HOW DO I UNDERSTAND AND REVIEW MY INVESTMENTS?
Establish a way to track and target your investment growth. You need to regularly review your portfolio in order to make adjustments to meet your goals.
Understand your statement.
Keeping track of your investments is an important part of being a smart investor. Your brokerage firm will send you an account statement either monthly or quarterly, which details all of your holdings with the firm. Reviewing your statement on a regular basis will keep you up to date on where your account stands and the progress you’re making in meeting your investment objectives.
When reviewing your statement, you’ll want to check the following information:
- Account Summary—Total value of your investments plus any gains and losses since your last statement
- Portfolio Detail—A listing of your individual holdings, the value and change in value from the previous statement
- Income Summary—The interest and dividends your investments have paid for the statement period and year-to-date
- Daily Activity—Listing of all the transactions that took place over the statement period
Review all of your accounts online.
In addition to a paper statement, some brokerage firms provide password-protected online access to real-time information. This allows you to manage your brokerage accounts whenever and wherever you have Internet access. You can review your account activity and access the latest market research and articles—all online. You can also download your brokerage information into a financial software management program like Quicken®, QuickBooks®, or Microsoft® Money.
Wachovia Securities Online Brokerage
However you choose to review and manage your investments, our Financial Advisors are ready to help you. If you have questions about any of your accounts or their information, contact us by phone at (800) 950-2296 or online.
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