Investing is a scary and unknown concept that most people have a hard time grasping. The lack of understanding often leads to a disappointing investment outcome. When it comes to the stock market, many people get anxious and buy too early or sell too late which results in little to no profit or even loss. While day trading and short-term trading work for some, for most, your investments should be long term.
Where to invest
There are numerous ways to invest your money and an abundance of ways you can set up your portfolio and often, the way you allocate your assets can higher your rate of return depending on the market. Due to this, it is wise to spread out your assets into several different investment options based on your goals whether that be aggressive, growth, income and growth, moderate growth, and capital preservation. Stocks, bonds, cash equivalents, speculative, and fixed interest are all investment entities you can and should spread your money into in order to diversify your portfolio.
How to choose
Selecting the investment options you want is daunting but choosing within each type of investment where you want your money allocated is even more daunting. Let’s take a step back and re-examine your goals: are you looking for a high risk or low risk investment? Typically for working individuals who have quite a few years till retirement look into higher risk options like stocks and speculative because the rate of return can be higher and also because they are not living off of that money. Individuals who are close to retirement or are retired generally look into lower risk options like fixed interest or bonds because they are relying on that money as a form of income; they cannot afford to lose money, but the downside of low risk is a lower rate of return.
Now what?
Once you decide which option to go with, contact a financial advisor and set up an investment account then start putting money in it. The more money you put in it early in the account life, the more money you can potentially earn early in the long term. The financial advisor is knowledgeable in the investment field and will identify where the money should be invested according to your goals. Having an advisor allows you to make money without doing any research which is super beneficial to anyone who is extremely busy and does not have time to research the stock market.
Overview
Overall, investing your money is the key to financial freedom and it will allow you to do what you want in life. Talk to a financial advisor and begin investing your money in a diverse portfolio.
Happy investing!
The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. All performance referenced is historical and is no guarantee of future results. All indices are unmanaged and may not be invested into directly.