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Are you thinking of making an investment? Are you sure you know all you should know about what is going to be the future result of your money? The US Securities and Exchange Commission has a web site dedicated to inspiring you with the questions you should ask yourself:
# Is this investment product registered with the SEC and my state securities agency?
# Does this investment match my investment goals? Why is this investment suitable for me?
# How will this investment make money? (Dividends? Interest? Capital gains?) Specifically, what must happen for this investment to increase in value? (For example, increase in interest rates, real estate values, or market share?)
# What are the total fees to purchase, maintain, and sell this investment? After all the fees are paid, how much does this investment have to increase in value before I break even?
# How liquid is this investment? How easy would it be to sell if I needed my money right away?
Ref. https://www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/askquestions.htm
These are absolutely great things to consider when investing. Something not explicitly pointed out above is risk assessment. When investing you should do a risk assessment that includes both the risk involved in your investments and your willingness to take risks. Younger ones obviously are able and usually willing to take bigger risks because you have time to recover from it.