Personal Finance Concepts - Essay Example

The most important asset classes are stocks, bonds, and cash. Because these investments perform differently depending on economic conditions, a good balance can keep a portfolio strong in a wide range of economic situations. In this sense, asset allocation may be the most important form of diversification. As my goal is to accumulate funds for retirement, growth of investments is of high importance and the time horizon is long, I may take on more risk by investing more in stocks with potential for higher returns.

NBC Capital Corp. is a holding company for subsidiaries providing a range of financial services, including banking, trust services, mortgage services, insurance and investment products in east Mississippi and Tuscaloosa, AL. As of Mar. 31, 2004, total assets were $1.1 billion, total deposits were $832 million and stockholders' equity was $114 million. There are three basic types of bond funds: treasury bond funds, municipal bond funds, and corporate bond funds. The returns of these bond funds differ according to the amount of risk inherent in each fund.

Treasury Bonds - have a maturity exceeding 10 years and the Treasury issued them in denominations ranging from $1,000 to $1 million. The U.S. Treasury no longer issues Treasury Bonds, however you can still buy them on the secondary market.Many corporations issue (or float) bonds to borrow money for operations. Bonds are typically issued at $1,000 par. Par is another word for "face amount." Long-term bonds have maturities of 10 to 40 years. They generally pay interest semi-annually. Many bonds may be recalled prior to maturity by the issuer.

Municipal bonds (nicknamed munis) are bonds issued by