“There is a time to go long. There is a time to go short. There is a time to go fishing” Jesse Livermore
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You did it! You hit your first milestone. You’ve built up your savings account and now you have some money to start investing and watch it grow. Congratulations!
Now what? Just like you, I was a newbie once. I was lost, with an overflow of information and not sure which way to go. Analysis paralysis they call it. That is why I write this blog now, just trying my best to guide individuals on the right path.
Remember, you are always one decision away from changing your life forever.
Let’s think about the future. Project yourself 5-10 years into the future. What type of investor do you want to be? Real Estate investor? Stock Market investor? Bonds investor? Any other type of investor?
What would you like to accomplish with your money? Cash flow? Capital gains? Earn interest?
Too much? I know. So, let’s break it down.
I understand you are new and probably don’t have a lot to start with. Let me give you some ideas, then you decide for yourself which way you want to go. At the end of the day, you have to feel good about your decisions.
Let’s not put our hard-earned money and trust on other people. I want you to create a legacy for you and your family. In order to do that you will have to study and learn at least enough to make your own decisions. The decision is yours, again, when you project yourself 5-10 years from now, you can be where you are right now or take action and the reins of your life.
REAL ESTATE
If you want to go this route, you have one easy way and one that will take more time. Just like with anything in life, the returns with the easy route are smaller but so are the headaches.
Easy route: There is a company that can help you get started as a real estate investor starting at only $500. Fundrise will invest your money in portfolios of real estate in the United States.
They keep you updated with emails when your portfolio acquires new properties or get paid off.
Your two ways of earning here are dividends and market appreciation.
Hard route: Is actually becoming a real estate investor by acquiring real assets. You will need to assemble a team to help you get what you want. It is not hard but it takes time. Probably a good idea to get a real estate course and read a few books. I recommend “The ABCs of Real Estate Investing” by Ken McElroy. Rich Dad real estate course is pretty good too. I’m currently taking it.
You have 6 ways of earning here with cash flow, equity, market appreciation, principal pay down , depreciation and tax advantages.
The returns are huge!
Don’t be afraid of taking the first step. I currently have a Fundrise account and I’m learning to be a Real Estate investor also.
When it comes to using taxes to your benefit, you will learn more with CPA, Tom Wheelwright in his book “Tax-Free Wealth“, than you will anywhere else.
Like J.P. Morgan said, “Go as far as you can see; when you get there you’ll be able to see farther”.
STOCK MARKET
The stock market has many ways of making money. There is a lot of courses on how to day trade penny stocks, options, forex, bitcoin, and god knows what else.
Here is the thing for me, I have a day job and I like my day job. With that said, don’t have the time to be stuck in front of a computer waiting for the exact window when to pull the trigger.
I like to follow the steps of the greatest investor in history, “The Oracle of Omaha” Warren Buffett. Buy solid companies, which not only pay dividends but also increase it every year. It means, you will get an increase in cash flow every year and that is not accounting for any price increase. Not bad.
I will pay less in taxes than day traders because my gains are either passive or long term capital gains which are taxed at lower rates. Day traders get taxed as ordinary income.
I started writing my own book, where I go to explain a few things that I figured myself about dividend investing that no one will tell you. But for now, you can begin with “The Intelligent Investor” by Benjamin Graham.
Graham was Warren Buffett’s mentor. And he explains in this book how to analyze stocks.
As far as platforms go, I use Robinhood. It is a very simple platform, I know. But remember that I don’t need high tech platforms since all I do is buy dividend-paying stocks and hold them for cash flow. Plus, for every friend that you invite, they give your friend and you, a free stock. That is a 100% gain on your very first trade. No money down and you can either sell it and use the money to invest somewhere else or you can keep it in case it pays a dividend. Your choice.
EARN INTEREST
The gains since January 2019 when I joined this company are double digits. A lot of individuals are afraid of lending money and people not paying back. It is a probability but when you use filters to screen for the best opportunities you have nothing to fear.
F.E.A.R. can have two different meanings.
1. Forget everything and run.
2. Face everything and rise.
It is up to you how you want to handle fear.
I will be writing a pdf on how I use filters to put the probabilities on my side. Keep your eyes on the coming up articles to grab your own.
Meanwhile, head over to LendingClub. Ensure your State lets you open this type of account. Not all states are on board here. Become the bank with a maximum risk of $25 per loan.
Another way of earning interest is by investing in Bonds. Personally, I don’t do bonds for several reasons.
1. The potential profit is very low when you compare to stocks or real estate.
2. It is O.K. to place your money in bonds if you are very close to or already in retirement. Less volatility, less risk.
For young individuals, we have time on our side to recoup any mistakes we make early in our careers. It is time for us to be aggressive and shoot for the stars. Bonds will not provide that.
BONUS
If you want to make your savings automatic and/or get cash back, take a look at Acorns. It is a great app I use, which helps me save money without even realizing it. Lots of it.
Begin your Road to Wealth!
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ROAD TO WEALTH! 