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Home »  Annuities » Investment Concepts » Informed Investor's Guide

 
Stocks, bonds, cash equivalents and real estate are essential building blocks for most asset allocation strategies. Each category offers different levels of risk and rewards.
  The Informed
Investor's Guide
Types of Assets in an Asset Allocation Mix

Stocks, bonds, cash equivalents and real estate are essential building blocks for most asset allocation strategies. Each category offers different levels of risk and reward, which you should consider carefully before making any investment decision.

Stocks
When you buy stock, you own a share of a corporation and participate in its future. Historically, stocks have provided the best returns when compared to other asset classes. According to Ibbotson Associates Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc., one of the most widely quoted consulting firms in the United States, over the last 79 years, U.S. stocks have averaged a 10% return on investment. International stocks, which Ibbotson has measured since 1970, have averaged an 11% return.

Although past performance doesn't guarantee future results, choosing both domestic and international stocks offers an opportunity to reduce investment risk through increased diversification, since U.S. stock markets typically move differently than markets in other countries. Keep in mind that special risks such as currency fluctuations and political changes should be considered when investing internationally.

Source: Ibbotson Associates Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc., July 2005.
U.S. stocks represented by S&P 500; international stocks represented by MSCI EAFE Index. Indices are unmanaged and cannot be invested in directly.

Bonds
Think of a bond as an IOU that is issued by a government or corporation when you loan them money. The issuer promises to pay back the full amount of the loan, plus an agreed-upon interest rate, over a specific length of time. In contrast to stocks, long-term U.S. government bonds have averaged a 5% return over the last 79 years, according to Ibbotson.

In general, bond issuers offer higher interest rates for long-term bonds, and lower rates for shorter term bonds (typically two-year maturity or less). For intermediate-term bonds (typically two-year to 10-year maturities), the interest rate is normally higher than a shorter-term bond and lower than a long-term bond. Keep in mind that, when interest rates rise, bond prices fall (and vice versa).

Source: Ibbotson Associates Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc., July 2005.
U.S. bonds represented by the U.S. Long-Term Government Index.


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Copyright 2010 © Pacific Life and Annuity
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Asset Allocation
Home »  Annuities » Investment Concepts » Informed Investor's Guide

 
Stocks, bonds, cash equivalents and real estate are essential building blocks for most asset allocation strategies. Each category offers different levels of risk and rewards.
  The Informed
Investor's Guide
Types of Assets in an Asset Allocation Mix

Stocks, bonds, cash equivalents and real estate are essential building blocks for most asset allocation strategies. Each category offers different levels of risk and reward, which you should consider carefully before making any investment decision.

Stocks
When you buy stock, you own a share of a corporation and participate in its future. Historically, stocks have provided the best returns when compared to other asset classes. According to Ibbotson Associates Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc., one of the most widely quoted consulting firms in the United States, over the last 79 years, U.S. stocks have averaged a 10% return on investment. International stocks, which Ibbotson has measured since 1970, have averaged an 11% return.

Although past performance doesn't guarantee future results, choosing both domestic and international stocks offers an opportunity to reduce investment risk through increased diversification, since U.S. stock markets typically move differently than markets in other countries. Keep in mind that special risks such as currency fluctuations and political changes should be considered when investing internationally.

Source: Ibbotson Associates Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc., July 2005.
U.S. stocks represented by S&P 500; international stocks represented by MSCI EAFE Index. Indices are unmanaged and cannot be invested in directly.

Bonds
Think of a bond as an IOU that is issued by a government or corporation when you loan them money. The issuer promises to pay back the full amount of the loan, plus an agreed-upon interest rate, over a specific length of time. In contrast to stocks, long-term U.S. government bonds have averaged a 5% return over the last 79 years, according to Ibbotson.

In general, bond issuers offer higher interest rates for long-term bonds, and lower rates for shorter term bonds (typically two-year maturity or less). For intermediate-term bonds (typically two-year to 10-year maturities), the interest rate is normally higher than a shorter-term bond and lower than a long-term bond. Keep in mind that, when interest rates rise, bond prices fall (and vice versa).

Source: Ibbotson Associates Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc., July 2005.
U.S. bonds represented by the U.S. Long-Term Government Index.


<<Previous

Next>>


Copyright 2010 © Pacific Life and Annuity