Doesn’t it make sense to learn to invest (some basics) before you start investing money for real? Maybe a course called Investing 101 or Personal Investing would be helpful. Here, this retired financial planner relates a story and then points the new investor in the right direction so they do not start investing uninformed Tessla.
In the dean’s office of one of the largest universities in America, I recently asked if they offered Invest 101, personal investing, or any finance course where the student could learn to invest. “After all, we all need to start investing money someday, and it is much to one’s advantage to be informed vs. uninformed, isn’t it?” When told, that was my response, “No, or at least I can’t find one,” by the dean. I was informed that they had well over 50,000 current students enrolled and offered THOUSANDS of courses in the various colleges throughout the university. But he could find no course under personal investing or investing 101 and was in charge of the curriculum.
Read More:
- Two Books Offer Unconventional and Divergent Approaches to Investing
- Opinion: Investing in this country’s stock market is a smart money move
- The Keys to Success in Investing in Real Estate
- 40 Small Business Ideas with low investment
- The Best Investment Funds for 2014 and Beyond
We spent about an hour together searching and laughing aloud at what WAS offered. How about a course in “the art of falling”? It’s offered. Investing 101? Which college in the university would offer such a course? “The athletic department is huge here; maybe they could help,” I suggested. After all, professional football players make big money. They must learn to invest money (if their career is short) and start investing early. When I was a financial planner, I knew a few players, but they tend to procrastinate when the money flows like most folks. They’re too busy earning it and don’t have the time to learn to invest.
The truth of the matter is that I don’t find it funny that it’s difficult to find a down-to-earth, practical course that most people could truly benefit from because, as a new investor, you need to learn to invest money before you start investing for retirement or any other financial goal. As a new investor, you may not be able to find a financial planner you can work with or afford. Even if you found one, do you want to start investing money with them without first getting wet in the basics of personal investing? Let’s start at the beginning.
Before you get into financial concepts like asset allocation and strategy, you should first learn the basics: investment characteristics. How can you compare various alternatives to determine which best suits your needs, financial goals, and comfort level? In other words, you must decide what you are looking for. And you need a list of factors to consider before investing money. For example, do you have a long-term goal like retirement, and are you willing to accept a moderate risk level? If so, numerous investment alternatives exist, and you can also get tax breaks.
On the other hand, if you have a shorter-term financial goal and might need access to your money at a moment’s notice, that’s a different picture. It would help if you matched your financial wants and needs to the various alternatives with characteristics best suited to your personal investing goals. There is no single best choice for every financial plan. It’s a matter of giving and taking. I have a list of 5 factors and a few other things you should consider before deciding. This is basic investing 101. You should know the basics whether you are a new investor or have been at it for a while and have never really taken the time to invest.
This is the first in a series of investing 101 articles I plan to write. In my next article, I plan to list characteristics you must consider before investing money in black and white. Don’t feel bad if you are a uniformed new investor (or a want-to-be). Do something and learn to invest, starting with the basics.
Once you have a few basic financial concepts, you can start investing confidently. Once you learn to invest, you can reach your financial goals. You are right if you think I’m trying to build your confidence. Stay tuned to Investing 101 as we get back to basics. No offense to anyone at one of THE largest universities in the country, but there’s a void out there, and I plan to fill it.
