Balanced investment strategy is perhaps the most followed and successful investment strategy for portfolio management. Its primary aim is to keep a balance between investment risk and return. A balanced investment strategy combines the merit of aggressive and defensive investing strategies. Aggressive investment strategy involves investing in high return high risk investments with the sole purpose of maximizing return from investments. It involves allocating major portion of portfolio capital to invest in equities, equity based funds and highly volatile markets. Investors following aggressive investment strategy often look for comparatively short-term profiting and wish to invest more in growth stocks, and small caps and mid cap stocks. Advantages of aggressive investing include quick profit, high return over investment and no need of large portfolio capital. It can work really well for experienced investors and investors who are very strict in their money management. Disadvantages include high risk, high volatility in total portfolio value and no surety of profit. It less supports novice investors and investor looking for monthly earnings or living costs.Defensive investment strategy is just opposite of aggressive investment; it’s purpose is to preserve the capital and ensure some return from investments. It involves investing in low profit low risk investments like bonds, money market funds, treasury notes, and equities with minimum price volatility and good dividends. Defensive investors look for long-term profits and/or monthly earnings. Advantages of defensive investment strategy include reduced risk, predictable income, better investment planning and diversification of portfolio. This strategy mainly suits beginners. Disadvantages include low return from investments and requirement of high capital investments. In balanced investment strategy, the investor tries to keep a balance between his aggressive and defensive behaviors. It involves balancing of both return and risk by diversifying investments in both high return high risk and low return low risk investments. Balanced investors often follow a portfolio capital allocation rule telling how much to invest in equities and bonds and how much to invest in treasury notes, precious metals and funds. Usually one portion of portfolio is actively managed and other portion is left to grow automatically. Balanced investment strategy can be slightly aggressive or slightly defensive with respect to investments made.The greatest advantage of balanced investment strategy is the diversification of portfolio and hedging against high total portfolio value volatility. It is good for investors looking for medium-term (3 to 5 years) profits. Other advantages include flexibility in portfolio management, better results with better capital investments, (almost) predictable income and manageable portfolio risk. Balanced investment strategy support both beginners and experienced investors and can be an option for monthly earnings for living.
Distance learning in Economics provides students with advanced knowledge in key areas such as economic applications, information usage and strategic advantage. The students are enabled in specific career and professional goals and in the areas of strategy and analysis. Courses in economics that focus on the principles and techniques form the foundation for specializations in the area. The student may then acquire skills in setting and managing corporate strategy or study in depth the management of economic crimes. The program may be a certificate program, an undergraduate program, a post graduate program or a doctoral program!
Course Content
Economics is a vast subject and distance learning in economics offers a variety of basic and specialized courses for the novice and the expert in the field. The principles and techniques of economics are studied at varying levels of detail at the certificate, undergraduate, post graduate and doctoral levels. Management in commercial banks, corporations, international agencies, ministries of finance and so on require students who have a through understanding of the basic economic principles that govern markets and the basic quantitative techniques that are used to analyze them. Specializations are offered at the post graduate and doctoral levels and may be focused on environmental economics, agricultural economics, development finance or international business. The content of each of these courses will be determined by the focus area of the program.
Universities
The Bircham International University offers programs on Economic Analysis while the Universiti Sains Malaysia and Kakatiya University offers basic programs in Economics. The Akamai University offers graduate programs in Economic development that emphasize sustainable development, natural resources and environmental economics, anti poverty programs, productivity and growth economics and community action programs. The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven has a course in International Business Economics. The University of Southern Queensland has courses in Economic Studies. Closer to home, the Cardean University offers a graduate certificate program in Economics. Ellis College offers an MBA in strategy and economics. Utica College has an M.S. program in Economic Crime Management to offer. The London University, too has a number of courses at the graduate and postgraduate levels for distance learning in economics.
Registering for anyone of the courses would benefit you immensely if you are contemplating a career in economics. The online study of economics will also benefit individuals in other fields such as law or engineering. So explore your options and launch your career in this fertile field of work!