Should You Buy Individual Stocks or Stick to Mutual Funds? (2024)

FAQs

Should You Buy Individual Stocks or Stick to Mutual Funds? ›

A mutual fund provides diversification through exposure to a multitude of stocks. The reason that owning shares in a mutual fund is recommended over owning a single stock is that an individual stock carries more risk than a mutual fund. This type of risk is known as unsystematic risk.

Mutual funds are typically more diversified, low-cost, and convenient than investing in individual securities, and they're professionally managed.

Stocks are more appropriate for investors who can monitor their portfolios and the stock market for opportunities. Mutual funds are more suitable for investors who want a fund manager to do all of the work for them. Bernat summarizes what investors should consider before choosing the right approach for their portfolio.

If you have enough money to invest, are willing to accept the risk and want a high degree of involvement, individual stocks may be a good choice. Potential Growth of Principal – Stocks have a long track record of providing higher returns than bonds or cash-alternative investments.

Mutual funds offer diversification or access to a wider variety of investments than an individual investor could afford to buy. There are economies of scale in investing with a group. Monthly contributions help the investor's assets grow. Funds are more liquid because they tend to be less volatile.

Higher returns

When you invest in stocks, you put more of your money in one place. That reality typically translates to higher potential returns than do mutual funds. It can also mean, however, a greater risk because you are now more impacted by the up-and-down fluctuations that come naturally to stocks.

All investments carry some risk, but mutual funds are typically considered a safer investment than purchasing individual stocks. Since they hold many company stocks within one investment, they offer more diversification than owning one or two individual stocks.

Cons include more difficulty diversifying your portfolio, a potential need for more time invested in your portfolio, and a greater responsibility to avoid emotional buying and selling as the market fluctuates.

There is no better time to start investing. It is very difficult to time the markets and although the markets are due for a correction, it would not be wise to wait further. Also, when it comes to SIPs, there is not much merit in timing the markets. We would suggest you invest in different mutual fund categories.

To determine how much to invest in Mutual Funds monthly, subtract your monthly expenses including contributions to your emergency fund and short-term goals from your monthly income. The remainder is what you can allocate to investments.

Why I stopped picking individual stocks? ›

The risks are too great with individual stocks

“They often don't know how to do due diligence or research companies. So they're often going to pick stocks without the information they need to make good decisions.” Benz's original statement from June 2020 rings even truer in hindsight.

If your stock gains more than 20% from the ideal buy point within three weeks of a proper breakout, hold it for at least eight weeks. (The week of the breakout counts as week 1.) If a stock has the power to jump more than 20% so quickly out of a proper chart pattern, it could have what it takes to become a huge winner.

Though there is no ideal time for holding stock, you should stay invested for at least 1-1.5 years.

Mutual funds are popular in part because they offer investors the opportunity to diversify, and therefore spread out their risk over a number of investments. Mutual funds appeal to people because they give average investors the opportunity to invest in professionally managed funds.

Potential for loss: Mutual funds are not FDIC insured and may lose principal and fluctuate in value. Cost: A mutual fund may incur sales charges either up-front or on the back end that are passed on to the investors. In addition, some mutual funds can have high management fees.

Buying stocks means you get to own a part of an individual company represented by that stock. This investment offers potentially higher returns if you invest in companies having strong growth potential. But this investment is also riskier than MFs as it carries higher volatility.

An additional tax efficiency advantage that stocks have over mutual funds includes no inherited capital gains. Inherited capital gains occur within stock mutual funds because every current owner of the fund shares in the annual capital gains tax associated with the entire fund yearly.

There might be other practical considerations that limit the number of stocks. However, our analysis demonstrates that, whether you own ETFs, mutual funds, or a basket of individual stocks, a well-diversified portfolio requires owning more than 20-30 stocks.