The biggest advantage you have in financial planning is time. When you first start working, retirement plans, savings, and investments seem like something the ‘future you’ will handle, but the time to start worrying about these things is now.

The best time to invest was 20 years ago, and the second-best is today. This is especially true for women, as on average, they live longer and thus will need to support themselves for longer.

Keep reading to learn more about why you should start investing immediately to support your future.

Start Investing Early

Thanks to compounding, you can generate wealth in two simple steps: reinvesting your earnings and waiting. Time is a huge factor here, which is why investing as early as possible is so important. Consider the following example laid out by Investopedia: if you invest $10,000 at 20 years old, it would grow (at a 5% interest rate) to $70,000 by the time you are 60. The same amount of money invested at 40 would result in only $26,000.

The bottom line here is that it doesn’t matter how old you are or how much money you earn一the earlier you begin investing, the better it will be for your financial future. For the most part, the amount of time that you have been investing has a much larger effect on your overall returns than the amount of money that you invest.

What You Should Invest In

There are many different kinds of investing styles. Determining what assets to invest in is a difficult decision that largely depends on your current circumstances including age, income, financial goals, and your preferred investment timeframe.

Stocks, mutual funds, real estate, bonds, and retirement accounts are all suitable choices when making long-term investments. Each of these investment options will come with different return timelines, yields, and pros and cons.

No matter what you choose to invest in or what your long-term goal is, it’s crucial to invest in assets that allow you to stay ahead of inflation and the cost of living. This will ensure that your spending power isn’t reduced when you decide to use your investment. 

3 Simple Investing Tips

  • Invest as early as possible.
  • Invest regularly, even if the amount is low.
  • Educate yourself on choosing investments or speak to a financial professional as soon as you are able.

Conclusion

Taking care of your financial well-being should be a priority, and as a woman, your investing strategy will likely have an even bigger impact on your future.

Investing even $50 a month starting at the age of 20 can put you at a huge advantage over your investing-hesitant counterparts when it comes time for retirement.

Whether you invest in stocks, bonds, real estate, or other assets is up to you and is contingent upon your financial situation and goals, but the time to start is now. Your future self will thank you.