Promissory Notes: Promises, Problems
From: www.nasaa.org
Many investors seek out safe, fixed-rate investments, especially ones that can boost the interest they earn. You, too, may be looking for sound investments that pay better than average interest to generate income or meet the needs of your overall investing plan. But as you consider new investment products or services, always remember the correlation between risk and reward: every investment involves some degree of risk, and the greatest-yielding investments usually carry the highest levels of risk.
One interest-paying investment is the promissory note. These are an important means by which companies raise capital. Legitimate promissory notes are marketed almost exclusively to sophisticated or corporate investors that have the resources to research thoroughly the companies issuing the notes and to determine whether the issuers have the capacity to pay the promised interest and principal.
