July 21, 2021

Tips for Starting to Invest at Any Age

Whether you are in your 20s, 30s, or 40s.

Know your goals

It is difficult to decide on what and when to start investing if you don’t know your goals. Are you trying to save for retirement? Build savings for the future? Pay off debts? Ensure your family is taken care of when you pass on? You should decide which is your primary goal before jumping into investing. For example, if you are trying to build your wealth to pay off your debts, it might not be the best idea if you must take out a loan to start investing.

Let your employers invest in you

Some employers contribute to your 401(k) or IRA plans. These types of retirement accounts have tax advantages and employers could match your contributions based on your salary. If your company offers this, you should find a way to get the maximum annual contribution or work your way up to the max. Employers might offer other retirement plan options instead of a traditional 401(k) or IRA. Generally, your contributions and investments are growing tax-free so you should take full advantage of that.

Accounts to invest in

The accounts you decide to invest in depends on what kind of investment you are looking for. Are you looking for something long term or short term? A popular trend right now is cryptocurrency, and those are short term riskier ventures. You can also diversify your investment portfolio by doing various types of investments. Talk to relatives who have done some investing. They can give you advice on what they did and maybe you can also learn from their mistakes.

Don’t invest in something you don’t understand

There are many ways to invest and various types of investments. Always be sure you understand what is happening to the cash that you’ve put into investing. This is a simple no-brainer tip, but don’t invest in anything that you don’t understand. Not only will this help you avoid letting scammers sweet-talk you into giving them money, but you will be less stressed and comfortable when you understand the risks and know what you are getting yourself into. If you have already done this, talk to a professional so they can explain to you what is happening, and you can make an informed decision.

This goes without saying but the earlier you start investing, the sooner you will reach your goal. If you are uncomfortable making investment decisions by yourself, make an appointment with one of our financial advisors to start a conversation about investing today.