What takes 5 minutes and will change your financial life? Setting up recurring investments. How can one little thing make such a big difference? Here are the basics of recurring investments and a comparison of investment saving accounts.
What are recurring investments?
Recurring investments are just what they sound like: Investments you make at a regular tempo into your portfolio. When you remove the human factor and make your investing automatic, you set yourself up for success.
How do they work?
It’s not so much how they work as to why they work. When you remove the human element of temptation to spend from your saving and investment strategy, you’re bound to be more successful overall. Think of recurring investments as the personal trainer of your finances. Sure, you could do it on your own, but you’ll be in a better place in the long run if you’ve got it on automatic – it’s all taken care of for you. You still have to do a little work, but the gains will be worth it.
How are savings accounts different than investment accounts?
Savings accounts definitely have a time and a place, that’s for sure, but it isn’t planning for your long-term goals. Savings accounts are great for little emergency funds or saving for your vacation next year, but not so much for your far away future. The average savings account pays interest at under 1%, but the stock market has returned around 7% on average for the past few decades. When you’re ready to make big money moves, you invest.
So while the methodology isn’t so different, the results are – and dramatically so. Consider this:
Contributing $100 per month to a savings account will get you to $12,613.20 after ten years.
Investing that same amount in the same decade will get you to $17,409.45.
Yep. By investing rather than saving, you will have earned just under $5,000.
And the question is…how do you get started?
The first step is to start investing. There are a lot of options when it comes to investing, but not all of them are as transparent as you’d like. Choose with your values in mind as well as your financial future.
The next step is simple: Set up a recurring monthly investment that falls within your budget. Need help finding the right portfolio that aligns with your values and goals, and figuring out how much you should be investing? Reach out to us @ info@investedinterests.com and we can help you get started!
