There’s an old saying that my grandma likes to use. And that’s ‘if you look after the pennies, the pounds will take care of themselves’. And, when you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. Sadly, I never listened to any of my grandma’s little pearl’s of wisdom’s when I was growing up. And instead of saving my pennies when I started working at 17, I would spend them on clothes, makeup, designer handbags and nights out with the girls.
Looking back, I wish I’d done things differently, and chosen to invest some of my money instead of squandering it away on things I didn’t really need. It would have given me the chance to help my two children out financially when they left school, prepared me for retirement or helped me on to the property ladder. And instead I have nothing.
Luckily, it’s never too late to start saving for the future. And after doing a lot of research online, I’ve decided that I’m going to start investing some of my pay-cheque into a stocks and shares ISA each month. So, for today’s post, I thought I’d share 5 great reasons to invest your money in case it’s something that might interest you too. I hope you enjoy having a read.
01. IT GIVES YOU SOMETHING TO FOCUS ON
If you don’t start thinking about money when you’re young, it can be super easy to get trapped into living beyond your means. Everyone needs to understand their financial situation in order to decide how much to spend, how much to save and how much to invest. Be deliberate about your priorities. I wish someone had told me to start saving when I was 17 and starting my first full-time job with a monthly pay-cheque. Once my board was paid I spent everything on clothes and nights out – what a waste! The sooner you start saving and investing, the sooner you can buy something substantial.
02. IT WILL HELP YOU BECOME FINANCIALLY INDEPENDENT
One thing I’ve realised over the years that is that it isn’t wise to rely on others when it comes to money. It makes more sense to build your own little nest egg while you can and take care of your own financial health. It really doesn’t matter what you do for work – you should be able to control your life and take care of yourself. I know a lot of people in their 30’s and 40’s who still rely on the bank of mum and dad when life throws them a stumbling block, and I don’t think it’s fair. It’s much better to take control of your finances while you’re young, whether that’s via a savings account, investing in a crypto project like titano finance, or just finding a way to generate a bit of extra money for yourself, and pay your own way.
03. IT WILL HELP YOU REACH YOUR GOALS
Whether you dream about buying a new house, a new car or saving for the trip of a lifetime, this is your motivation to invest. I know from experience that most people aren’t driven by a need to make money for the sake of it. I mean, I’m happy enough without it. Investing feels a lot more rewarding when you have a personal goal in mind, and you can make things happen above and beyond what you’d normally be able to with your usual monthly wage.
04. YOU CAN SUPPORT WORTHY CAUSES
If you believe strongly in certain companies or causes then this could be another great reason for you to invest. This is because investing gives people the ability to ‘vote’ with their money, enabling companies and causes they believe in. An example of this could be that some people may choose only to invest in companies that have a higher percentage of women on their boards, whereas others may want to invest in companies who are against animal testing. The possibilities are endless!
05. YOU CAN AVOID MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
If you sit and think about it, ‘not investing’ is a risk to your capital. Not giving yourself the opportunity to grow your wealth is almost certainly as risky as being in the market. You’ll always be wondering what would have happened if you’d taken the leap of faith and given investing a try. Would you have lived in a nicer house, taken the holiday of a lifetime or been able to give your kids an amazing start in life? I know I’d rather take the risk now than wish I’d given it a go in another ten years time or so.
BONUS TIP
If you’re looking to diversify your investment portfolio and potentially amplify your returns, consider exploring futures trading. Futures contracts allow you to speculate on the future price movements of various assets, including commodities, currencies, and stock market indices. By leveraging the inherent volatility of these markets, skilled traders can seize opportunities to generate profits.
Can you make money trading futures? You absolutely can, and there’s plenty of potential within the process! In fact, trading futures offers several advantages, including liquidity, leverage, and the ability to profit in both rising and falling markets.
To find out more about investing your money, make sure you head on over to moneyfarm.com, where there’s loads of information and resources to help you decide whether or not it’s for you. It’s worth remembering that by making an investment, your capital is at risk. And the value of your investment depends on market fluctuations, meaning you may get back less than you originally put in. If you think investing may be for you, but you’re still a little unsure, I highly recommend speaking to a financial advisor.
Have you guys ever invested your money before?
If so, let me know how you got on in the comments below.
Twitter | Facebook | Bloglovin | Instagram | Pinterest
Copyright protected by Digiprove © 2018 Louise Smith
Hello, I was always taught from a young age to invest or save for something big. I agree that finding that motivation to invest is key because that is what will drive you and when you reach that goal you’ll feel rewarded. I’m lucky to have bought a house with the hubs in our twenties because these days it’s a rarity.
This is so true- I believe that you should save in any form for a rainy day and have a bit extra too. It’s always a juggle to save or to enjoy life. I would like to invest in a second home one day but maybe only after I pay for mine so I am not stretched
I never realised how easy it was to invest. I always thought it was to complicated so haven’t even considered it previously. Thank you so much for sharing these tips.
I’m like you and wished I saved more as a young adult and thought more about our future especially now as we can never save enough for a mortgage deposit after paying all the bills and child care each month. We’ve set up a bank account for our daughter and pay in each week so hopefully she will have a more secure future
I wish I was in a situation where I could afford to save even a pound a month. Only my partner works now as when I was working I was paying out more due to childcare and travel costs. Hopefully when she is at nursery I will find a suitable little job so I can save x
I’ve never invested before but it is something I am considering once my income is a little more and my outgoings are a little less.
Hi Lou
We always lived on the breadline growing up and I remember our Mum always encouraging us to save. The problem is, she really wouldn’t have known how to invest so that knowledge was never passed down. Thank you for this article and providing readers like me with the knowledge we have been wanting!