Sam Johnson has created some financial goals for himself.  He is 40 years old, currently has a great job, and pays his bills on time. He wants to save enough money to put his children–currently ages 3 and 8, through college. He also wants to retire at the age of 60.  He puts $150 a month in a savings account, paying less than 1% in interest. He wants to earn more interest with the money he is saving. In order to do this he needs to learn more about investing.

Use the Internet to research the different stocks, bonds, and mutual funds available to investors today.

Write a five to six 5-6 page paper in which you:

1. Discuss the overall role of investing in personal financial planning.
2. Discuss three (3) attributes of three (3) different stocks that would be a good choice for Sam’s financial profile based on your Internet research.
3. Analyze the advantages and disadvantages (i.e., risks and rewards) that Sam should be aware of when investing in stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.
4. Discuss the manner in which mutual funds are generally used, and examine key reasons why, based on Sam’s profile, mutual funds would be a suitable investment vehicle for him based on your Internet research.
5. Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.