 TITLE: What to Consider Before Investing in Stocks CONTENT: How to Lower Investment Risk\n----------------------------\nEveryone who invests in the stock market is exposed to risk. However, there are some steps you can take to avoid more risk than is necessary for your situation:\n*   **Consider a financial advisor.** A financial advisor can help you by providing expert guidance and also by acting as a buffer between your portfolio and your emotions. Keep in mind, though, that financial advisors charge for their services, and those fees can eat into your return. It's best to consider this option only if you have a large portfolio to manage and can easily afford the fees.\n*   **Diversify your stock portfolio.** Take some time to learn about how you can diversify your stock portfolio. For example, tech stocks typically provide a higher return potential than stocks in the defense sector, but they also carry higher risk. Investing in both sectors can diversify your portfolio a little and mitigate some of those risks. The more you can diversify your investments, the less risk you'll experience.\n*   **Utilize a robo-advisor.** Robo-advisors use algorithms to invest in the stock market on your behalf, and they're typically much cheaper than working with a human advisor. That said, robo-advisors typically don't let you choose your investments, and you won't be able to buy individual stocks.\n*   **Use dollar cost averaging.** The concept of dollar cost averaging involves investing the same dollar amount in regular intervals—typically monthly—regardless of how the price of the stock has changed. This approach can help reduce the impact of volatility on your investment. END