A European Informational Website
learn more
Financial advisers may help their clients invest for both long and short term goals. It is the financial adviser's duty to determine the clients' goals and risk tolerance and then to recommend appropriate investments. The longer time horizon to achieve the goal, the more the adviser would be able recommend more volatile investments with potentially greater risks and rewards. Such investments include direct investment in stocks/shares or through collective investment schemes such as mutual funds, unit trusts or investment trusts. If the client has shorter term goals, the adviser should recommend less volatile investments such as cash, Certificates of Deposit, and bonds. These types of investment generally have lower returns, but less volatile and there is less likelihood of losing the amount invested. This makes them more appropriate to guard against capital loss, but their value will be eroded by inflation over long periods of time.