Investment securities are assets like stocks, bonds, and mutual funds that can be bought or sold in public markets or exchanges. These securities can be held for the long term and traded on a quicker timeline, sometimes within the same day. For long-term investing, experts generally advise you ignore the short-term price changes of the various assets in your portfolio and keep your eye on long-term growth.

There are a number of different approaches to stock investing, such as value investing or growth investing. For many investors, these types of securities provide investment income in the form of interest and dividend payments. And some investors seek to grow their investment securities portfolios by automatically reinvesting their dividends. There are also different strategies for fixed income investing.