Do you have some extra money that’s begging to be spent on travel? Hold on one second before you book that plane ticket, hop on a train, or pack your car for an upcoming road trip. We’re here to help you learn more about why you should invest that travel money before venturing out.
People invest because it helps them build wealth on top of the money they earn. You might be wondering when the best time to invest is. It’s beneficial to begin investing as early as possible. While you can begin investing your money today, there are a number of reasons why people procrastinate on this financial initiative. People can stall investment efforts due to:
- Negative market perspectives
- Fear of not knowing enough about investing
- The idea of waiting for a “perfect time”
Don’t let fear dictate your ability to achieve returns on investments. You put in work for your money, so your money needs to work equally as hard for you. Time is your primary ally when it comes to investing. Allowing your money to grow over a prolonged period tends to generate better returns than investing larger amounts of money later on in life. There’s a good chance that you’ll have to work more years if you don’t take that initial investment step sooner rather than later.
All investment efforts can begin with a single dollar, so why not start today and take charge of your financial security? Let’s examine all of the key ways that you can benefit from investing.
Investing Is Easier Than Ever Thanks to Today’s Technology
Investing might generate mental images of bustling offices, stacks of paperwork, and confusion through and through. You can redefine and streamline the way you invest with the help of easy-to-use apps and online platforms. Some of these investing apps and online brokerage platforms include:
- Vanguard
- Fidelity
- Robinhood
- Acorns
- Stash
- E*Trade
- Charles Schwab
The first two are well-known platforms that walk you through filling out their forms online. You can’t go wrong with either of them. Vanguard is owned by those investing in their funds. If you set up a Roth IRA, you will deposit already-taxed earned income that grows, and your realized gains will not be taxed when you take them out after age 59 after you’ve had your account for five years. You can always take out your principal, or the earned income you’ve deposited.
Two of the more recently popular apps from the above list are Robinhood and Acorns.
Robinhood
Robinhood is a free-trading app that helps you trade stocks, options, and exchange-traded funds and purchase cryptocurrencies without losing money on commissions and fees. Investors using the Robinhood app can purchase fractional stock shares to have an easier time building their investment portfolios. It’s helpful to know that Robinhood is one of the few brokers that give you the opportunity to buy cryptocurrency.
You can ease your investment anxiety with Robinhood’s barebone, easy-to-navigate interface that’s mobile-friendly. Just be aware they stopped investors from being able to buy Gamestop in its first run-up in January 2021.
Acorns
Acorns is an app and web platform that rounds up debit and credit card purchases to the next dollar before investing the spare change differential into a low-risk, moderate-risk, or high-risk stock portfolio. You’ll have these spare change roundups subtracted from your account every time you build up to a $5 balance.
Think about how many times you use your debit or credit cards in a month. All of that spare change can grow into a nice-looking portfolio over time.
Compound Interest Earnings
Allow your money to make money by investing and enjoying the benefits of compound interest. You can earn money through compound interest by receiving percentage returns on the cash that you invest.
An example of compound interest earnings could be a 10% annual return on a $100 investment. Your initial investment plus its compound interest would then equal $110. One significant aspect of compound interest is the fact that you don’t have to keep investing money to continue collecting the interest.
Investing Helps You Battle Inflation
While leaving money inside of your checking and savings accounts doesn’t require work, inflation rates will decrease that money’s purchase power over time. It’s essential to know that many inflation reports today are conservative, while sectors like healthcare and education are rapidly driving up costs. Diversifying your assets is a smart strategy when you’re working to protect your money from inflation.
Work Toward a More Secure Retirement
It’s appropriate to state that nobody wants to spend their retirement years hard at work. Retirement savings are great—but you can make this money even more valuable by investing it into a diversified portfolio. The sooner you start, the more you’ll end up with. People investing in their retirement accounts generally adopt riskier portfolios to start before transitioning into moderate- and low-risk investments later on in life.
Grow Your Financial Knowledge
Investing is something that requires continual education. Opening yourself up to learning about investing can provide you with mental stimulation that motivates you to seek more knowledge, which leads to more exceptional results.
You may be wondering why the world of investing calls for ongoing research. In essence, markets are variable and fast-paced. There are also many varieties of investments. Market legislation and conditions can all change at a moment’s notice. Catalysts that initiate these changes can include health crises, wars, and financial crashes.
You Don’t Have to Be a Perfect Investor
A certain percentage of the population might postpone investing due to fears of making mistakes. It’s natural to have this fear considering that investment mistakes can cost you your hard-earned money.
The best part about getting started investing as early as possible is that you’re giving yourself time to make mistakes early on. Knowing that you’ll have some added security from compound interest can supply you with some peace of mind when you’re considering beginning your investing journey. Adopting a learner’s mentality gives you room to turn small failures into larger successes in the long run.
Opportunities for Diversified Returns on Investments
One perspective that can put you on the investment path is valuing diversification. Placing emphasis on diversification allows you to feel less pressure if certain investments aren’t performing the way you hoped. This idea of diversification can be applied to financial management as a whole concept. Placing a stock portfolio alongside CDs (Certificate of Deposits) and savings can help guide you through a tough time if income from your work dries up.
Stocks Have Trended Upward Historically
It’s easy to get lost in negative attitudes and conversations aimed at the stock market. While some of these perspectives may hold a certain level of validity, stocks have held an upward trend over the past 100 years. This rising trend has to do with the continual growth of U.S. and global economies.
Evaluating the overall historical patterns of the stock market highlights how your money can begin working for you as time progresses. You have empirical evidence that proves you’d make a lot of money holding a stock portfolio for 30 or 40 years.
More Future Travels
Don’t let all this talk about delaying your travels get you down! Solid returns on investments can put you in a future position where you’re able to travel more frequently and luxuriously. Start investing today to travel more opulently tomorrow. Are you ready to start earning from the world of investing?
Benefits of Banking with TPFCU
You gain a strong running start on your investment journey if you work with an institution that has your financial goals in mind. The People’s Federal Credit Union (TPFCU) is that financial institution.
TPFCU helps our members manage and invest their money the right way. Our Amarillo-based Texas credit union gives you instant access to tools, products, and services that make a positive difference in the way you take control of your finances. One of these tools is our online Financial Wellness Center.
In essence, TPFCU’s Financial Wellness Center helps you grow your financial knowledge regarding key areas like mortgages, savings, investing, and more. This path of continual learning aims to set you up for success in your investment endeavors. A membership with TPFCU will help you take advantage of all that our Financial Wellness Center has to offer.
You don’t have to feel overwhelmed when you’re looking to expand your financial knowledge. Our Financial Wellness Center outlines vital concepts in easily digestible two to seven interactive segments. You can visit TPFCU Financial Wellness Center from the comfort of your home and take quizzes after lessons that help solidify your new learnings that give you an edge in the world of investing.
You can call The People’s Federal Credit Union at 806-359-8571 or visit our Amarillo branch in person to get assistance with acquiring a membership, finding loans at exceptional rates, and receiving more information on additional investment opportunities like CDs.
