Learn how to invest money and prosper; or don’t learn how to invest and continue to invest and lose money. It’s fun to invest money when you are winning. Get a financial education and see for yourself. You will NEVER feel left out once you know how to invest with a sound investment strategy. Let’s start that financial education now.
INVESTMENT BASICS
You can not put together a complete investment strategy without an understanding of the investments that are included in the package. Nor can you build your own house without knowledge of the pieces, parts, and tools required. Concentrate on investment basics before you decide on what plan to go with, or you may not be able to finish the job successfully. This means that you need to understand the investment characteristics of stocks and bonds, and how they compare to each other and to other investment alternatives.
Only then can you learn how to invest and put together a complete investment strategy. Like I said, it’s fun to invest when you’re making money; but you’ve got to start with the investment basics. Most people don’t know stocks from bonds. Start by reading articles or other publications that get down to the basics. For example: what are stocks, what are their risks and potential rewards, and how do they compare to bonds and other investment alternatives.
Now you are ready to learn about mutual funds, which are the investment of choice for most average investors. For most people they are the easiest and best way to invest in stocks and bonds, plus other asset classes. Mutual funds are simply investment packages that are professionally managed for you. To pick the right funds you’ll need to understand the asset class they invest in: stocks, bonds, money market or specialty (other).
HOW TO INVEST
Now you’re ready to learn how to invest and put the pieces together with a sound investment strategy. ASSET ALLOCATION is a crucial part of your investing and financial education, because how you allocate your money to the various asset classes will determine your success or failure… more than anything else. Simply put, how much should you invest in stocks vs. bonds vs. other investments? This is also called your asset mix. It’s much more important than what specific investments or funds you pick.
Once you’ve put a balanced portfolio of investments together you’ve got a great foundation. But if you want to continue to build and prosper you’ll need an ongoing investment strategy to make additions and changes over time as necessary. Read articles on investment strategy, asset allocation, and how to invest. It will all come together for you if you start at the beginning and build a step at a time.
Learn to invest like your financial future depends on it. With Uncle Sam in debt up to his eyeballs and employers fighting to survive, it does.