Income Vs. Growth Investing | Saint Investment (2024)

Choosing investment strategies can be a challenging process. Do you plan on saving for a home or for retirement? Are you more interested in receiving income from your investments now or in the future? To help you determine the answers to these questions, you need to know the difference between income vs. growth investing.

When deciding what kind of retirement income you want for the future, there are many questions to consider. A healthy wealth management strategy begins with determining which investment strategy is best for you, growth vs. income investing. The question is, what are they?

Investments are all about making money. This could happen if your investment increases in value or generates income. While growth and income are both appealing concepts, they are not interchangeable goals.

If you are investing for the long term, you might emphasize growth. In this way, you will have time to weather a market downturn without changing your plans. Conversely, if you need quick cash to pay part of your living expenses or achieve a short-term goal, you may consider income investments.

Investing in dividend-paying stocks, balanced mutual funds, or equity income funds is another approach that may provide a strong total return. Basically, growth and income are combined in that equation.

Below is a deeper look at income vs. growth investing that will help you decide which is right for you. Which of these investment strategies would work for you?

Income Investing Vs. Growth Investing

In a nutshell, the difference between an income fund and a growth fund is that the goal of a growth fund is to increase the value of your investment over the course of the investment period. Thus, they can typically favor faster-developing companies at the beginning of their development.

Income funds, on the other hand, aim to provide a steady stream of income—as the name implies. It means that they tend to invest in names that are more stable, established, and paying dividends, and/or into companies that are growing their dividends.

Obviously, income investors do not need to withdraw the money right away. This money can be reinvested in order to build an even more significant nest egg.

In order to understand each of them better, let’s examine them separately.

Income Investments

The purpose of income investing is to create a portfolio of assets that generate income and provide reliable cash payouts. The payouts can either be reinvested or used for everyday living costs.

A dividend or interest payment is usually received from income investments, depending on which type of investment it is. People who are looking for a quick return on their investment will benefit from this type of strategy.

An investment’s interest rate is a percentage of its price. As an example, if you buy a $1,000 bond that pays 5% interest, you will earn $1,000 x 0.5, which is $50 a year. An investment that pays regular interest is known as a fixed-income investment, which includes bonds, certificates of deposit (CDs), income-generating real estate, and other investments similar to them.

Bonds carry risks such as the issuer defaulting on its promise to pay or the bond’s market price falling, perhaps due to rising interest rates. However, if you hold a bond to maturity, you won’t be affected by changes in bond prices.

In addition to being stable, these stocks pay a high dividend yield. Utility stocks, for example, pay competitive dividends. Preferred stocks can also provide income. Despite their advantage of lower risk and frequent dividend payments, income investments are more likely to have lower returns than growth investments.

Growth Investments

When you purchase a growth investment, you expect its value to increase over time, but there’s no way to predict how quickly it will grow. Stock shares, mutual fund shares, and real estate which is the physical asset are among the most common growth investments.

A rising price can increase the value of an investment, which in turn allows you to sell it for more than you paid in the beginning. You can profit from the growth in value, for instance, if you buy 100 shares of stock at $8 a share, and the price rises to $18 a share. Capital gains are the difference between the purchase price which is $800 and the sale price which is $1,800.

That does not mean you have to sell your investments all the time when prices increase. Holding the stock in your portfolio as well may also benefit you from the growth.

In the event that you wish to sell, there is a risk that the price may fall below the purchase price. There is no guarantee that your stocks will continuously increase in price. Instead of a capital gain, you could suffer a capital loss.

Growth Stocks

Generally, growth stocks are companies that are experiencing rapid growth at an above-average rate. They then reinvest most of their revenue into their company to fuel growth. Most companies have a very high price-to-earnings ratio, which means their stock prices are much higher than their earnings per share.

Investing in growth stocks is sought after by most investors because they anticipate a return in the form of a stock price increase in the near future. Unlike an income fund, dividends are typically not paid out to investors due to reinvested revenue.

Tips Before Investing for Growth and Income

It is important for every investor to have a strategy and determine what investment options are available. Investing in either of these two strategies can accomplish your investment goals if they are properly implemented.

Take into account your goals when choosing where to invest. Growth, rather than income investment, may make sense for you if you have a long investment horizon since you can weather cyclical downturns.

Make sure you consider the tax implications. Tax-deferred retirement accounts can be used to purchase income investments and postpone paying taxes until withdrawals are made from the account.

It is important to balance your risks. Diversifying your investments prevents you from being as vulnerable to economic ups and downs as you might otherwise be. By then, it is vital that you continuously monitor your investments.

Regardless of your preference, holding a variety of investments, both growth, and income, should help you weather economic ups and downs. Over time, your financial situation may change, so you should be prepared to adjust your portfolio accordingly, and switch between growth funds and income funds (or vice versa) in response to your changing needs and goals.

Which is the Best Choice for You?

It’s not an easy question to answer. In order to choose the right type of investment for you, you must take into account several factors such as your financial goals, your risk tolerance, your experience level with investing, and your retirement income goals, among others. As far as wealth management strategies and investment portfolio planning go, your choices are just as unique as your fingerprints.

In terms of deciding when to invest for income or growth, there’s no quick, easy answer. There is only so much that these tips can do for you, but they will not guarantee perfect suitability to your needs and resources.

You are most likely to find out what’s right for you by speaking to an expert. Our team has an extensive industry experience and dedication to market fundamentals, we have improved our strategy to capitalize on real estate’s huge potential for dependable, stable returns.
Let’s discuss your options, email us at info@saintinvestment.com or contact us at 949-881-7128 at Saint Investment Group today!

Frequently Asked Questions: