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By Phone: 1-888-411-8711

Investing Basics

If you are new to investing, a Charter One Investment
Services Financial Consultant can help educate
you on some of the most basic strategies of
investing in a simplified easy to follow manner.

To learn more, a local Charter One Investment Services Financial Consultant can meet with you one on one, and will provide you with additional information about how to help choose the products and services geared to help you meet your long-term retirement goals.

Diversification & Asset Allocation

The Value of Time

Supplementing Your Funds

Our Proven Process

Diversification & Asset Allocation

In order to create an investment portfolio that is unique for you and your individual needs, you will need to rely on two major principles:

Diversification

You've heard the term don't put all of your eggs in one basket. The theory of diversification embraces this age-old saying by imploring you to spread your eggs (i.e. assets) among various investments or companies. Some key points of this theory include:

If one investment loses money, the other investments may make up for the losses.
It's not a guarantee against loss, but allows you to help reduce your risk exposure to a specific type of investment or market condition by not putting your holdings in one place.

Asset Allocation

Once you've diversified your portfolio, then it's important to consider how you can allocate your investment options. Asset Allocation is a way of spreading out your investment options among various asset classes. Some key points of this theory include:

Creating a diversified portfolio with a mixture of asset classes is based on your ability to handle market fluctuation (your risk tolerance) and the amount of time before you actually need your savings (your time horizon).
This mixture signifies the percentage of money you put into stocks, bonds, cash and mutual funds.
As a general rule of thumb, the higher the risk and the greater the potential reward–and the other way around.

Understand potential conflicts of interest with mutual fund providers

In choosing the right investments to help ensure you reach your goals, consider your time horizon (how much time you have before you’ll need your money), the amount of assets you have to invest and your risk tolerance (how comfortable you are in weathering the ups and downs of the market).

As the below chart illustrates, generally the higher your risk tolerance and the more time you have on your side - the greater the possibility there is for a reward.

Below are four possible examples of what your investment portfolio could look like considering your assets, time horizon and risk tolerance:

Keep in mind, the above examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not provided as an example for you to create your portfolio. Your individual time horizon, risk tolerance and long-term goals will dictate your recommended portfolio mix.

A Charter One Investment Services Financial Consultant can help develop a customized portfolio for you that will encompass a wide array of investment options and is built with your individual risk tolerance and long-term goals in mind. You can feel confident knowing you are on the path to help meet your long-term financial goals.

The Value of Time

Investing early may provide opportunity for lasting results.

When it comes to saving, it is never too early to consider investing for your future. The more time you have on your side, the stronger the benefit could be. Setting aside a little each month can help you reach your long-term goal because of the powerful combination of time and compounding interest.

Consider the following scenario:

Time is money.

At age 30, Becky starts saving $500 each month. At age 45, Matt decides to start saving $500 each month. Assuming a 7% return each year, notice the vast difference in funds available if they both decide to retire at age 65:

Investing the same amount over time can be a smart approach.

If you’ve ever participated in a work sponsored retirement plan, like a 401(k)and made regularly scheduled contributions from your paycheck, you were participating in Dollar Cost Averaging. It's a good idea to pick a set amount to invest, and then stick to it, regardless of how the market fluctuates.

The hypothetical chart below illustrates how $200 invested each month buys more investment shares when the price is low and fewer shares when the price is high. But, when you always invest the same amount, your average cost per share may be cheaper in the long run:

	Share Price	Investment	Shares Purchased
June	$10	$200	20
July	$7	$200	28.6
August	$6	$200	33.3
September	$8	$200	25
October	$9	$200	22.2
November	$8	$200	25
TOTAL	$8 Average	$1,200 Earned	150 Total Shares

Supplementing Your Funds

Find ways to bridge the gap between Social Security and your retirement income.

According to the Social Security Administration, Social Security benefits represent about 40% of the income of the elderly^*. The other 60% will have to come from savings, investments, employment earnings pensions and other sources — in order for you to maintain your current standard of living during retirement.

A good place to start planning for your retirement is by looking over your personal Social Security benefits statement, which is mailed annually to you by the Social Security Administration three months before your birthday. It outlines your benefits and estimates your retirement income, making it an important planning tool.

As the table below shows, you’re going to need a lot more than Social Security to maintain your current lifestyle after retirement:

How will you supplement your funds?

It's important to meet with a Charter One Investment Services Financial Consultant to learn more about the options available to you to help you fill the gap between Social Security and your Retirement income. which may include:

Understand potential conflicts of interest with annuity fund providers

^** One should consider the potential costs and fees associated with rolling over a 401(k) to Charter One
Investment Services in addition to any features or benefits one may lose as a result of this action.

^*Source: Social Security Basic Facts, www.ssa.gov

Our proven process.

Plan now. Enjoy later.

Our Financial Consultants will provide you with a five-step investment approach to help make your investment decisions easier:

The steps include:

STEP 1 – IDENTIFY YOUR NEEDS AND GOALS

Are you new to investing or do you already have a portfolio? Are you an adventurous or conservative investor? What exactly are you saving or investing for? The first step in the process is to let a Charter One Investment Services Financial Consultant get to know who you are. They will ask you questions to determine your unique financial needs. Our proven process.

STEP 2 – REVIEW YOUR CURRENT PLAN

Whether you need to pay for your children’s college education, create an estate plan, sell or transfer a family business or simply want to be financially prepared for retirement, a Charter One Investment Services Financial Consultant will take a comprehensive look at all of your assets and help identify and articulate all of your key goals.

STEP 3 - ANALYZE YOUR OPTIONS

There may be more than one way to reach your financial goals. We’ll research all investment and savings options available to you, to help put together a customized plan which is designed to help meet your needs.

STEP 4 - MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENT YOUR DECISIONS

We will recommend options that can help you achieve your financial goals based on your risk tolerance, time horizon and financial situation. Once a plan has been established, we will handle all of your investment needs, and help you with the paperwork.

STEP 5 - REVIEW YOUR PROGRESS

A Charter One Investment Services Financial Consultant will regularly review the progress you’re making toward your goals. During the stages of your life you may experience unexpected family changes and career shifts that may impact your financial situation. We’ll be there to help you adjust your investment strategy to accommodate these changes and adjust your goals as needed. You will also be able to track your progress through our account access platform. You can register by clicking here.

Resources

Want to learn even more about investing?

A Charter One Investment Services Financial Consultant can help you navigate our wide array of investment and insurance products and services – tailored to help meet your personal financial goals.

Schedule a complimentary financial review with a local Financial Consultant to discuss your investment needs.

Call 1-888-411-8711

You can also visit a local branch, or we'll contact you when you fill out the following quick and easy form:

Schedule an Appointment

Ready for the next step?

Now that you have the basic investing information, it's time to get you started on the right track.

1-888-411-8711

Contact a Charter One Investment Services Financial Consultant today.

Monday to Friday:
8am – 6pm EST

Or, complete our quick and easy form and we'll contact you.

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Securities, Insurance and Investment Advisory Services offered through CCO Investment Services Corp. Member FINRA, SIPC. 770 Legacy Place, MLP240, Dedham, MA 02026. 1-888-411-8311. CCO Investment Services Corp. is an affiliate of RBS Citizens, N.A. and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania.

Securities and Insurance Products are:
· NOT FDIC INSURED · NOT BANK GUARANTEED · MAY LOSE VALUE · NOT A DEPOSIT · NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY

Mutual Funds, Variable Annuities and Unit Investment Trusts are sold by prospectus. Please consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. The prospectus which contains this and other information can be obtained by calling your Financial Consultant. Read it carefully before you invest.

Investing Basics

If you are new to investing, a Charter One Investment Services Financial Consultant can help educate you on some of the most basic strategies of investing in a simplified easy to follow manner.

Diversification & Asset Allocation

Diversification

Asset Allocation

The Value of Time

Investing early may provide opportunity for lasting results.

Time is money.

Investing the same amount over time can be a smart approach.

Supplementing Your Funds

Find ways to bridge the gap between Social Security and your retirement income.

How will you supplement your funds?

Our proven process.

Plan now. Enjoy later.

Resources

1-888-411-8711

If you are new to investing, a Charter One Investment
Services Financial Consultant can help educate
you on some of the most basic strategies of
investing in a simplified easy to follow manner.