as to the accuracy or completeness of information or data from sources outside of Morgan Stanley.
Neither the information provided nor any opinion expressed constitutes a solicitation by Morgan Stanley with respect to the purchase or sale of any security, investment, strategy or product that may be mentioned.
Alternative investments often are speculative and include a high degree of risk. Investors could lose all or a substantial amount of their investment. Alternative investments are suitable only for eligible, long-term investors who are willing to forgo liquidity and put capital at risk for an indefinite period of time. They may be highly illiquid and can engage in leverage and other speculative practices that may increase the volatility and risk of loss. Alternative Investments typically have higher fees than traditional investments. Investors should carefully review and consider potential risks before investing. Certain of these risks may include but are not limited to:
- Loss of all or a substantial portion of the investment due to leveraging, short-selling, or other speculative practices;
- Lack of liquidity in that there may be no secondary market for a fund;
- Volatility of returns;
- Restrictions on transferring interests in a fund;
- Potential lack of diversification and resulting higher risk due to concentration of trading authority when a single advisor is utilized;
- Absence of information regarding valuations and pricing;
- Complex tax structures and delays in tax reporting;
- Less regulation and higher fees than mutual funds; and
- Risks associated with the operations, personnel, and processes of the manager.
As a diversified global financial services firm, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management engages in a broad spectrum of activities including financial advisory services, investment management activities, sponsoring and managing private investment funds, engaging in broker-dealer transactions and principal securities, commodities and foreign exchange transactions, research publication, and other activities. In the ordinary course of its business, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management therefore engages in activities where Morgan Stanley Wealth Management’s interests may conflict with the interests of its clients, including the private investment funds it manages. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management can give no assurance that conflicts of interest will be resolved in favor of its clients or any such fund.
Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor(s) engaged Daily Voice to feature this article.
Julia A. Peloso-Barnes may only transact business in states where she is registered or excluded or exempted from registration
www.MorganStanleyFA.com/pelosobarnesgroup . Transacting business, follow-up and individualized responses involving either effecting or attempting to effect transactions in securities, or the rendering of personalized investment advice for compensation, will not be made to persons in states where Julia A. Peloso-Barnes is not registered or excluded or exempt from registration.
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