Using your budget as a guide can help you get started in finding some wiggle room in your funds to invest. Note A practical budget can provide security through savings, ample disposable income, and the extra cash you need to invest for the short and long term. Like any other big life decision, investing requires preparing for life's uncertainties.
The U. Securities and Exchange Commission SEC advises taking several steps with your personal finances prior to investing, including creating an emergency fund. Open a savings account and label it an emergency fund , then determine how much money you want to keep in it. This portion of funds will act as a backup plan, should you run into unexpected financial upheaval, such as needed hospital care or losing a job. How much to keep in the fund is an individual decision based on a variety of factors, including how much money you need to survive each month cost of living , and how comfortable you are with the consistency and sustainability of your income.
Look back on your budget and expense history as one way to decide how many months' worth of expenses you will keep in an emergency fund. Note Many financial advisors recommend having at least six months of living expenses saved. Pay Down Debt One of the best investment approaches in your 20s is to pay off high-interest debt.
If you owe money on credit cards, it may be helpful to pay off the balance before investing. Also assess your lower-interest debt, such as student loans. Does the monthly payment prevent you from investing as much as possible?
If you reduce your debt, you will likely free up cash in your budget that can be used to invest. Factors to Consider When Investing in Your 20s By preparing to invest , you have put yourself in the best personal financial situation you can. Risk Tolerance You often hear that the younger you are, the more investment risk you can take on.
It really comes down to risk tolerance —your ability and willingness to lose a portion or all of your investment in exchange for the possibility of greater returns. As a younger individual, you generally have less to lose, as compared to, say, a year-old saving money to buy a home for his growing family. At the same time, accepting some financial risk often delivers greater rewards. Note Historically, stocks, bonds, and mutual funds have higher risks and potentially higher returns than savings products, making them the most common investment products.
Stocks are considered one of the riskiest investments, as there is no guarantee of making a profit. Time Horizon As someone in their 20s, your time horizon—the amount of time measured in months, years, or decades you need to invest in order to achieve your financial goal—is automatically greater than someone in their 50s. If you have a shorter time horizon, you're more likely to take less risk.
It's important to consider your time horizon and the financial goals that you are trying to achieve through investing. A short-term financial goal might include saving for a new car, which would likely be better served by a savings account or relatively low-risk money market fund. However, a long-term financial goal, such as retirement or buying a home ten years from now, might allow you to take on more risk since you have a longer time horizon to recover from any market downturns.
Developing both short and long-term financial goals can help you stay on track with your saving and investment strategy allowing you to build wealth in your 20s and beyond. Tax Benefits It's also important to consider taxes. With this in mind, you should always consider tax-advantaged investment vehicles, such as an IRA and workplace k programs.
The sooner you start investing for retirement, the better. Depending on what vehicles you have available and the choice you make, you might be able to contribute pre-tax income to a retirement account. Another option is investing after-tax money, but not paying taxes on withdrawals. Note When thinking about the impact of taxes on your investments now and as you get older, consider reaching out for guidance.
Choosing Investment Options in Your 20s Your investment portfolio in your 20s will likely involve achieving diversification , which is a key aspect of an investment strategy. By diversifying, you're spreading your money out across various types of investments to reduce risk. Most risky: Individual stocks, relatively aggressive mutual funds or ETFs, real estate. Less risky: Bonds and bond funds. Most investors achieve diversification by keeping money in several of these options.
You might own a basket of individual stocks, mutual funds that span indexes and sectors, and a relatively conservative bond fund. A k allows you to avoid that. That can get you in the door of several ETFs for very little money.
Here's how to open a brokerage account THE PAYOFF Not to question your stock-picking skills, but researching, selecting and managing individual stocks is challenging — even the pros can screw this up. Going with index funds could easily save you a few hours a week. With a k , that help is typically available through a target-date fund. This type of fund adjusts to take less risk as you age. You can pick one by using the date in its name, which is supposed to line up as closely as possible to when you plan to retire.
Keep in mind that you can always swap to a different fund later. These companies charge a percentage of your account balance for their services and investing tips. Many big players such as Wealthfront and Betterment cost less than 0.
But the last of our general investing tips is that over time, you need to save more. To figure out how much you should shoot for, use a retirement calculator , preferably one that gives you a monthly savings goal. Then work your way there in little jumps.


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