Readers Digest
Magazine subscription Podcast
HomeMoneyManaging your Money

The 6 rudiments of successful investing

The 6 rudiments of successful investing

Successful investing is all about making the best choices now that will align to your long term goals for the future.

You will find that your personal circumstances will weigh heavily on the decisions you will make at every step of the journey. 

 

If you are saving for a new car, a home, your retirement or your child’s education, you will need a plan that allows your money the best chances of growing.  Take a look at this article are UK shares coming out of the cold?

Let’s take a look at the 6 most important investing principles you should follow. 

1. Know yourself

People are individuals and the needs we have for the investment plans we make are just as unique. For some people, short term goals like saving for a car take priority. But other people have long term goals like saving for a house or retirement. Furthermore, every investor will have a different idea of what investment risks they are comfortable taking. 

 It may sound like risk is something to avoid altogether, but there is an important advantage to consider in risk. The greater the risk, the greater the rewards. This is an important consideration when setting the time frame for your investment plans. Managing risks is the vital first step in your life as a successful investor.  

 To better understand yourself as an investor you must consider the risks you are taking at every point. You will learn to balance your risks with the gross annual income, investment objectives, property development financing and approximate net worth as well as the investment time you can foresee. 

2. Get an early start

Taking full advantage of the effects of “compounding” is an important skill and allows your cash to work for you. Compounding is allowing your money to multiply by collecting returns on the return. 

Starting early makes it easier

Take a look at the following illustration that shows how a bi-weekly investment can be used to reach a $500,000 profit by the age of 65. This all comes down to beginning when you are young. This chart shows the progress of an investor who begins at the age of 25 and contributes $93 every two weeks. 

What is "asset allocation"?

The variety of investments in your portfolio can be called your portfolio’s asset allocation. A diversified portfolio will typically feature an array of various incomes, savings and growth investments.   

3. Invest regularly

It is a far better plan to have a small quantity of resources that you will place into various investments on a weekly basis, rather than waiting for a large lump sum of money to drop into one market.  This regular investment plan will allow you to choose the most advantageous ways to make contributions to your portfolio. More importantly it allows you to make investing a priority. The CIBC investment plan will regularly remove a certain amount of cash from your bank account and invest it in a wide range of solutions. You can begin this with investments of as little as $25 each month.  

How can I lower the average cost of investing?

You can also begin investing in smaller amounts of mutual funds over a given time frame. This is also called “dollar-cost investing” and can mean lower average costs for making infrequent purchases. This means that when the prices are low, your cash will purchase more mutual funds, when the prices increase you will buy less. So long as the mutual fund increases in value over time, you will profit from the purchases you make during those intervals of lower prices. 

4. Build a diversified portfolio

One effective way to avoid the risk involved with investing, is to spread your assets over a wider range of investment possibilities. This can also increase the returns you receive in the long run. Having a mixture of different investments will help you to soften the blows that can come from a considerable decline in any particular market.  

5. Monitor your portfolio

Always keep a close eye on what is happening in your investment portfolio, this should be done in a year at the very least, but more frequently depending on how invested you are in the various markets. Major events in your life are important times to revise your investment portfolio. 

6. Align your investments with your time horizons

As mentioned, each investor will have different goals for their investment plans, some will be long term and others will be short term. For long term goals you will want to choose growth-oriented investments. Short-term goals will require something that is more conservative and accessible. If you are investing for the down payment on a home,  you will want something quick and easy and in a way that offers no problem to access your funds as needed.

Keep up with the top stories from Reader’s Digest by subscribing to our weekly newsletter.

 

This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you. Read our disclaimer

Loading up next...
Stories by email|Subscription
Readers Digest

Launched in 1922, Reader's Digest has built 100 years of trust with a loyal audience and has become the largest circulating magazine in the world

Readers Digest
Reader’s Digest is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (which regulates the UK’s magazine and newspaper industry). We abide by the Editors’ Code of Practice and are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism. If you think that we have not met those standards, please contact 0203 289 0940. If we are unable to resolve your complaint, or if you would like more information about IPSO or the Editors’ Code, contact IPSO on 0300 123 2220 or visit ipso.co.uk