Written By Lyle Solomon
This piece is written by Lyle Solomon. Lyle has extensive legal experience as well as in-depth knowledge and experience in consumer finance and writing. He has been a member of the California State Bar since 2003. He graduated from the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, California, in 1998, and currently works for the Oak View Law Group in California as a Principal Attorney.
There is never a wrong time to begin investing, regardless of your age.
Low-cost, user-friendly investment applications have increased rapidly in the financial market, making investing more accessible.
Even if you’ve never taken an introductory investing class, you might be wondering, “Where should I start?” and “What should my first step be?”
An investment is any strategy that seeks to increase the value of money or assets over time. Investing is frequently associated with the stock market, but entails much more. The following are various types of investments to consider for beginners.
1) 401(k) or 403(b)
Your employer-sponsored retirement plan is another place to start investing your savings. Employers who provide these plans frequently match their employees’ contributions with their own at varying rates. If you’re a young investor with a lot on your plate, you might want to see if your employer will match a contribution to your retirement account.
For example, a 401(k) or 403(b) plan provides various options for putting your contributions and your employer’s contribution into, including various other investments.
2) Invest in bitcoin
Digital currencies, built on a tamper-proof blockchain to prevent financial nonsense, hold the promise of economic freedom and fiscal equality for any startup.
Digital currencies have many advantages, including eliminating third-party gatekeepers like banks, instant settlement transaction times, significantly lower transaction fees, and low-friction transfers to anywhere with an Internet connection. Those bitcoin benefits can be beneficial to almost any small business.
As small businesses gain access to global consumers, digital currencies are part of that expansion.
Digital currencies eliminate foreign currency exchange fees and wire transfer costs, and they provide nearly instant payment settlement regardless of where your customer lives. Millions of unbanked consumers will likely welcome bitcoin-friendly businesses like yours once they are connected to digital currencies.
You can start preparing your company for that future right now.
So, what is Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is a digital currency or digital form of money created in 2009. While that may not sound particularly interesting, what distinguishes bitcoin is purely person-to-person, with virtually no banks, financial institutions, or government bodies standing between you and your money.
Bitcoin is based on a technology system known as the blockchain, protecting your bitcoin wallet from fraud.
The digital format of the currency also allows for faster, cheaper, and easier cash exchanges, which may benefit many small businesses. Overall, the assets of Bitcoin stem from its decentralization. Blockchain technology, on which bitcoin is based, eliminates the need for you to rely on a bank to process your financial transactions.
Can Bitcoin investment put you at risk?
Buying Bitcoin, like any other speculative investment, obviously carries risk.
Since its inception, Bitcoin has been the first digital asset to give birth to the current digital currency ecosystem. It had an underground following of investors who saw it as a possible replacement for the physical monetary system for a long time.
Bitcoin has become popular as institutions and governments seek new ways to meet their customers’ increasing demand for exposure.
A traditional investor might invest in Bitcoin to protect themselves against inflation. Many investors are concerned about Bitcoin’s volatility. But volatility is expected to decrease indefinitely as institutions and governments enter the market with long-term interest.
3) Roth IRAs
If you do not have an employer-sponsored retirement plan, consider opening a Roth individual retirement account, also known as a Roth IRA. A Roth IRA allows you to invest in almost anything, including exchange-traded funds and mutual funds, and your money will grow tax-free. However, pre-retirement access to your money is severely restricted because it is designed to be a retirement savings vehicle.
There are penalties if you use the funds before reaching a certain age, and the money you invest is not tax-deductible like in a traditional IRA. However, because you won’t have to pay taxes on the money when you withdraw it in retirement, Roth IRAs are widely regarded as an excellent place to put your first long-term investments.
4) Bonds
These come under the general category of fixed-income securities. Usually, the term bond refers to any securities founded on debt. When we buy a bond, we lend our money to the government or a company. They agree to give interest on your money and gradually pay you back the amount you had lent out. One significant fact that makes bonds so popular is that they are relatively safe. Buying bonds from a stable government guarantees you an almost risk-free investment.
5) Dividend-paying stocks
A dividend is a payment made by a company to its shareholders from its profits.
When you invest in a company, they can distribute a portion of it to you, the investor, as a dividend if they make a profit. Allow your thoughts to return to the VUAG and VUSA ETFs. How dividends are distributed distinguishes the two.
Dividends will be distributed to VUSA investors. These can be used as additional income or help with regular expenses. Remember that they can either accumulate in your account or be distributed to you when you receive dividends.
VUSA puts money in your pocket, while VUAG puts money back into your investments. As your dividend payments are reinvested in dividend-generating assets, they will grow even more significantly the next time.
6) Stocks
A prevalent type of investment is a stock investment. You buy a part of a business when you buy stocks or equities. This investment allows you to receive the profits that the company allocates to its owners, but it also allows you to vote in the shareholders’ meetings. The profits that you get are called dividends. Stocks are pretty volatile when compared with bonds. This is because you are not guaranteed anything when you buy a stock as they keep fluctuating from day to day basis. Many stores don’t give dividends, and your only source of income is if the stock rises in value.
Benefits
The stock market has always attracted investors, whether retail or institutional. The glamor, glitz, and of course, the earning opportunities offered by the stock market are unparalleled. Moreover, introducing an online trading platform has raised investors’ participation in this market.
7) Getting rid of high-interest debt
This is an excellent option for obtaining a quick and high ROI.
Paying off high-interest debt, such as payday loans or credit cards, is a wise decision because you can earn a lot of money while improving your finances. You can settle your payday loan or consider any debt relief options to get out of debt.
Paying off high-interest debts ultimately allows you to create room in your monthly budget. You can save a significant amount on interest payments in the long run.
You can avoid paying interest by using a balance transfer method.
8) Mutual funds
This is a collection of both stocks and bonds. In a mutual fund, you are pooling money with other investors, which will enable you as a part of the group to pay a professional manager to select some specific securities for you. The main benefit of a mutual fund is that you can invest your money without having the time or experience of a proper investor with a sound mind to make the right investment decisions. This is because a professional does the work for you; theoretically, you should get a better return.
9) Investing in your real estate property
Unlike ordinary or traditional real estate financing, real estate investment financing is more complex and exciting. If you have excellent and precise knowledge of it, you will be able to get a good return on your Investment (ROI) and avoid incurring debt. To avoid incurring debt, calculate a mortgage using mortgage calculators.
Financing your investment property
First, you will have to decide what kind of investment property you will invest in. Then you will be able to finance your investment property adequately. You can look into “Seller financing contracts” to efficiently finance the investment property. You can also find private lenders and banks offering to finance investment properties.
Other than this, you can also consult a real estate lawyer who can help you get a better idea of your investments in real estate. A real estate lawyer generally offers counsel on the legal clauses included in the agreements of the lending institutions.
10) The Lending Club
Lending Club is a well-known peer-to-peer lending platform where you can easily invest in loans, primarily in companies and individuals. The loan terms on this platform will typically be three to five years. So, if you have the goal and the time to invest in a safe short-term investment platform, Lending Club is the right choice for you.
11) Deposit Certificates (CDs)
Banks and credit unions both offer CDs. Money deposited in a CD may yield a high rate of return for a set period. The period can last anywhere from three to five months, sometimes even more than a year.
The trick is that the more patient you are, the higher the interest rate. But keep in mind that if you withdraw the money before the CD term expires, you will be charged a penalty. Ensure you get your CD from an FDIC-insured financial institution; your CD will be insured for $250,000.
If you want to grow your income, you must have to invest your money. Mere savings do not fetch the desired returns.
Here it is to be noted that the early you start investing your money, the better it is for you. Your investment portfolio should consist of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and insurance. Before investing, you must gather knowledge about the benefits and drawbacks of different investing options.
If you are not confident about investing your money on your own, you can take the help of a professional investment advisor. The investment advisor will first analyze your financial situation, and after that, they will offer you the necessary investment guidelines depending on your future aims and requirements.
Watch: The BSV Global Blockchain Convention panel, Blockchain Venture Investments: Driving Utility for a Better World
