Investing basics.. Things you should know before actually starting investing!

Knowing and understanding the basics of investment before actually starting the investment is something necessary for new investors. This article will help you understand all the basics of investing for beginners and its pillars so that you are ready to enter the investment arena and be able to make the right investment decisions.

Investing generally refers to using your money now in order to earn a financial return or achieve your financial goals such as retirement, buying a car or house, university education, and so on. No matter what you invest in, you are essentially giving your money to a company, government, or other entity with the hope that it will provide you with more money in the future. The basics of investment differ from savings or trading, as it is generally linked to high returns and the risks involved.

Investing is basically based on the philosophy of buying assets that can put money back into our pockets.

Essentially, we become investors when we put our money into things (assets) that can earn income or increase value. The overall goal is to earn a greater return than any fees, taxes, and inflation. Being an investor also involves a degree of risk. Generally speaking, the higher the returns we aspire to, the greater the risk we will need to take.

But before you invest in anything, you should ask yourself some questions to determine if your financial situation qualifies you to be an investor.

1- Do you have a lot of credit card debt? If the answer is yes, then investing is the last thing you should think about. On the plus side, this can be a good starting point for planning to eliminate your debt.

2- Do you have an emergency fund? Life always surprises us with things that were not taken into account, so before you think about the basics of investing, you need to be prepared to reduce your vulnerability to these emergencies by obtaining an emergency fund that includes between six months and a year of total living expenses in cash.

It is very important at the beginning of the investment journey to ask ourselves some key questions to get on the right track with our investments.

Knowing your type of investor helps you work out the right mix of investments. Participate? bonds? Property? Term deposits? How do we know what is right for us? And how much of each should we carry? Knowing what type of investor you are will help you work out the mix of investments (and types of investments) you should consider. For example, it will help you know exactly what to invest in and where to invest in it. It can help you. A program such as Sorted Investor’s kickstarter program or any such program knowing your type of investor can also give you a sample mix of investments for each investor profile showing you what you can expect when investing money.

Secondly, ask yourself about the investment ways in which you can invest your money:

Regarding the answer to this question, you can invest money “directly” through a bank (term deposits), a broker (a stock and bond broker), a real estate agent, or other brokers. If you are investing directly in stocks, bonds or real estate without intermediaries, you will need to be well versed in the stock market and the commercial or real estate landscape. You must also be aware of all the ins and outs of investment so that you can survive the loss of all your money instead of achieving the desired profit.

You can also invest money “indirectly” through managed investment funds or what are sometimes called mutual funds. In a managed fund, your money will be pooled with the money of other investors and will be invested by a professional and competent fund manager in a variety of investments on behalf of you and all other investors. We will talk about this method in detail and accurately later in this article.

Here are some of the detailed steps and basic rules that must be followed in order to start your investment journey right:

Set Goals: Decide what exactly you are trying and want to achieve. Where would you like to be sometime in the future? What is the end result that you want from your investments and what is the time frame that determines your achievement of this? Think about any debt you are still trying to pay off, is investing the right choice now? Would you be better off using your money to pay off high-interest debt (eg credit card, buy-to-let), or to reduce your mortgage?

Know what kind of investor you are: How much time do you have? How much fluctuation (up and down in the value of your investment) can you tolerate? How much money are you willing to lose?

 Know how you want to invest your money: What mix of investments suits your type of investor? Bonds, stocks, property or bank deposits? Are you going to invest the money directly or use managed funds?

Do some homework: research and compare your options or have someone do it for you. Read the business sections of the newspaper, go online, or talk to a consultant, bank manager, or accountant. It is also wise to read any documents related to an investment you are considering before making a decision such as an investment statement or prospectus.

Do some research on the companies you want to invest in: What does the company do? What markets does the company operate in? Who runs the company? Have they ever declared bankruptcy? Are they on the FMA’s warning list? How is the company managed? Does the Board of Directors have independent directors? How has the company’s performance been in recent years, and is there a stable performance over time?

Get the right advice: Get a financial advisor. Financial advisors must tell you (in a written disclosure statement) how they are paid and the impact that can have on the advice they give. Research more about how to get investment advice.

*Balance risk: As the saying goes, we shouldn’t put all our eggs in one basket. Distributing the funds around different options and different companies is the perfect choice. For example, if you are considering high-risk investments, you can balance the risk with other investments in lower-risk areas such as cash and bonds.

When it comes to investing, there are some key fundamentals that you need to keep in mind. Think of these investing fundamentals as a cycle that you have to go back to over and over again to make sure you avoid any mistakes. which is next:

Be clear and realistic about what you want to achieve.

Think about financial goals you want to achieve, such as saving for a car, buying a home, or saving for retirement. It is also helpful to ask, “What goal will the investment help me achieve?” We can set our investment goals in the short term (1-3 years), medium (4-9 years), or long term (10 years more). Writing it down as “I’m going to get X dollars in X months for X” can go a long way in setting a goal to work towards. You can then choose the investment method that will help you get there.

*Research, compare and review your investment options: You need to do this homework on your own or get a professional to do it for you or you can do both! There are many options to consider such as investing in professionally managed mutual funds or taking a more direct DIY approach. Then there are many other types of investments

To choose from such as bank deposits, bonds or property. As you examine investment options, keep in mind that looking at past results is not a reliable way to predict what the future will bring.

Since the more returns we want to achieve, the more risks we must be prepared to face. In the short term, high-risk investments tend to be more of a rollercoaster. But in the long run, they can usually come out with better results. The best place to start is with your type of investor, which gauges your attitude towards risk and your ability to handle any potential ups, downs, or losses. And by knowing your type of investor, you will be able to make your investment decisions that suit your attitude to risk.

You need to find a mix of investments (or what experts call an “asset allocation”) that matches your type of investor. Look at the typical mix of stocks, property, bonds, and cash that fits every investor profile in the Kickstarter results test you can take.

There is a good way to reduce the risks you can take. This method is based on distributing your money within certain types of investments (this is what experts call “diversification”). So when investing in stocks, for example, instead of buying only a portion of one company (“stocks”), we can buy shares in different companies, a variety of industries and even in different countries. While some investments will perform poorly, others can for the performance of others to be good. Distributing investments in this way helps mitigate the sharp ups and downs in value that occur and helps protect you from losing money.

Consider everything related to your financial situation because it helps you start investing early (for example, paying off your mortgage can move you forward and improve your net worth faster than investing). The longer the time frame, the more value the investments can accumulate and grow. Adding investments regularly can also significantly improve results. If you reinvest your returns regularly or keep more money in your fund, you will see the highest developments in growth.