Investor

Someone who invests money into something with the hopes of making profits or gaining a competitive edge in the future. 

Author: Christopher Haynes
Christopher Haynes
Christopher Haynes
Asset Management | Investment Banking

Chris currently works as an investment associate with Ascension Ventures, a strategic healthcare venture fund that invests on behalf of thirteen of the nation's leading health systems with $88 billion in combined operating revenue. Previously, Chris served as an investment analyst with New Holland Capital, a hedge fund-of-funds asset management firm with $20 billion under management, and as an investment banking analyst in SunTrust Robinson Humphrey's Financial Sponsor Group.

Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and earned a Master of Finance (MSF) from the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis.

Reviewed By: Austin Anderson
Austin Anderson
Austin Anderson
Consulting | Data Analysis

Austin has been working with Ernst & Young for over four years, starting as a senior consultant before being promoted to a manager. At EY, he focuses on strategy, process and operations improvement, and business transformation consulting services focused on health provider, payer, and public health organizations. Austin specializes in the health industry but supports clients across multiple industries.

Austin has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and a Masters of Business Administration in Strategy, Management and Organization, both from the University of Michigan.

Last Updated:November 16, 2023

Who is an Investor?

An investor is someone who invests money into something with the hopes of making profits or gaining a competitive edge in the future. 

They usually acquire some property with this assigned amount. Investment types include equity, debt, securities, real estate, infrastructure, currency, commodity, token, derivatives such as put and call options, futures, forwards, and other financial instruments. 

The primary and secondary markets are not distinguished in this concept. That is, both providing funds to a corporation and purchasing shares. A shareholder is an individual who owns stock, or 

a person who invests money in a company or another organization in exchange for a profit.

The objective is to avoid risk while maximizing profits. In contrast, a speculator is someone ready to put money into a hazardous asset with the hopes of making a larger profit.

There are many different sorts. For example, some people invest in companies to see them succeed, known as venture capitalists. 

Others invest money in a firm to share the company's ownership. Finally, some people invest in the stock market in exchange for dividends.

Key Takeaways

  • To achieve financial goals and objectives, they utilize a variety of financial instruments to obtain a rate of return.
  • Stocks, bonds, mutual funds, derivatives, commodities, and real estate are examples of investment securities.
  • They differ from traders because they take long-term strategic positions in businesses or projects.
  • It constructs portfolios with an active strategy to outperform the benchmark index or a passive approach to tracking an index.
  • Alternatively, they may choose growth or value methods.
  • Generally, a trader and an investor are two different people. While the latter uses capital for long-term gain, a trader uses it to earn quick money by frequently buying and selling assets.
  • Traders often make money by purchasing either stock or debt assets. Shares of a company that can provide capital gains and dividend payments are known as equity investments.
  • Loans to other people or companies, as well as bonds issued by governments or corporations that pay interest in the form of coupons, are examples of debt investments.

Understanding investing

Investing involves putting money into a business or organization to make a profit.

Those who invest in a small business or start-up assume the added risk of generating little or no return because the company may or may not prosper. 

However, they have access to the financial statements of a publicly listed company, allowing them to make more informed decisions and enter and exit the market whenever they choose. 

The Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) oversees investment risk in publicly listed corporations in the United States.

Who is an investor? It is a person or other entity (such as a company or mutual fund) that invests money in the hope of reaping a profit. 

They use different financial instruments to make a return and achieve essential financial goals such as establishing retirement savings, supporting a college education, or collecting extra wealth over time.

Among the many investment vehicles accessible to fulfill objectives are stocks, bonds, commodities, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), options, futures, foreign currency, gold, silver, retirement plans, and real estate.

They also look at possibilities from various perspectives, but most aim to limit risk while increasing rewards.

Investor Profiles

Investors aren't all the same. They have different risk appetites, financial resources, styles, preferences, and periods. 

Some, for example, may select low-risk investments with predictable returns, such as certificates of deposit and certain bond products. On the other hand, some are more willing to take on more significant risks in the hopes of making a higher return.

They could put their money into currencies, developing markets, or equities while coping with a daily roller coaster of varied circumstances.

The contrast between the words "investor" and "trader" may also be made. The former hold their investments from years to decades, whereas traders typically hold trading positions for a shorter time.

Scalp traders, for example, only maintain positions for a few seconds at a time. Swing traders, on the other hand, look for short-term positions that can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks.

Institutions are companies that invest in large quantities of stocks and other financial instruments, such as financial businesses or mutual funds

They are frequently able to gather and pool funds from several smaller holders  (individuals and businesses) to make more significant investments. 

As a result, institutional shareholders frequently wield significantly more market power and influence than individual retail shareholders.

Types of Investors

Types are:

1. Individual or retail

An individual investor, sometimes known as a retail investor, invests in securities and assets on their own, generally in modest amounts. They usually acquire equities in increments of 25, 50, 75, or 100. 

The stocks they purchase are part of their portfolio and do not reflect the interests of any company.

On the other hand, many individuals make decisions based on their emotions. For example, they bought equities based on their fear and greed. 

It is not the best strategy to trade since stock markets are incredibly volatile, and it is sometimes difficult to forecast.

2. Institutional

An institutional investor is a firm or organization that invests in securities or assets such as real estate. 

These acquire shares in hedge funds, pension funds, mutual funds, and insurance firms, as opposed to the individual holder who buys equities in publicly listed corporations on the stock exchange.

They also make significant investments in the businesses, frequently in the millions of dollars. The returns from the investment do not go to the institution; instead, the firm as a whole benefit.

While some individuals own their stock, others do so through institutions that invest their funds in other savings or investment accounts.

Although institutions buy securities and financial assets far larger than individual investors, they frequently impact financial markets and national economies considerably. They are also a significant source of cash for publicly traded corporations.

Individual vs. Institutional Investors

The two types differ in several ways, including:

1. Resource availability

Institutions are huge corporations that may employ various resources, such as financial specialists, to monitor their portfolios daily, allowing them to enter and exit the market at the appropriate times. 

Individuals must conduct their research and analysis using publicly available data.

2. Making decisions

The investments of institutions are frequently handled by several experienced personnel in the institution. The board of directors, for example, makes the decision-making process more difficult since many people are likely to have alternative views on trades to make. 

When buying and selling stocks, you are an individual investor's boss and ultimate decision-maker.

3. Identifying investing possibilities

Since institutions have access to a massive pool of resources and cash, they get first access to investment structures and products. 

When investing possibilities reach individual investors through hedge or private equity funds, the remainder might apply second-hand investment tactics that significant institutions have previously deployed.

Retail investors

They are on their own (including trusts on behalf of individuals and umbrella companies formed by two or more to pool investment funds)

  • Individuals and groups can invest as angel shareholders
  • They are in sweat equity

Institutional investor 

  • A person who invests on behalf of employees' pension plans
  • Companies that invest, either directly or through a capital fund
  • Universities, churches, and other institutions use endowment funds.
  • Mutual funds, hedge funds, and other funds whose ownership is publicly traded or not (these funds typically pool money raised from their owner-subscribers to invest in securities)
  • Sovereign wealth money
  • Managers of large amounts of money

They can also be categorized based on their investing styles. Risk attitude is an essential distinguishing psychological feature in this regard.

Passive vs. active Investors

Passives often buy and hold the components of various market indexes. They may use principles like Modern Portfolio Theory's (MPT) mean-variance optimization to optimize their asset allocation weights to specific asset classes. 

Others may be active and buy stocks based on an essential examination of business financial statements and financial statistics.

"Value" investors, for example, are active and attempt to buy firms with low share prices compared to their book values. Others may want to invest long-term in "growth" equities, which are now losing money but are fast rising and show promise in the future.

Passive (indexed) investing is getting more popular, and it is beginning to supplant active investment techniques as the most common stock market strategy. 

The rise in popularity of low-cost target-date mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and Robo-advisors are partially to blame.

Those interested in learning more about investing, passive vs. active, and other financial subjects should enroll in one of the best investment courses available today.

A portfolio manager or other "active participant" is often required to take an active role in active investing.

Less buying and selling is involved with passive investing, frequently leading them to purchase index funds or other mutual funds.

Both investing strategies have advantages, but passive investments have attracted larger investment flows than active investments.

In the past, passive investments have produced higher returns than active ones.

More people are actively investing now than in some years, particularly amid market turbulence.

Researched and authored by Akhilesh JagtapLinkedIn

Reviewed and Edited by Sakshi Uradi | LinkedIn

Free Resources

To continue learning and advancing your career, check out these additional helpful WSO resources: