Shutterstock
If you’re looking to turn your savings into an investment in your future, you’re not alone. More people than ever are turning to financial products like high-yield savings accounts and even the stock market to grow their money into wealth for the future. But how do you get started with these investments? Which investments are the best for someone who’s looking to dip their toes into the water?
Let’s take a look at some of the best investments for beginners.
If your employer offers a retirement account, like a 401(K), then you should consider signing up for the program. Often, employers who offer these accounts also offer to match a certain percentage of your paycheck that you choose to invest in the account. For instance, if your employer offers a five percent match, you could set aside five percent of your paycheck for your retirement account and your employer would match every dollar.
That’s essentially free money for your future. It’s a good idea to max out that match and get every penny you can out of it, because 401(K) accounts and other retirement accounts grow in value over time. The sooner you start investing in them, the more money you’ll have when you retire. And, since these accounts are taxed at a lower rate than some investments if you only tap into them when you’re retired, you get access to a great deal of extra money to help with your expenses once you’re finished working.
Another low-risk option for a beginner investor is a high-yield savings account. These are a bit different than the kinds of savings account offered through your normal bank and can kick back considerably more interest over the long run than a normal savings account.
If you’ve got enough money to meet the minimum balance requirements, these kinds of accounts can be a great “set it and forget it” kind of investment. For the best results, you could consider setting up an auto-draft so that a portion of your paycheck automatically goes into your savings account. This allows you to save without having to lift a finger!
Finally, you could choose to trade what are called “exchange-traded funds,” or ETFs. These are traded much like stocks, but they don’t have minimum investment requirements like mutual funds. This makes them excellent introductory investments for people looking to try out the stock market. If you find you enjoy trading ETFs, you could move up to more complicated investments like individual stocks!
