Along with minimizing debt, saving, and living frugally, investing is one of the cornerstones of a healthy financial plan.
And I know absolutely nothing about it.
Sure, I put money into my Roth IRA every month, and this is technically investing. But that money is going into a target-date fund (I know, I know, these are controversial). Right now, most of the fund has me invested in stocks, but over time it will transition to more conservative investments. I know that this is a good thing because if I lose a lot in the stock market, I still have time to recover, which won’t be the case later in life – hence the safer investments as I age. I get that.
But that’s about all I “get” about investing. Seriously. That’s it.
I’ve tried a couple of times to educate myself about all the investment options out there but have basically quit before I started because:
1. There is an overwhelming number of investment choices out there. ETFs, bonds (so many types of bonds!), individual stocks, gold….it feels like too much to take in.
2. Learning about investing = learning a LOT of jargon. There is so much foreign vocabulary associated with the world of investments it’s hard to read any information quickly. I know I could learn the terms, but it would take a time investment (pun intended) that I just haven’t been willing or able to make yet.
3. I’m not confident about my ability to weed through the information and make good choices. This is basically a result of #1 and #2, but something about investing makes me feel like a dummy. I’d rather not feel like a dummy so I just avoid the topic. But that stops now!
So here’s where you come in. I’m hoping that my smart, informed readers will give me some advice about learning more about investing. This is what I want to know:
a. What investments do you currently hold?
b. How did you learn about investing?
c. Provide one investing book or website.
Answer those three questions in the comment space below and I’ll enter you in a giveaway to win a $25 Amazon gift card! I’ll be choosing a winner at 7:00 PM (EST) one week from today, Wednesday, April 25. You have until 6:00 PM that day to get your comments in.
Thanks guys! I need all the advice I can get!
