WHAT EXACTLY ARE INVESTMENTS ?

Investing!! What's that?    

Judging by the fact that you've taken the trouble to navigate to this page my guess is that you don't need much convincing about the wisdom of investing. However, I hope that your quest for knowledge/information about the art/science of investing ends here. Read on. Knowledge is power. It is common knowledge that money has to be invested wisely. If you are a novice at investing, terms such as stocks, bonds, futures, options, Open interest, yield, P/E ratio may sound Greek and Latin. Relax. It takes years to understand the art of investing. You're not alone in the quest to crack the jargon. To start with, take your investment decisions with as many facts as you can assimilate. But, understand that you can never know everything. Learning to live with the anxiety of the unknown is part of investing. Being enthusiastic about getting started is the first step, though daunting at the first instance. That's why my investment course begins with a dose of encouragement: With enough time and a little discipline, you are all but guaranteed to make the right moves in the market. Patience and the willingness to invest your savings across a portfolio of securities tailored to suit your age and risk profile will propel your revenues and cushion you against any major losses. Investing is not about putting all your money into the "Next big thing," hoping to make a killing. Investing isn't gambling or speculation; it's about taking reasonable risks to reap steady rewards. 

Investing is a method of purchasing assets in order to gain profit in the form of reasonably predictable income (dividends, interest, or rentals) and appreciation over the long term.  

Why should you invest? 

Simply put, you should invest so that your money grows and shields you against rising inflation. The rate of return on investments should be greater than the rate of inflation, leaving you with a nice surplus over a period of time. Whether your money is invested in stocks, bonds, mutual funds or certificates of deposit (CD), the end result is to create wealth for retirement, marriage, college fees, vacations, better standard of living or to just pass on the money to the next generation or maybe have some fun in your life and do things you had always dreamed of doing with a little extra cash in your pocket. Also, it's exciting to review your investment returns and to see how they are accumulating at a faster rate than your salary. 

When to Invest?

The sooner the better. By investing into the market right away you allow your investments more time to grow, whereby the concept of compounding interest swells your income by accumulating your earnings and dividends. Considering the unpredictability of the markets, research and history indicates these three golden rules for all investors

1. Invest early 

2. Invest regularly 

3. Invest for long term and not short term 

  

While it’s tempting to wait for the “best time” to invest, especially in a rising market, remember that the risk of waiting may be much greater than the potential rewards of participating. Trust in the power of compounding. Compounding is growth via reinvestment of returns earned on your savings. Compounding has a snowballing effect because you earn income not only on the original investment but also on the reinvestment of dividend/interest accumulated over the years. The power of compounding is one of the most compelling reasons for investing as soon as possible. The earlier you start investing and continue to do so consistently the more money you will make. The longer you leave your money invested and the higher the interest rates, the faster your money will grow. That's why stocks are the best long-term investment tool. The general upward momentum of the economy mitigates the stock market volatility and the risk of losses. That’s the reasoning behind investing for long term rather than short term. 

How much to invest?

There is no statutory amount that an investor needs to invest in order to generate adequate returns from his savings. The amount that you invest will eventually depend on factors such as: 

          1 Your risk profile          2. Your Time horizon          3.  Savings made 

Remember that no amount is too small to make a beginning. Whatever amount of money you can spare to begin with is good enough. You can keep increasing the amount you invest over a period of time as you keep growing in confidence and understanding of the investment options available and So instead of just dreaming about those wads of money do something concrete about it and start investing soon as you can with whatever amount of money you can spare.