Don't let the strong stock market whet your appetite for more risk — as in borrowing against your brokerage account.
The first five months of 2016 have been good for the S&P 500, which closed on the first day of May at 2,388.33, just shy of it's all-time high of 2,400.98.
Because equities have been faring so well, more investors are considering margin loans. These loans allow you to borrow up to a specified amount of your account's value without having to sell your holdings and generate capital gains.
You're assessed interest on the loan, which can be as high as 8 percent and may be charged daily or monthly, depending on the brokerage firm. And none of this is risk-free.