Article: Most financial risk can be categorized as either systematic or non-systematic. Systematic risk affects an entire economy and all of the businesses within it; an example of systematic risk would be losses due to a recession. Non-systematic risks are those that vary between companies or industries. These risks can be minimized through careful planning.  Interest rates, wars, and economic recession may factor into systematic risk. Systematic risk can be buffered by  hedging. Non-systematic risk is also known as "unique risk" because it applies to one company. In general, the more risk you take on as a part of your financial investments, the more profit you stand to gain. Because you can't predict when these gains will occur, however, careful planning is required to know how much risk you can afford. There are several types of systematic risk, but the primary quality of systematic risk to consider is that diversifying your portfolio will have limited effect on systematic risk. This manner of risk is also known as "market risk" or "undiversifiable risk" due to its pervasiveness throughout the economic market.  Interest risk is the risk that changing interest rates will make your current investment's rate look unfavorable. Inflation risk is the risk that inflation will increase, making your current investment's return smaller in relation. Liquidity risk is associated with "tying up" your money in long-term assets that cannot be sold easily. Non-systematic risk refers to the hazards of investment within a given company or business. Some examples of non-systematic risk include product recall, management change, the growth of a new competitor or regulatory change. These are risks that can be managed by minimizing your exposure to any given business or business sector, because any loss will be contained.  Two examples of non-systematic risk categories include management risk and credit risk. Management risk is the possibility that bad management decisions will hurt a company in which you're invested. Credit risk is the chance that a debt instrument issuer (such as a bond issuer) will default on their repayments to you. Keeping different kinds of stocks from a variety of companies helps to defray the risks associated with non-systematic risk. Most financial assets can be categorized as stocks, bonds, real estate or cash. Each category comes with its own benefits and limitations.  Cash is the simplest asset, and its main risk is the rate of inflation. Bonds are relatively secure, but they are subject to interest rate as well as liquidity risks (systematic risk), meaning you may not be able to convert them to cash when you need to. Stocks are the most risky investment for a short time period — the fluctuation of the market is a considerable systematic risk — but they often provide a steady income over the long term. Real estate values are relatively stable, though may increase or decrease over time. You may not be able to sell as swiftly as you'd like — real estate is generally considered not to e liquid. Different kinds of risks apply to different asset classes. For example, in a home loan, the bank is essentially issuing a bond to the mortgage holder in the form of a loan. The bank's profit comes from the interest rate applied to the mortgage. If the mortgage is paid off early, the bank loses the expected income.  Interest risk rates can change over time, resulting in interest rate risk. If you have a variable interest rate on a loan, you take on the risk that an increased interest rate will change your prospective purchase price. Market risk is the chance that an asset will lose value over time. Liquidity risk is the risk that an asset or security won't be able to be converted into cash within a necessary time frame.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Familiarize yourself with the different types of risk. Understand systematic risk. Learn about non-systematic risk. Know the difference between asset classes. Understand asset-based financial risk.