Investing is becoming more popular, as making a profit on our savings becomes more accessible and efficient than ever. Investing allows you to put your funds to work and can help you reach your financial goals, whether that’s saving for your future, a house or retirement. Before you get started, you should make sure you have a clear investment strategy. Read on to find out more.
Putting money to one side each month can help if you’re saving for the future, but it can also help if you find yourself with an emergency expense. A payday loan can help with funds to pay unprecedented bills if you find yourself in financial difficulty.
How investing works
Investing is a way of making your money work for you. Choosing to invest means that you can make money on your savings, depending on where you invest. It allows you to take control of your financial security, and if invested properly could even end up as a steady income to help you through life’s big milestones, like retirement. The aim of investing is to commit funds to generate profit, and if carried out correctly, can result in a range of benefits.
There are many ways of investing that all carry various risks such as stocks, bonds, and property. You can decide the level of risk you are happy to take — generally, the higher the risk, the higher the reward. But there are ways you can invest to suit you. Investing can be more lucrative than saving, as it is a more active way of working on your wealth, whereas a lot of people leave their savings to one side for a rainy day, not really worrying about how much money they’re making.
Creating an investment strategy can help you reach your goals when it comes to growing your funds. Having a plan in place means that you can get the most from your investments; it helps you navigate the financial world, whilst giving you the best chance of making a profit.
Is investing right for you?
Before deciding to invest, it is important that you consider whether it is the right step for you. Whilst investing can be beneficial if you’re looking to make a profit or reach your financial goals, it can also come with a few disadvantages too. No investment is totally loss-free, so weighing up what you can afford to lose is important. Investment also requires time and knowledge, as you’ll need to decide where you’re going to invest and keep up with any changes to your portfolio.
If you decide that investing is something that you’d like to get to grips with, here are a few factors to consider when creating an investment strategy.
Time frame
Reflecting on the time frame is key when creating your strategy. For example, if you’re saving for the future, you could choose a riskier investment as you have more time to ride out any issues or dips in the market that might come up, this will generally end up with you making a higher profit.
If you’re saving for something that is imminent like retirement, you may want to choose to invest in something safer, that can provide a steady, although smaller income. A more secure investment, like a bond, means that you’re less likely to lose money, which is beneficial if you no longer have a monthly income.
Risk
Your investment strategy is largely based on how much money you’re comfortable with potentially losing. All investments come with the risk that you may end up losing funds, depending on stocks, interest rates or the economy. But higher risk means higher reward, so having a solid idea of whether you’d prefer some risk so that you stand a better chance at making a profit, or if you’d rather be more careful and invest in something that means you’re going to build on funds more slowly.
The level of risk that you’re willing to take is individual to everyone, so your investment plan shouldn’t be based on what someone else is doing or what someone else thinks is right for you. Your funds are yours to invest, so make a decision that you’re comfortable with.
Managing your investments
Creating an investment plan means being able to keep up with your current investments to see how they’re performing. Having access to the details surrounding your investments means you can make changes if necessary. When creating your plan, you should look at ways to regularly review your investments — whether you’re looking to play an active role, or a passive role and have a professional do it for you — using an investment app allows you to manage your portfolio easily and efficiently.