Five Ways to Use Your Calendar to Make More Informed Investments

Investing in the stock market can be an intimidating experience. Market conditions are constantly changing, and for some individuals new to the stock market, keeping track of everything, while ensuring actionable results can become a daunting task while building a stable and well-performing investment portfolio.

Every few months, thousands of publicly traded companies release financial reports. This is an event that allows current shareholders and potential investors to get a glimpse into the financial well-being of a company.

Now, the stock market adds even more complications to an already complex scenario; not every company that trades publicly uses the same type of financial calendar. Some may have unique calendars, while others use a more traditional approach that follows three months, often called quarters.

During each quarter, companies will make announcements on their stock performance and any new developments they have implemented during the last trailing three-month period.

Seems relatively easy to understand. This isn’t always the case, and some companies will have different financial calendars than banks or government institutions. What’s more, these events or financial reports can impact individual portfolios and a company’s stock performance.

Understanding the complexities of financial calendars can leave any first-time investor feeling overwhelmed. Luckily, there are some things you can do to get a better grip that will allow you to understand how to use a calendar for investing, plan accordingly, and make necessary adjustments to your investment strategy.

Here’s how to make the most of your calendar to make more intelligent investment decisions.

Keeping track of investments

Let’s say, for instance, you’ve purchased shares in a technology company for $100 and have set it up to deduct this amount from your account each month on a specific date; a digital calendar will help to inform you about upcoming payments.

This not only ensures that you are aware of the money being deducted from your account, but it will also notify you that you will need to have that specific amount available in your account to avoid overdraft penalties or fees.

At the very least, an investor needs to keep track of the companies they are investing in or will potentially invest in. Doing so allows investors to ensure their portfolio remains balanced and doesn’t slant toward a specific industry or sector.

This is what investors and professionals call “diversification,” which ensures they spread their money or cash among several different investment vehicles, which ultimately helps to lower their risk exposure.

Now, with this in mind, investors need to keep track of the investments they are making. A suggestion would be to use a digital calendar that helps to keep track of when a specific security was purchased and in which industry or sector this may belong.

Things can quickly become complicated and even more confusing if investors lose track of where their money is going or if they are blindly investing in stocks or companies they know little about.

Staying informed about important dates and events for investing

As already mentioned, many companies that trade publicly will follow different financial calendars for which they mark important dates and events. Companies may use these dates to release important information, such as financial data, stock performance, growth and performance, and any forward-looking plans.

These dates are crucial to any investors, and it should be your responsibility to keep track of them to know precisely when a company will release its financial data. Remember that these events can often be referred to as an “earnings call” or “quarterly reporting.”

Typically companies will publish these dates well in advance on their website or even inform shareholders several days before. Generally, some companies will already have a financial calendar published, allowing investors to keep track of when an important event will occur throughout the quarter or year.

Marking these important dates on your calendar will allow you to be more informed about any possible changes that may take place before or after the event. This could be a smart way to track the performance of certain stocks, allowing you to make the necessary adjustments that might positively impact your portfolio.

Marking these dates every quarter and setting reminders will help you be aware of any new developments that will unfold in the days leading up to the event or what might occur right after.

Investors leverage this opportunity to make strategic changes to their portfolio, as some companies may witness a decrease in profits and revenues, which could lead to a more significant sell-off of the company’s stocks and drive down prices. It’s wise to remain informed about these dates, when they will occur, and how to schedule them into your calendar.

Creating notifications for more significant…