Making your investments work for you
To build and then preserve wealth you have to be an investor - not merely a saver. And no matter what you invest in, your investments will have an element of risk associated with them. But there are ways you can turn these risks to your advantage.

Here are a few strategies for dealing with some of the most common risks you could face:

Just one basket? How you can diversify

Instant variety

It's classic advice, but definitely true: Don't keep all your eggs in one basket. Most of us get the diversification we need in our investment portfolios through mutual funds. Each mutual fund holds many investments, so you immediately diversify your assets by investing in any one fund. If you hold several mutual funds, your diversification increases dramatically.

Variety plus

Variety means holding funds in various market sectors and in different areas of the world. Cycles in various world markets do not always move in tandem with each other, so there are usually investment opportunities somewhere. It is important to choose the right mix, which is consistent with your own personal tolerance for risk.

Rocky road? How you can cope with a volatile market

Long-term trip

No one promised you that the trip is always smooth. Some investments are volatile. But if you stay the course when your investments hit a pothole, you'll do well over the longer term. The fact is, most of us don't need to know how our investments fare over the short term. If you are in the market for the long term, say 10 years or more, investment volatility really shouldn't be a risk factor at all. History tells us that equity-oriented investments like stock mutual funds tend to rise in value over the years, regardless of the short-term ups and downs in the market.

Just around the block

Remember that volatility tends to be a short-term problem. If you're going to need your money in the near future - within a few weeks or months or even several years - you probably shouldn't be buying stocks or equity mutual funds. These more volatile investments could drop in value in the short term, right when you have to sell. A better strategy? Consider investing in less volatile, fixed-income investments for your short-term needs. A good choice would be a high-quality money market mutual fund.