If you are like many people, you know that investing is something you probably should be doing, but you’d much rather spend that money on the here and now. After all, who knows what’s going to happen tomorrow, and anyway, don’t you have to be wealthy or an expert on stocks in order to invest wisely? These are common misconceptions. The fact is that there is no better time than now to start investing, and the reasons below may help convince you.
It’s Fun
This may come as a surprise, but you can have fun investing. One way to do that is by getting into penny stocks. This is a volatile investing option in which shares are sold at very low prices, meaning that if they go up again in value, you can make a great deal of money. It’s risky in terms of the likelihood of a great return on your investment, but the low cost of the shares means that you have a lot of control over how much risk. To lower that risk further, find the best penny stocks to buy now by reviewing a trading guide. Penny stocks may not belong as the centerpiece of your investment portfolio, but they can be a fun way to get your feet wet or potentially see a big return.
Compound Interest
This may be the biggest reason not to delay any longer. The idea behind compound interest is that as the principal sum you invested earns interest, that interest in turn earns additional interest. This is one of the keys to how you grow wealth. As an example, $1,000 at a compound interest rate of 10% over 40 years can grow to more than $50,000, and this is if you don’t add anything else to that initial deposit. This demonstrates how wealth can grow if you start younger, but even older adults can benefit from starting today.
It’s Easy
Another great reason to take the leap is that it’s easy. You don’t need much money–even $500 or $100 is enough–and you don’t need to hire a broker to manage it for you. If you don’t want to pull out cash from your traditional accounts you could even plan to invest your tax refund annually so that you never see a dip in your daily accounts. It’s as easy as going online and setting up a brokerage account that allows you to put together a portfolio. If you don’t know what to put in your portfolio, you can get help, either from an actual person or a robo-advisor.
It’s Okay to Get It Wrong
Some are scared away from investing because they’ve heard horror stories about an unscrupulous financial professional losing a client’s money or about stock market crashes that leave people penniless, but these types of things really are the exception and not the rule, and there is plenty you can do to protect yourself against them. Diversifying and keeping an eye on your money, even if someone else manages it for you, can prevent these outcomes. It’s okay to make mistakes and choose the wrong investments sometimes. Over time, these things tend to even out, and the value of your money will grow, which won’t happen if you keep it in a low-interest savings account.