Rule 1: Start saving early. Hopefully, you are earning enough money doing work that you enjoy and helps build your skills. “If you are skilled, your wallet will soon be filled.” Stashing even small amounts of cash when you are young is key to growing savings, even if you don’t earn a high salary. When it comes to investing, time is your golden opportunity. Compounding returns can turn savings into wealth over time. Rule 2 : Take advantage of technology resources. Tech applications make it easy for anyone to learn and invest their money, even if you have a modest budget. New digital applications allow you to automatically micro-invest your money. Some will allow you to start investing for as little as $5. Today’s financial tools are far greater, cheaper, and more effective than ever. There is a range of free online apps available to make finance and investing easier to understand. Rule 3: Make a realistic budget; figure out a savings plan; then purchase stocks. This will allow you to take advantage of the power of compounding. Don’t forget to keep track of your investments. Ownership in financial assets like stocks is one of the keys to wealth creation. Others include owning a business, real estate, or a private equity stake. Rule 4: Your investing clarity can help you better understand public policy. With a better understanding of markets, you will have a greater appreciation of the bad government policies that can get in the way of building your wealth and your retirement savings, including: raising personal and capital gains taxes; increasing regulatory burdens on private sector business; and changing the current 401K tax-advantaged structure and how future social security deficits will be addressed.
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