1. Why should you invest NOW?
Amount required to invest annually to have $1 Million by age 65
If you start investing with just $3,100 per year at age 22, assuming an 8% average annual return, you'll have $1 million at age 65. But if you wait until age 32 (just 10 years later), you'll have to save $6,900 per year to reach that same goal of $1 million at age 65. This is over double the annual investment required. Think about it this way, if you wait 10 years to start investing, it’s going to cost you $3,800 more per year! This is the power of compounding.
2. Understand your financial situation
Where are you living? Are you in a high tax state like New York or are you living in Texas and Florida where there’s no state income tax? What’s the cost of living for you? Understand your current and expected cash flow and always reserve a little cash for unexpected expenses. Budgeting is key. What are you spending everything month, now compare that with what you’re making every month. Investing will NOT solve your spending problems or debt problems. If you have to payoff student loans that’s an expense you must consider.
3. 401ks, IRAs and Roth IRAs
Accept your employer’s generosity! Most employers offer a 401k or 403b retirement plan. These are company sponsored plans, which typically means whatever you contribute up to the maximum $19,000 (under age 50) or up to a certain percentage of the employee’s income (typically 4%). The major benefit of these savings accounts besides the free money is the tax benefits (You don’t pay annual taxes on your retirement accounts).
Let’s discuss traditional IRA vs Roth IRA
Traditional IRA accounts use pre-tax money to save for retirement (you get the tax deduction today). Roth IRAs use after-tax money. In retirement, you'll pay taxes on your traditional IRA withdrawals, but you can withdraw from the Roth IRA tax free. This is why many financial planners love a Roth IRA. In 2018, the maximum contribution limit for IRAs is $5,500. You should focus on contributing the maximum every year.
4. Invest in yourself!
You are your biggest asset. You can increase your own earning potential drastically by going to college, getting a certification, or attending career development events. In investing just like in life, it’s important to diversify. This means diversifying your income. If all the money you make is from your job, then you will be at risk if you lose it. By having multiple streams of income helps you spread out this risk and help you live stress free.
5. Ignore social media as much as possible
Take what you see on social media with a grain of salt. All of those stories of people going on trips and buying extravagant cars are very short term and over the long run, if you save properly, you can go to that trip to Europe or buy that Ferrari (experiential purchases in general are often better than cars which are not great investments because they’re depreciating assets- it’s smarter to go with a secondhand car but make sure you do your research)
6. Bucket your goals into short term and long term:
Once you have an idea for your short term goals are (buying a car or a vacation) and long term goals (buying a house), you need to find a good place to save that money. Good places to put your short term goals: bank CDs, savings accounts, and money market funds. There are many alternative options to a traditional savings account or checking account which can give you +2% returns annually! Each offer their own advantages and drawbacks so make sure you do your research. If you would like me to go into them more like this post and/or send me a direct message on LinkedIn or Instagram!
I hope this helps many of you who maybe are in a similar stage in life as I am. Graduating from college and entering the real world can be scary, investing shouldn’t be. Feel free to message me on LinkedIn or Instagram if you want to know more.