Avoid Trading on Borrowed Money
What is borrowed money?
The money took as loan is called as borrowed money which has tobe repaid with interest amount.
Trading on borrowed Money
First up all trading is highly risky and requires all your attention during market hours.
If you borrow money to trade then it is quite possible that trade always try to do trades and earn money so that he can repay the money to lender at the end of the money.
So trader would try to earn daily profits and it is not possible to earn daily profits in share market as markets would move in any direction due to unpredictable nature.
Trader may also do forceful or unwanted trades which would result in losses. Trading has to done on opportunities to earn profits and not on every trade.
Investing borrowed money in Share market
During markets Bull (up) time, when the stock markets move only up, everyone makes a profit of at least 25 per cent. So a trader would make a decent profit even after paying the high interest on the borrowed money.
But it is not always possible to predict the direction of share market as sometimes it is extremely unpredictable. If the market crash suddenly, you will make a loss due to which it becomes difficult to repay the high interest on the borrowed money.
If you are a short-term trader then you should also add the cost of short-term capital gain tax which you will have to pay if you cannot adjust it with the cost of borrowing, that is, your rate of interest.
Contradictory at all if you plan to borrow and invest n share market then it is recommended to stay invested long term without worrying about short term market corrections. This also applies with your own money especially if you are verylow risk taker.
Investing borrowed money in Debt instruments
Investments in debt products like fixed deposit, debt funds and fixed maturity plans would not give you enough returns to help you in meeting your cost of borrowing.
Even if they did, the added cost of capital gains tax in case of long term as well as short term investments would be a not satisfactory.
Also in case of debt products, the interest rate earned is also taxable. So in such cases there may raise a situation that you would be paying money out of your own pocket along with interest on your borrowings.
Investing borrowed money in Gold
This is one commodity which is considered the most appropriate investment avenue during any financial disorder. The stock markets and gold prices are inversely related. If stock markets crash gold prices zoom (go up).
But then borrowing money to invest in gold is the last thing you should do because it does not give any dividend or interest. The gain is through increase in the value of gold which is called as a capital gain.
So unless you sell your gold and you are making decent profits on it, there is no way you can repay your borrowings.
Investing borrowed money in Real estate This is one investment for which many individuals would borrow as the investment amount and basically it is a quite big amount. If it is your first house then no questions asked: borrow and invest.
Of course you cannot go overboard even while borrowing for your first house. The question arises as to when you are borrowing money to buy a particular property and whether it is for your own use or for investment purpose.
Here is where you have to analyze the situation:a) what would happen if you leased it out what kind of rental income you can earn out of it
b) tax factors and liquidity issues (whether you could easily sell the property and get cash in return).
There is no question that the value of your property is going to increase over a period of time. But again it depends on when you buy a property -- at peak.
Does this mean that person cannot borrow money?
The answer is not always - NO.
Because it is also true that most of the today's successful businesses have borrowed money in there times and now they are well established businesses.
The best way to judge whether it makes sense to borrow money to invest is by asking yourself the following questions:
- How will your financial life be affected after borrowing?
- Could you bear the cost of borrowing (the interest rate you will have to pay to your lender)?
- If the investment does not perform as per your expectations then how will you repay the borrowed money?
- Do the benefits of borrowing outweigh the risks involved?
Judge these questions carefully and only then make a decision.
Important Note
DO NOT use credit cards to borrow money for investing. The rate of interest charged by credit card companies is 3% per month which comes to 36 per cent per year in addition to the late payment fees if any.
Please note -
Trading and or investing in share market are not getting quick rich schemes. It requires dedication, study and knowledge to make money in share market.
