Effective ways to start investing money

I'm sure this is quite the rabbit hole to go down, but I've always found this community very helpful, and I don't know where to start. So I was hoping to learn from people that may have good experiences.

To get to the point, I have some goals for the future and this requires me to have more money than I do now. I'm not hurting by any stretch, but I also would like to do things to more future proof my investments.

I'm sure there are plenty of you out there that have tips. I'm not looking for a get rich quick scheme by any means. I was just hoping you guys could share some insights on things that worked for you.
 

Haint

Member
The easy mode "safe" long term investment recommendation is typically buying a total market ETF like VTIAX and holding it for decades. Some people like to hedge the bet with 15% or so in a total bond market ETF and 15% or so in a total international market ETF.
 
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RagnarokIV

Battlebus imprisoning me \m/ >.< \m/
Save it all in your closet or under your mattress. I go for a 50/50 portfolio using both.
 

AJUMP23

Parody of actual AJUMP23
Does this work? Can you withdraw your cash at any point?

you can withdraw the initial investment at any point without penalty. growth can be withdrawn tax free at 65 or under hefty penalty prior.

if you need to withdraw cash along the way use a traditional Ira. You will pay taxes on the growth and dividends annually.
 

cormack12

Gold Member
you can withdraw the initial investment at any point without penalty. growth can be withdrawn tax free at 65 or under hefty penalty prior.

if you need to withdraw cash along the way use a traditional Ira. You will pay taxes on the growth and dividends annually.
Are you US based? I think in the UK these are just ISAs yeah?
 

Doom85

Member
To get to the point, I have some goals for the future and this requires me to have more money than I do now.

someone vision GIF


“Goals”, eh? That require “more money”? Rather vague wording, yes, very vague wording indeed. Almost as if you don’t wish us to know what sort of goal this undefined amount of required money will be going towards….

You wouldn‘t happen to be one half of a certain mouse duo…..WOULD YOU?!

pinky and the brain GIF
 

Raven117

Member
We have no idea how old you are. What your “goals” are. But..

Open a vanguard account have a weekly or biweekly transfer peg it to the sp500. Leave it alone.

Roth IRA for the first 5500
Is a great way to start.

There is a lot of flash out there OP. Promising higher returns quick, safe, etc.

But man, just look at how compounding works. Getting a solid baseline of index tracking investments early sets you up long term without much sweat. As you get older (but not close to retirement age), you can start looking into riskier types of investment, but whatever happens, you have already working from a solid base.

This is slow and boring. But, if history is any indication, it works.

(None of this is financial advice… you really should get in touch with a financial advisor to help you)
 
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someone vision GIF


“Goals”, eh? That require “more money”? Rather vague wording, yes, very vague wording indeed. Almost as if you don’t wish us to know what sort of goal this undefined amount of required money will be going towards….

You wouldn‘t happen to be one half of a certain mouse duo…..WOULD YOU?!

pinky and the brain GIF
God damn it delete this now 😡😂
 
Just to be clear I'm in my 30s and I want to be able to afford some land and potentially do some farming. And by farming I mean like small scale vegetable gardening. Nothing too crazy, but I'd like to own some land where I can fish and target practice. I already have a house so that's something, but I know I'll need to think bigger financially.
 
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AJUMP23

Parody of actual AJUMP23
Just to be clear I'm in my 30s and I want to be able to afford some land and potentially do some farming. And by farming I mean like small scale vegetable gardening. Nothing too crazy, but I'd like to own some land where I can fish and target practice. I already have a house so that's something, but I know I'll need to think bigger financially.
Then you don’t want a Roth and you probably want and IRA where you can access the money when you need to make a down payment. I would still peg an index on the sp500 but I would use a traditional IRA.

IN 10 years you should double an investment without any additions.


You should be planning long term too though.
 

Rival

Gold Member
Kind of depends on what your exact situation is and when you want to achieve your goals. Do you already own your current home outright? Do you have any high interest debt like credit cards? Do you have a 401k at work with a company match? The best way is to invest consistently over a long period of time. Personally my plan is that I have paid off all debt minus my current mortgage which is locked in at a great rate of 2.9% which wouldn’t happen today. I’ve been saving cash over the last year and a half and will soon have 6 months of my current salary in a high yield savings account. Once I have that I will continue to increase my 401k each year until I am maxing out my allowed yearly contribution. I am already contributing more than enough to receive the full company match. After that I will continue to save in an IRA until I am maxing that out. At that point I will start making larger payments on my mortgage monthly until that is paid in full at which point I will have zero debt. Then possibly start investing any excess cash into other types of things. I do not have any kids which would completely change all of these plans.
 
Then you don’t want a Roth and you probably want and IRA where you can access the money when you need to make a down payment. I would still peg an index on the sp500 but I would use a traditional IRA.

IN 10 years you should double an investment without any additions.


You should be planning long term too though.
So what exactly is SP 500
 

AJUMP23

Parody of actual AJUMP23
So what exactly is SP 500
S&P 500 is an index.


The S&P 500 is a stock market index maintained by S&P Dow Jones Indices. It comprises 503 common stocks which are issued by 500 large-capcompanies traded on American stock exchanges (including the 30 companies that compose the Dow Jones Industrial Average). The index includes about 80 percent of the American equity market by capitalization. It is weighted by free-float market capitalization, so more valuable companies account for relatively more weight in the index. The index constituents and the constituent weights are updated regularly using rules published by S&P Dow Jones Indices. Although called the S&P 500, the index contains 503 stocks because it includes two share classes of stock from 3 of its component companies.[1][2]
 

Trogdor1123

Member
I gave my wife 50k a while to start investing with and my only stipulation was that she should only buy stocks that pay dividends. She did it through wealth simple as it has no fees.

Is that the best way to guarantee growth? No, of course not, but we were willing to have a bit smaller growth but have passive income. It’s been fairly lucrative so far.
 

MaestroMike

Gold Member
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I'm sure this is quite the rabbit hole to go down, but I've always found this community very helpful, and I don't know where to start. So I was hoping to learn from people that may have good experiences.

To get to the point, I have some goals for the future and this requires me to have more money than I do now. I'm not hurting by any stretch, but I also would like to do things to more future proof my investments.

I'm sure there are plenty of you out there that have tips. I'm not looking for a get rich quick scheme by any means. I was just hoping you guys could share some insights on things that worked for you.

It's not that deep of a rabbit hole in 2024. If you want to accumulate wealth over a long haul then the best investments for the long term are:

1. Register to a crypto exchange (like Kraken), buy Bitcoin (BTC) weekly/monthly/etc. at a fixed price, say, 100$? or 50$? Up to you. Just keep accumulating. The price will fluctuate, but 1 BTC will always be 1 BTC. Accumulate over a 5 year period, at least.

2. Register to a stock exchange, buy an ETF, i recommend the S&P 500 ETF weekly/monthly/etc. at a fixed price. As with Bitcoin, just keep accumulating. Tho this is for the longer haul - 10+ years.

Learn the ins and outs (like what an ETF is) through google and chatGPT. Just put aside an hour or so of your time, per day, to learn some shit, for a week. And start doing it. Time flies fast, you're in your 30s.

There are many, many other methods of accumulating wealth, but all of them are very risky. I suggest the above for a safe ride IF you're not in a hurry.
 

jason10mm

Gold Member
There are a couple of considerations for "investing"

A. Money for your retirement? Then a IRA is good start, it is capped with what you can add ($8k/yr currently) but if you start one early and let it grow till you hit 65 it's gonna be a million or more. If you do NOTHING else, at least consider this option. Roth IRA will grow and you can take the money out tax free. Traditional IRA reduces your taxes now, but you will pay taxes on it when you withdrawl. Personally its a bit of a wash I think, unless you will have a dramatic swing in income before or after retirement. A work related 401 is another vehicle like this.

B. Money for a short term "rainy day"? Then right now the High yield savings accounts or money markets/CDs are around 5%. Good way to stash money you might need but still have it grow a little.

C. Anything left over can go into taxable investments, of which there are plenty. Some prioritize growth, others dividends, etc, but you gotta file them on taxes and it can get a little complicated. Mutual funds or stocks indexed to the market are usually the easiest way to do it versus trying to guess what stocks might do well and day trading.
 

dave_d

Member
Are you at least maxing out your 401k or whatever your job offers? (Since there's usually a match and that's free money.) But like everyone said IRA next. (But you might want to just do a 3 fund portfolio like vtsax/vtiax/vbtlx and just keep adding money to it.)
 

Cyberpunkd

Member
Make a very diverse investment with something like Fidelity. Stocks have been kicking ass in the US and most of Europe the past four years. I've made well over 100k just choosing a moderate mix with Fidelity.
Stocks are always killing it, it’s just a matter of not panicking during short and medium term dips. Which a lot of people do and they lose money.
 

eddie4

Genuinely Generous
Take out loan, build time machine, go back to 2008, mine bitcoin, invest in stocks that will split/grow/etc, wait, profit.

On a serious note, open investment acc and invest in s&p500, its not quick cash, but it will build slowly.
i also have an acc in my home country that is tied to some euro dax & px1, and i deposit some cash there since i'm planning to retire back home.
 
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Terrtin

Neo Member
Kind of depends on what your exact situation is and when you want to achieve your goals. Do you already own your current home outright? Do you have any high interest debt like credit cards? Do you have a 401k at work with a company match? The best way is to invest consistently over a long period of time. Personally my plan is that I have paid off all debt minus my current mortgage which is locked in at a great rate of 2.9% which wouldn’t happen today. I’ve been saving cash over the last year and a half and will soon have 6 months of my current salary in a high yield savings account. Once I have that I will continue to increase my 401k each year until I am maxing out my allowed yearly contribution to the house from Geraldton Property management. I am already contributing more than enough to receive the full company match. After that I will continue to save in an IRA until I am maxing that out. At that point I will start making larger payments on my mortgage monthly until that is paid in full at which point I will have zero debt. Then possibly start investing any excess cash into other types of things. I do not have any kids which would completely change all of these plans.
Kinda good plan i think. I don't own the house so the most money i earn i need to spend to rent. Food is also kinda a big trouble if you look to the prices. I think the most important is to have your own house and not to be threaten to be on a street some day
 

Alebrije

Member
goldmember-austin-power.gif


gold_10_year_o_x_usd.png


Start with safe invest like goverment bons or gold , they won't give you a Lot of monet but protect You from inflation.

Then put some money on SP500 and learn how it works. Never put all yout money on one asset, have 50/50, 30/30/30, etc

Also depends your Age if You are on your 50's don't fuck with stocks unless You jave a Lot of useless Money that if You lose it won't affect your lifestyle for decades.
 
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Hookshot

Member
In the UK every April you can dump 20,000 into an ISA tax free. But some times the rates aren't great.

You can also put up to 50,000 into Premium bonds tax free which have a chance of winning you money up to 1,000,000 but they are reducing the prize rates.
 

devilNprada

Member
I am old school.. I prefer property investments. Invest now and build to more passive income, and/or cash in on the appreciation later on.

Edit: I know easier said then done, but begin with a starter home. When you build equity; use it to buy a new home, and rent the first house out to pay for itself.
Eventually you will build enough properties with equity to sell off something to pay down debt on the other properties which then becomes passive income.

Building passive income is the key to early retirement, had i started 10 years ago I would be retired by now. At the time I felt it was too stressful to take on all that debt.
 
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Mr Reasonable

Completely Unreasonable
In the UK every April you can dump 20,000 into an ISA tax free. But some times the rates aren't great.

You can also put up to 50,000 into Premium bonds tax free which have a chance of winning you money up to 1,000,000 but they are reducing the prize rates.

If you don't need the money short term (years), then better to take that ISA allowance and put it in a Stocks and Shares ISA, if you buy a fund it's much less risky than buying individual shares. A lot of people have been putting money in the S&P500 thanks to it's long run of good results, which has ground to a halt under the current president, I have some money in the S&P500 which has lost money recently, but my other funds are all up. One to consider for risk-averse people is an all-world fund, which essentially invests in everything all round the world. The Value of the stock market when zoomed out enough always goes up over time - sometimes things lose money, but you've only lost money if you have to take it out. If you can wait, you can wait for it to improve, which historically it always has done.
 

dave_d

Member
One one other piece of advice. Unless you're retiring now, don't "invest" in annuities. (Annuities are for distribution of money, they're garbage as an investment.) Especially steer clear of variable and fixed annuities. (They border on fraud.)
 
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Edmund

is waiting for Starfield 7
I am old school.. I prefer property investments. Invest now and build to more passive income, and/or cash in on the appreciation later on.

Edit: I know easier said then done, but begin with a starter home. When you build equity; use it to buy a new home, and rent the first house out to pay for itself.
Eventually you will build enough properties with equity to sell off something to pay down debt on the other properties which then becomes passive income.

Building passive income is the key to early retirement, had i started 10 years ago I would be retired by now. At the time I felt it was too stressful to take on all that debt.

Yeah. I'm renting out my house and also investing in bank stocks for dividends with good yield (About 6.2%). Just a little pissed that because of Trump, my bank stocks have fallen by 7% just this week alone. Made a paper loss of about $6k and counting.

I'm in my early 30s and hope to retire at 50.
 
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Unknown?

Member
goldmember-austin-power.gif


gold_10_year_o_x_usd.png


Start with safe invest like goverment bons or gold , they won't give you a Lot of monet but protect You from inflation.

Then put some money on SP500 and learn how it works. Never put all yout money on one asset, have 50/50, 30/30/30, etc

Also depends your Age if You are on your 50's don't fuck with stocks unless You jave a Lot of useless Money that if You lose it won't affect your lifestyle for decades.
Just hit $3k an oz today in USD. It's good against inflation for sure, sadly the rapid rise in price is simply a signal of a failing currency.

One one other piece of advice. Unless you're retiring now, don't "invest" in annuities. (Annuities are for distribution of money, they're garbage as an investment.) Especially steer clear of variable and fixed annuities. (They border on fraud.)
Not to mention with Annuities(and stocks, bonds, etfs, etc) you don't actually own them. You are a beneficial owner but not the actual owner and there are other entities entitled to the money before you if something goes wrong.

 
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rm082e

Member
I invest with Vanguard. I have a brokerage account and a Roth IRA. I have automatic deposits setup for each of those accounts every paycheck. When the money lands in Vanguard, I go in and buy ETFs. I try to keep invested in whatever's doing well at the time. I typically try to spread each account across 4-6 different ETFs that deal with different market sectors - US stocks, European, specialty sectors like Technology, Financials, Healthcare, etc. I have a quarterly calendar reminder to go review the list of all Index ETFs and sort by the highest rate of return over the last few months. If I have money in an ETF that was doing well and has dropped off, I'll look at selling it and buying whatever has replaced it.

The point of all this is it's an easy system to manage on my own. Because I'm following a rule based template and dealing only in Index funds, the costs stay low. They also make the tax paperwork easy at the end of the year.
 

AJUMP23

Parody of actual AJUMP23
I invest with Vanguard. I have a brokerage account and a Roth IRA. I have automatic deposits setup for each of those accounts every paycheck. When the money lands in Vanguard, I go in and buy ETFs. I try to keep invested in whatever's doing well at the time. I typically try to spread each account across 4-6 different ETFs that deal with different market sectors - US stocks, European, specialty sectors like Technology, Financials, Healthcare, etc. I have a quarterly calendar reminder to go review the list of all Index ETFs and sort by the highest rate of return over the last few months. If I have money in an ETF that was doing well and has dropped off, I'll look at selling it and buying whatever has replaced it.

The point of all this is it's an easy system to manage on my own. Because I'm following a rule based template and dealing only in Index funds, the costs stay low. They also make the tax paperwork easy at the end of the year.
I hope you are using a Roth, so that you can not pay taxes on the growth.
 

devilNprada

Member
I'm in my early 30s and hope to retire at 50.
Make a plan and stick with it. It will not come without a lot of sacrifice and pain, but just keep your head down and keep plugging away until you see that light at the end of the tunnel.

I just can't tell you that it has all been worth it.
 
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