📈 Investing Wisely: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Financial Success in Your 20s 👫

1. Introduction

Have you ever asked yourself if you could be spending your money more wisely? Do you sometimes find yourself broke or close to having no money? What if I told you that there were 8 things you can do with the little money you have right now to build a financially stable future?

1.1 Insights from Those in Their 40s and 50s (Experiences and Regrets)
They say your 20s are the most important years of your life. Just ask the 40 and 50-year-olds. They will tell you endless stories of how they wish they had started investing early and spent their money wisely. Although everyone keeps telling you, you need to start saving and investing. Where and what exactly should you invest in while you are young?

In this article, we will solve this problem for you. We will give you 7 different investments you should consider. It may not be possible to invest in all of them, but make sure you evaluate each and everyone and pick at least 4. The first two, we believe, are a must.

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2. Get a Retirement Plan as Soon as Possible

You have to get a retirement plan, no question. Here's why. If you start early, you will get an early jump on retirement savings and harness the power of compounding interest in your favor. A year's difference in retirement savings could amount to thousands of dollars, so start today if you haven't already.

2.1 Strategic Approach to Retirement Contributions
If you start contributing $500 a month to a retirement plan with a return of 7%, at the age of 25, you will have about $2 million at retirement. But let's say you did not take our advice and procrastinated for 10 years. Now you are 35, saving $1,000 a month into a retirement plan with a return of 7%. You will have about $1,600,000 at retirement.

This is 20% less, even though the annual contribution is 50% higher. It's clear to see from our simple example that the earlier you start, the more money you will have. When it comes to compound interest and the compounding effect it has on your money over time, time is your greatest advantage. If you want to have more money in your retirement, you have to start early. It's not about how much you put in. You can start with a small amount of let's say $100 and increase it over time. But if you can start with a lot more, by all means, go for it. It's not about how much you put in, although a large amount certainly helps. When it comes to compound interest and the compounding effect it has on your money, time is your greatest advantage. The earlier you start, the more bountiful you will reap. Just as the example before showed.

2.2 The Tax Advantages of Retirement Plans
The other reason why a retirement plan is so awesome is you get tax deferrals. And who doesn't want to pay less taxes, right? Tax deferral benefits are just as magical. But let's say for some reason you opt to invest the same amount as before, so $500 a month in a taxable investment option, with a tax marginal rate of 25%. The returns you get will be lowered to 5.25%. So instead of about $2 million you would have received with a retirement plan, you will instead receive about $1,300,000, which is about 35% less. The best retirement plans are the 401k or 403b plans for those who are employed and the traditional or Roth IRA plans for those without a plan from their workplace.

3. Invest in Yourself

I know you probably didn't think this would be here, but of what rational importance is having a car with a non-functional engine? By investing in yourself, we mean taking care of all factors that affect you. This includes your health and mind. Invest in proper healthcare insurance and adopt a healthy lifestyle.

3.1 Continuously Learn and Enhance Your Skills
Also, continuously take courses to increase your knowledge and know-how because, let's face it, you don't want to be 50 and struggling to study. Take advantage of the fact that you are young to study more, enroll for your masters, an MBA, or even a PhD, and take as many professional courses within your career path.

Not only will this boost your knowledge but also open more opportunities for better paying jobs or help you manage your business better if you are an entrepreneur. It's not about how much you put in, although a large amount certainly helps. When it comes to compound interest and the compounding effect it has on your money, time is your greatest advantage. The earlier you start, the more bountiful you will reap. Just as the example before showed.

4. Consider the S&P 500 Index Funds

The S&P 500 index has given investors an average return of 10% from 1926. It is one of the safest and most rewarding investments. For example, if you invest $10,000 in certificates of deposit with an annual return of 2% from the age of 25 with a plan of retiring at 65, you'd have $22,000 at retirement.

4.1 Discover the Risk and Rewards in S&P 500 Investments
But by investing the same amount in the S&P 500 index funds with an average annual rate of 10%, you'd have $400,000 at retirement. This is more than 20 times as much as you would have received in the CDs option. However, please note that the 10% return rate on S&P funds is an average acquired from the last 10 years. You may lose 20% in one year and gain 40% in the next, as the rates can fluctuate drastically. However, when you are young, this is a risk you can afford to take.

5. Explore Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Homeownership

Also known as REITs, these trusts are another type of growth-type investment that you can't ignore in your 20s. If you can't yet afford to invest in real estate or buy property, this is a great channel for you.

5.1 The Advantages of REITs Over Single Property Investments
By investing in a real estate investment trust, you are taking the opportunity to hold a portfolio of commercial real estate. We believe this is a better option than owning a single real estate unit because your investment portfolio will be diversified and invested in multiple properties within different regions, giving you better security on your investment.

5.2 Grab the Opportunities of Financial Accessibility and Commercial Property
One great advantage is, that this investment type will give you the advantage of investing in commercial property, which often does better than residential properties. If you are still not sure if you should invest here, consider the fact that real estate has been one of the best-performing investments over the past 5 decades. Secondly, real estate moves independently of the stock market. So it's possible for an REIT to provide continuous positive returns, even when the stock market is not doing so great.

6. The Security and Dream of Buying a Home

Nothing can give you more security than having your own house. Owning your own house is everyone's dream, and owning your own home is also a great investment. It will not only give you peace of mind, security, and a place to call home during your not-so-youthful years, but owning a house will let you build substantial equity over time.

6.1 Financial Benefits of Homeownership
Owning a home will give you leverage. You can own a home with down payments as little as 5% or nothing, depending on which part of the world you are living in. This can give you the appreciation benefit. On a $300,000 property, with an out-of-pocket investment of as little as $15,000, even if you simply pay off your mortgage within 30 years, your house will go up in value and grow to more than the $300,000 you paid for it, thanks to the appreciation factor.

6.2 Considerations and Challenges of Buying a Home in Your 20s
However, as great as owning a house is, buying your home while young has a downside. At a young age, you may not be in a position to settle within a given geographic location. You may also incur transfers within your career to other locations. However, if this happens, you can always rent out your home or furnish it and lease it on platforms such as Airbnb. Buying a home is an excellent investment while young. However, buying a house is a big financial decision, so make sure you are absolutely certain before buying a house.

7. The Role of Robo-Advisors in Automated Investing

If you have been following through with this article, then you must have noted when we mentioned investing in real estate stocks, through REITs, and the S&P 500 index funds. These are great investment options, but you may not be so comfortable dishing out your money there on your own. If that is the case, you could use a Robo-Advisor. Robo-Advisors are online, automated investment platforms which will make all the investment decisions on your behalf. This includes creating a portfolio for you and managing it accordingly in the future. Sounds crazy, right? But let's face it, not everyone is a Warren Buffett.

7.1 Benefits of Robo-Advisors for Automated Investing
These automated platforms will reinvest your dividends periodically rebalance your portfolio and will offer you expert tax strategies to minimize your taxable investment revenue to the utmost minimum. All you will need to do is fund your account and let the robots do all the work. It's hands-off investing at its best. These automated platforms will typically invest in a mix of bonds and stocks and at times some REITs, creating an optimum portfolio.