Do you want to begin investing, but are not sure where or when to start? The simplest answer is: the sooner, the better. If you are just beginning in the world of finance, embarking on your investment journey can be overwhelming and intimidating. Whether your goal is to save for retirement, build long-term wealth, or reach specific personal financial goals, it is important to start investing early and consistently. Many young adults in their 20s and 30s may not be thinking of retirement or may not have the extra income to put into investments, but it will be worth it in the long run. Read on to learn about the basic principles of investing and the steps you can take to help you get kickstarted in the world of investing.

What are the Basics of Investing?

To establish a basic understanding, let's discuss the difference between saving and investing. According to Bankrate, the biggest difference between saving and investing is the level of risk. Typically, saving carries little to no risk, as it offers a lower return. On the other hand, investing involves higher risk but provides the opportunity to earn a higher return. 

While saving is a great way to achieve short-term financial goals, the advantage of investing is having the power of compounding interest on your side. Simply put, compound interest is the interest you earn on interest. The power of compounding interest magnifies over time and can lead to exponential growth on long-term investments. The best way to maximize compound interest is to begin investing early and consistently for greater long term effects. 

A risk-return relationship is a financial principle that states higher potential returns typically accompany higher levels of risk. The risk-return tradeoff is dependent on an investor's risk tolerance, which refers to the degree of risk that an investor is willing to endure given the volatility in the value of an investment. Since all investments entail some level of risk, investors should assess their risk tolerance and invest accordingly. An investor with a high-risk tolerance, often referred to as an aggressive investor, is someone willing to risk potential losses for the chance to earn better returns. This type of investor usually has a deep understanding of the market and investment volatility, using strategies aimed at receiving higher returns. Conversely, an investor that is seeking a more balanced strategy is considered a moderate risk investor. While their objective is to still grow their wealth, they aim to do so without exposing themselves to big losses. Lastly, there is the conservative investor who invests in lower-risk securities in order to protect their portfolio value. Overall, a risk-return relationship requires investors to find a balance between the potential of higher returns and the amount of risk they are willing and able to take on.  

Define Your Financial Goals

When beginning your investment journey, it’s crucial to assess your current financial situation and identify your short-term and long-term financial goals. Before setting these objectives, take the time to review your finances to gain a clear understanding of your income, expenses, debts, and existing savings. Ultimately, you’ll want to determine how much of your budget you are able and willing to allocate for investments purposes. This understanding of your financial landscape helps to create an investment strategy that will align with your goals and remain within your capabilities. 

Once you’ve gained a comprehensive understanding of your financial situation, it is time to establish goals and categorize them into short-term and long-term targets. Short-term goals could include purchasing a car, paying off student debt, or saving money for a vacation, while long-term goals might involve saving for a home down payment or retirement. To assist you in creating a solid financial framework, it can be helpful to use the SMART criteria. These are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. For example, a goal could be “I aim to invest $200 per month for the next 12 months in a diversified portfolio of stocks and bonds to initiate wealth growth.” Using this approach provides a precise and structured path, ensuring you have goals that are well-defined and attainable. 

Diversify Your Portfolio

Diversifying your portfolio is a fundamental principle of investing and a crucial component of a great investment strategy. Diversification means spreading your investments across different asset classes, such as stocks, bonds, and real estate, in order to minimize risks. This strategy aims to minimize risk by reducing the impact of poor performance in any single asset. The main goal of diversification is to achieve more consistent and stable long-term returns while safeguarding your investments.

What Investment Options Do I Have?

When beginning your investment journey, the amount of investment options can be overwhelming. Therefore, it is essential to understand the options available to you. If you are looking for a straightforward method to enhance earnings on your savings you can open a high-yield savings account, which offers interest rates higher than the average on deposits. This type of an account enables you to nurture your savings while avoiding the risks associated with the stock market. However, when dealing with high-yield investment accounts, it's important to note that stricter requirements usually apply, and the bank has the ability to adjust account interest rates at any time. This method should complement other investment vehicles, as most will advise that it is not suitable to fulfill long-term goals like saving for retirement. 

Similar to this avenue is a Certification of Deposit (CDs), a savings account holds a fixed amount of money for a fixed period of time, such as six months, one year, or five years, and in exchange, the issuing bank pays interest. One risk of CD’s is that if inflation grows faster than your money,this can lower your real returns in the long-term. 

In terms of saving for retirement, you may decide to use a different approach like a 401k or a traditional individual retirement account (IRA). A 401k plan is a retirement savings account that allows an employee to divert a portion of their salary into long-term investments. Additionally, an employer may match the employee's contribution up to a specified limit. An IRA is a long-term saving account that individuals with earned income can use to save for the future while enjoying certain tax advantages. These are typically for people who are self-employed or do not have access to a 401k. Once an account is opened, you can choose to invest your money in stocks, bonds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and mutual funds. Both of these options are great investment tools, it just depends on your personal preference. A 401k may allow more money to be invested if an employer matches your contributions, but an IRA allows for more flexibility and control over which investment vehicles you can pursue.  

Additionally you may be interested in exploring other investment options such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and ETFs. A stock represents ownership in a company where investors can benefit if the company does well. Stocks are usually higher risk than bonds because there is no guarantee the company will do well. But, with the higher risk can come a greater return. Bonds are a type of investment designed to aid governments or corporations in raising money, providing regular interest payments and relative stability compared to stocks. Alternatively, mutual funds pool money from multiple investors to invest in a variety of assets. Mutual funds are managed by financial corporations. Investors own shares of the mutual fund, not the specific assets that the mutual fund is invested in.  

There is no single investment vehicle that works best for every investor. Assessing your financial situation, risk tolerance, and defining your financial goals will be crucial in deciding which investment vehicles you decide to pursue.

How Do I Avoid Common Investment Pitfalls?

As you continue your investment journey, it’s important to be mindful of common pitfalls that can hinder your financial progress. Emotional investing involves making decisions driven by fear or excitement rather than rational analysis that can lead to decisions that may not align with an investor's long-term goals. In order to reduce the effects of emotional investing, you will want to understand your risk tolerance because investing more than you are willing to lose can be stressful. Another way to avoid emotional investing is to diversify your portfolio so losses are offset by gains. Although diversification isn’t always a perfect fix, it does provide some protection to your portfolio.

Avoid chasing trends and depending on hot tips to make investment choices. Taking hot stock tips can be devastating for your portfolio and expose you to unnecessary risk. To mitigate this uncertainty, conducting thorough due diligence is crucial. This involves researching and analyzing potential investments to gain your own comprehensive understanding of the investment and their potential threats. By avoiding emotional investing, refusing to act on market trends and hot tips, and diligently researching your options, you set the foundation for a more informed and successful investment journey.

Stay Informed and Continue Educating Yourself

Throughout your financial journey, it is essential to continuously educate yourself and stay informed through financial news sources and market trends. Reading and engaging with online resources, books, and podcasts offer a valuable approach for continuous learning and development of one’s financial knowledge. Patience and having a long-term perspective are equally as important. Be consistent and allow time for your strategies to mature. 

The path to financial success should be viewed as a long-term journey, rather than an overnight occurrence, so it is fundamental to begin investing early. The power of early investing allows you to capitalize on compounding interest and establish the foundation for a strong financial future. As you navigate this journey, don’t get discouraged and continue to celebrate small wins along the way. The world of investing is constantly evolving, so continue to keep growing, keep learning, and keep investing in your financial portfolio and personal development. 

Investing involves risks, and no investment strategy can guarantee success. The information provided here is for general purposes and should not be considered as legal, financial, or investment advice. If you are interested in putting your retirement plan in order you should seek the advice of a certified financial advisor.

- Written by Lindsey Johnson