With the right tools at your disposal, building your online investment portfolio with RBC Direct Investing can be easy.
Jason Storsley, president and CEO of RBC Direct Investing says the most common thing new RBC online investors tell him is how much easier getting started investing online with RBC is than they expected.
“It’s probably easier that you thought it would be to build an online portfolio because you’re never on your own when you’re investing with RBC Investments,” Storsley said.
Online investing has come a long way since the days of labyrinthine websites and day-trader frenzies to be a powerful tool for investors of all types looking to secure their financial future.
“The Internet has changed the way people access goods and services and online investing is no different,” Storsley said.
The most important changes, Storsley says, have been shifting attitudes towards online investing.
“Online investing has evolved in the sense that now people are looking to it to take more control of their investments. They’re looking beyond stock trading to set up an asset mix and meet their long-term financial goals,” he said.
An enormous influx of first-time investors into the online investing market has meant a greater need for smarter, more effective tools to help investors meet their needs and RBC has stepped up to the plate.
“Because more and more people without advanced knowledge are entering the space, we’ve offered a large number of tools to get started,” Storsley said.
Online learning modules and “Show Me” video tutorials can help educate you about the ins and outs of online investing, Model Portfolios prepared by RBC experts let you put together a diversified asset mix instantly, and Quick-Start links get you started with confidence.
For new investors still a little queasy about risking their own money, RBC Practice Accounts offer the perfect way to test out online investing without risking real money and, most importantly, let you build the confidence you’ll need to be a strong investor.
“You have a risk-free environment to try out all your investment strategies without putting your real money on the line. It’s a great tool to build confidence,” Storsley said.
Practice accounts let you use all the same tools and resources as a regular account, including model portfolios and screening tools, except you risk no money while being able to see how your investments would pan out in the real world.
Once you’re ready to take the plunge into real investing, Storsley says the most important thing you can do is gauge your own investment goals.
“You need to know something about yourself before you start investing. Think, are you a novice investor who doesn’t really want to put a lot of time into managing your money, or are you a more sophisticated investor looking to delve deeper into some of the investment options that are available to you?” Storsley said.
To get rolling, you need a plan and RBC can help with online planning tools to help you understand and exploit advanced investing strategies and concepts that will let you achieve your specific financial goals.
“Everyone is going to have investment goals and the way to meet those goals is to have a plan not only tailored to your investment knowledge but also to how much time you want to put into managing your investment portfolio,” Storsley said.
Powerful tools provided by RBC include performance indexes and independent research and analyses as well as search tools that let you screen through more than 1,000 mutual funds based on a wide variety of criteria to narrow your choices down to the ideal picks for you. The end result is whatever your goals, you’ll have the knowledge and expertise behind you that you’ll need to enter the online investing field with confidence.
