Читать книгу Mutual Funds For Dummies - Eric Tyson - Страница 16

You’re an owner when you purchase an asset, whether a building or part of a multinational corporation, that has the ability to generate earnings or profits. Real estate and stock are common ownership investments.

Ownership investments can generate profits in two ways:

 Through the investment’s own cash flow/income: For example, as the owner of a duplex, you receive rental income from tenants. If you own stock in a corporation, many companies elect to pay out a portion of their annual profits (in the form of a dividend).

 Through appreciation in the value of the investment: When you own a piece of real estate in an economically vibrant area or you own stock in a growing company, your investment should increase in value over time. If and when you sell the investment, the difference between what you sold it for and what you paid for it is your (pre-tax) profit. (The IRS, of course, will eventually expect its share of your investment profits.) This potential for appreciation is the big advantage of being an owner versus a lender.

On the downside, ownership investments may come with extra responsibilities. If the furnace goes out or the plumbing springs a leak, you, as the property owner, are the one who must fix and pay for it while your tenant gets to kick back in their recliner watching football games and eating nachos. And you’re the one who must pay for insurance to protect yourself against risks, such as fire damage or accidents that occur on your property.

Moreover, where the potential for appreciation exists, the potential for depreciation also exists. Ownership investments can decline in value as we saw happen in the early 2000s, late 2000s, and in early 2020. Real estate markets can slump, stock markets can plummet, and individual companies can go belly up. For this reason, ownership investments tend to be riskier than lending investments.