Create a future with a creative powerhouse

For decades, Adobe (Nasdaq: ADBE) has been a leader in creative and business software, with many of its products now the gold standards in their respective industries.

That includes Photoshop for image editing, Premiere Pro for video editing and Illustrator for vector graphics. Adobe’s digital media segment also includes Acrobat, an application for creating, editing and sharing digital documents via the ubiquitous PDF file format.

Adobe also offers solutions for analytics, marketing and commerce, helping organizations engage with and delight consumers with personalized content. Adobe’s two complementary suites of software (Creative Cloud and Experience Cloud) collectively facilitate the creation and delivery of digital content.

The company has achieved a strong competitive position in multiple markets, which has translated into strong financial results. For example, in its first quarter of fiscal 2022, adjusted revenue grew 17% year over year, while cash flow from operations came in at $1.77 billion.

Adobe’s lineup of industry-leading products and its capacity for innovation should drive growth for years to come. And with newer creativity tools like Substance 3D for 3D design and Aero for augmented reality, Adobe could even be a key player in the growing metaverse industry.

Recently, Adobe’s stock has been attractively priced. (The Motley Fool has positions in and has recommended Adobe.)

Ask the Fool

Q. I want to invest in some stocks and maybe a mutual fund, too. How do I actually do that? – M.L., Kinston, North Carolina

A. For stocks, open an account at a respectable brokerage. (You can read about some good ones at Broker.Fool.com.)

It’s generally easy to do: You’ll fill out an application and deposit money into the account, then you can begin buying and selling.

You can probably set it all up online, too. Most good brokerages will let you set up individual retirement accounts (IRAs) as well as regular taxable accounts.

Many brokerages offer access to zillions of mutual funds, so you may be able to invest in your fund(s) of interest in your brokerage account. (A workplace 401(k) account will generally offer some mutual fund options as well.)

Otherwise, click over to the mutual fund’s parent company (such as Vanguard or Fidelity) and see if you can invest directly from there.

Some funds have minimum initial investment requirements, such as $500 or $3,000.

You can look up mutual fund track records, fees and other information at Morningstar.com. Look into exchange-traded funds (ETFs), too – they’re like mutual funds, but trade like stocks, with no minimum investment requirements.

Note that for many of us, low-fee index funds, such as ones that track the S&P 500, are the easiest and best way to get into stocks.

Q. I don’t read the footnotes in companies’ financial reports. Should I? – V.S., Syracuse, New York

A. Ideally, yes – you can run across some useful things to know.

These might include the accounting methods the company uses when preparing its financial reports, or the various interest rates that the company is paying on its debts.

My Smartest Investment

My smartest investment has been marrying my wife. Seriously.

My net worth has increased tenfold since I got married.

That’s not because she had crazy amounts of cash, but because she and I have been doing well investing. She gives me focus and purpose. – S.C., online

The Fool responds: You’re smart to realize that some of our most profitable investments can come from the nonfinancial things we do.

Choosing who you marry is a big decision that can have far-reaching consequences, both financial and nonfinancial.

Before committing to anyone, it’s always smart to be sure you have compatible financial goals, philosophies and habits.

Otherwise, one might be saving diligently for the future, while the other racks up a lot of credit card debt.

Marrying someone generally involves tying your finances and financial futures together, so it’s much like an investment.

For best results, have regular discussions about your financial goals and your plans and progress toward reaching them.

It can also be a powerful move to invest time in those you love.

Spending quality time with your family and friends can be good for you and them in many ways.

Time spent with young people can be especially valuable, boosting their confidence, mental health and even physical health.

Investing in your own health by exercising and eating nutritiously can also pay dividends, potentially lengthening your life and keeping health care costs down.