Is investing in a bank smart?
Bank stocks can be excellent long-term investment opportunities, but they aren't right for all investors. Bank stocks are near the middle of the risk spectrum. They can be recession-prone and are sensitive to interest rate fluctuations, just to name two major risk factors.
Bottom line. Investors looking to get into bank stocks following their declines in 2022 and 2023 should be taking a longer-term perspective on their investment, especially with potentially more risk on the way in terms of higher rates.
The banking sector is a good choice for value investors. Value investors look for stocks that trade for less than their intrinsic value. The banking sector pays dividends, which demonstrates a great history and provide investors with a share in profits.
One of the key advantages of investing in the banking sector is its position as the one of the largest stock market sectors globally by market capitalisation, second only to the technology sector. Financial services are also the cornerstone of many economies, including in the UK and US.
The difference between saving and investing
Saving can also mean putting your money into products such as a bank time account (CD). Investing — using some of your money with the aim of helping to make it grow by buying assets that might increase in value, such as stocks, property or shares in a mutual fund.
(Indices used as a proxy: Banks — S&P/TSX Banks Index; Canadian market — S&P/TSX Composite.) Canadian banks are some of the most well-capitalized, safest financial institutions globally, and long-term investors are being paid to hold onto them.
Banks make money by imposing service charges on their customers. These fees vary based on the products, ranging from account fees (monthly maintenance charges, minimum balance fees, overdraft fees, and non-sufficient funds [NSF] charges), safe deposit box fees, and late fees.
Investment banking is one of Wall Street's most coveted roles. It is also one of the hardest. It is no surprise that the average day in an investment banker's life is long and stressful. Those who manage to survive the adjustment period often go on to have long and financially rewarding careers.
- Citigroup Inc. (C)
- Bank of Montreal (BMO)
- PNC Financial Services Group Inc. (PNC)
- Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB)
- M&T Bank Corp. (MTB)
- Regions Financial Corp. (RF)
- Citizens Financial Group Inc. (CFG)
- East West Bancorp Inc. (EWBC)
Name | Price | Analyst Consensus |
---|---|---|
MFC Manulife Financial | C$32.14 | 8 Buy 3 Hold 1 Sell Moderate Buy |
TD Toronto Dominion Bank | C$80.27 | 5 Buy 5 Hold 0 Sell Moderate Buy |
BMO Bank Of Montreal | C$127.36 | 8 Buy 1 Hold 0 Sell Strong Buy |
BNS Bank Of Nova Scotia | C$64.51 | 0 Buy 9 Hold 1 Sell Hold |
Is it better to save money in bank or invest?
A savings account is the ideal spot for an emergency fund or cash you need within the next three to five years. Good for long-term goals. Investing can help you grow money over the long term, making it a strong option for funding expensive future goals, like retirement.
Company (Ticker) | Forward P/E Ratio |
---|---|
Citigroup, Inc. (C) | 8.4 |
Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (FIS) | 15.3 |
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (ISRG) | 60.9 |
The Kraft Heinz Company (KHC) | 12.2 |
With the events that have happened in the past few years — a global pandemic, the failures of multiple banks and several interest rate changes by the Federal Reserve, to name a few — you might question whether banks are truly a secure place to keep your funds. The answer is that yes, your money is safe in the bank.
Imagine you wish to amass $3000 monthly from your investments, amounting to $36,000 annually. If you park your funds in a savings account offering a 2% annual interest rate, you'd need to inject roughly $1.8 million into the account.
If you're looking for a ballpark figure, Taylor Kovar, certified financial planner and CEO of Kovar Wealth Management says, “By age 30, a good rule of thumb is to aim to have saved the equivalent of your annual salary. Let's say you're earning $50,000 a year. By 30, it would be beneficial to have $50,000 saved.
The 50-30-20 rule recommends putting 50% of your money toward needs, 30% toward wants, and 20% toward savings.
One TSX bank stock that has underperformed the index since 2022 is Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (TSX:CM). Valued at a market cap of $61.3 billion, CIBC stock currently trades 21% from all-time highs, allowing you to buy the dip and benefit from a tasty dividend yield of almost 5.5%.
Conservative investors with a long-time horizon for their investment goals should find TD bank stock a good investment. Those looking for a stock that provides some liquidity for their portfolio would be pleased with TD's regular and high dividend yield.
Guaranteed Investment Certificates (GICs)
A GIC is a secure fixed-income investment that guarantees 100% of your original investment, while earning interest at a fixed or variable rate, or based on a specific formula.
- Switch to a high-interest savings account.
- Consider a rewards checking account.
- Consider certificates of deposit.
- Build a CD ladder.
- Take advantage of bank bonuses.
- Try a money market account.
- Check with your local credit union.
- Consider buying government bonds.
How do bankers make so much money?
Investment bankers make money through the fees charged to their clients. As discussed above, this includes underwriting fees for arranging the sale of securities and advisory fees for providing strategic guidance.
For example, although the average profit margin for the financial services industry may be 14.71%, the profit margin for the industry's more concentrated subsectors ranges from 5.1% to 40.5%.
Age plays a huge factor in the decision-making process. Wall Street is an up-and-out industry. Unless the goal is senior management, most people in finance are out of there by age 50. That's not at just the biggest investment banks, either.
It is fairly common for front-office investment bankers to be earning over US$1m after 8 years in the industry. But it caps out at around US$20m, which is how much a top-performing investment banking CEO gets.
- Chief financial officer. ...
- Private equity associate. ...
- Hedge fund manager. ...
- Insurance advisor. ...
- Financial advisor. ...
- Compliance analyst. ...
- Information technology auditor. ...
- Investment banker. Investment bankers help businesses and government groups invest their money.