You do not
need to be affluent to start investing money, but this is imperative to stand
firm against soaring inflation. Thanks to modern investing methods, you can
build your portfolio by investing as little money as possible.
Savings
and investments are two different things. The former is required to cover
unexpected expenses such as car repair, laptop purchase, etc. However, the
latter helps maintain the value of your money. With the rising cost of living,
the buying power keeps falling down. You will need to invest money to make more
money.
Ask yourself why
There
are a couple of ways to invest money, but first, you need to know the reason
why you want to do it. This will help you set a target and stick to your
investment plan. You may be looking forward to investing money because:
·
You
want to make your money work for you.
·
Your
savings account does not offer attractive interest.
·
You
want to build your retirement funds faster.
·
You
want to take early retirement.
Are you ready to invest money?
You may
be tempted to invest your money to build your wealth sooner rather than later,
but you should wait until the right time comes. Do not forget that the money
you will invest will shrink your budget for regular expenses. You can start
investing money when:
·
You should pay off high-interest
debt
With
debts to be paid off, investing money is impossible. In fact, it does not make
sense at all. The money you use to buy stocks and funds can be used to settle
your debts. Outstanding balances will accrue interest, so make sure that you
clear your dues first.
·
Build an emergency fund
You
should have an emergency fund of at least three-month worth of living expenses.
Make it up to six months' worth of living costs if possible. Having an
emergency cushion before investing money will protect your finances when you
come across an emergency. However, you can borrow from private lenders in the UK
if you still need money.
4 tips to start investing money
with little money
Here are
the tips you should follow to start building an investment portfolio:
·
First, save some money
Taking a
chunk of money from your earnings may not be easy, so try to save up every week
or month as you feel comfortable. For instance, you can save up to £50 every
month. This is very little money, so it will not be much burden on you.
It seems
a very small sum, but it will add up to £600 at the end of the year. Put this
money into an envelope, jar, etc., and once you have saved some money, you can
invest it in stocks, mutual funds, etc.
·
Buy fixed deposit
Not
everyone is comfortable with investing money in volatile assets like shares. As
a beginner, you might not have a strong risk-bearing capacity. Try to choose
safer investment options as well. Experts suggest a mix of investments to have
a rich portfolio and fend off the risks of losing money.
A fixed
deposit is the safest investment. It means you will not be able to access that
money for a particular time. Your bank will give interest to you when it
matures. This is quite attractive compared to the interest you get in your
savings account.
You
should renew your fixed deposit so you keep earning interest annually. You can
also get interest every quarter. The benefit of having a fixed deposit is that
you can use the interest income for unexpected expenses. This is how you can
avoid taking out very bad
credit loans with no guarantor from a direct lender.
·
Contribute to employer’s
retirement plan
Enrolling
in an employer's pension scheme is a must, especially if you do not earn a lot
of money. Your employer will deduct a fixed sum of money from your current
salary. You can make a higher contribution if your budget allows.
If your
employer does not have a scheme to run pension funds, you should consider
contributing to a private pension fund. You will be responsible for
contributing money to the pension account every month. This will stay safe as
you cannot dip into it. You will cash out money at the time of retirement.
You can
increase your contribution by the year. As your increment goes up, you should
increase your contribution as well. If you contribute to your employer's retirement
plan, you can increase your contribution on top of the bare minimum. Your
savings will significantly increase.
·
Use robo-advisors
You can
invest money using your own knowledge or robo-advisors. As a beginner, it might
be difficult for you to research which stocks and bonds should be bought
manually. You will certainly need to consult a broker who will analyse your
risk-tolerance capacity.
However,
you do not need to consult a broker, as robo-advisors can do everything on your
behalf. You do not have to have any experience in the investing world.
Robo-advisors will ask you a couple of questions to know your investment goals
and risk-bearing capacity.
The
robo-advisor then uses this information to determine the assets in which money
should be invested. The best part about the use of robo-advisors is that you
will be able to create a low-cost, diversified investment portfolio. Do not
forget that you will have to pay some fees. However, it is very nominal.
The final word
Undoubtedly,
you can invest even with little money. You can consider various types of assets
to invest money in, like fixed deposits, shares, bonds, and mutual funds. Do
not forget to contribute to your pension account as well.
Before
you start investing money, you should clear your debts and have an emergency
cushion. An emergency corpus will help you tick over when financial emergencies
crop up. Investing money is crucial to prevent the present value of your money.
So, when are you going to invest money?