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How to choose business investments based on liquidity
The liquidity of an investment describes how readily available the value of that particular investment is.For example:cash that you keep underneath your mattress is the most absolutely liquid asset that you can have.Another form of assets that is also pretty liquid is the money that you have in a checking account.That money can be accessed pretty much immediately by simply writing a check.There are other investments that are more and less liquid.For example, some stocks are much easier to liquefy so that you can get that money that you have invested pretty quickly. There are other investments which are much, much less liquid than these easily accessed stocks.For example, long-term bonds lock your money away for a long period of time as those bonds mature.You can liquefy your bonds earlier than the agreed date, of course, but if you do so, then you will pay a penalty and you will not be able to receive the full value of your investment.As an individual, you will probably be more familiar with the idea of the not-very-liquid IRA or the 401(k).
So what does all of this stuff about liquidity mean for your business?Well, if your business does not need funds to be immediately available in the case of an emergency, then you should invest in less liquid investments, such as bonds, that will let your investment mature over a long period of time.If you are more interested in a quick return on your investment, then you will need a much more liquid investment, such as some short term stocks, that will let you get your money back much more quickly. If your business is a longer-term company, then you will probably want to invest in less liquid investments.If you have need for more immediate and rapid cash flow and you have a smaller company, then you may want to look into more liquid stocks and other types of investments that will allow you to access your money more quickly.You can sell your stocks much more quickly and much more easily than you can other investments, such as long term bonds or investments in gold. You may want to look into putting your money in an investment bank. The contemporary investment bank primarily buys and sells marketable securities.Investment banks can help businesses and corporations raise the money that they need in the capital market.Investment banks can also help corporations navigate the tricky waters of acquisitions, mergers, and any other financial function that a business would need to wade through. Traditionally, investment banks and commercial banks served different and completely separate functions.Commercial banks allow you to deposit your money and then offer different types of loans to their customers.However, more and more commercial banks now also offer investment banking services that can navigate financial arrangements and negotiations for their clients and can also act as an intermediary for their customers for their trading operations. Some investment banks also act as brokerage firms.Brokerage firms aid their clients in buying and selling mutual funds, bonds, and stocks.So an investment bank can aid clients in selling and trading securities for cash, underwriting various operations and loans, and also can aid with setting up and investing in different funds, such as pension funds, mutual funds, and hedge funds.
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