Always look out for better ways of growing…
Investing is not a get-rich quick scheme. It takes understanding and knowledge about the risks and rewards before getting started. Before investing, it is important to determine what your preferences and risk tolerance are. Develop a strategy, outlining how much to invest, how often to invest, and what to invest based on goals and preferences. Before allocating your resources, research the target investment to make sure it aligns with your strategy and has the potential to deliver desired results. Remember, you do not need a lot of money to begin, and you can modify as your needs change. Few important principles to investment success are:
- Keep an open mind
- Never follow the crowd
- Everything changes
- Avoid the popular
- Learn from your mistakes
- Hunt for value and bargains
You may be wondering, what is investment? Well…investment in the economic scene is the commitment of money that is expected to yield additional income or growth in values. It is worthy to also note that, apart from money, there are other things you can invest in, such as Time and People. This will be discussed in the latter part of this article. Let us briefly analyse some things to be invested in 2023.
Stocks
A stock represents a share of ownership in a company. Stocks offer the biggest potential return on your investment while exposing your money to the highest level of volatility. These cautionary words are not to scare you away from stocks. Rather, they are meant to guide you toward the diversification that buying a collection of stocks through mutual funds provides, as opposed to buying individually. Stock buying is for investors with a well-diversified portfolio who are willing to take on a little more risk. Due to the volatility of individual stock, a good rule of thumb for investors is to limit their individual stock holdings to 10% or less of their overall portfolio. The easiest way to buy stocks is through an online broker. Once you set up and fund a brokerage account, you will choose your order type and become a bona fide shareholder.
High- yield Savings Account
A savings account is an important part of any financial portfolio. When you are building your savings, you want that money to earn a competitive yield. Putting your savings in a high-yield savings account will keep your money safe and let you earn some interests. High-yield savings accounts are an effective way to save for short term goals, such as saving for a vacation or a car. If you want to pay for something in the next few months, you do not want to put your money into risky investments like stocks, if the market drops, you will lose your vacation fund. High-yield savings accounts are also a good place to store windfall, such as stimulus checks or other payments. You can save the windfall in your high-yield savings account until you decide what to do with the money. On the other hand, high-yield savings account is a poor option for long term goals. Unlike the standard savings account, they do not pay enough interest to hit long-term savings goals or even keep up with inflation. If you have a long-term goal like retirement, and can handle some volatility, investments like stocks and mutual funds are likely to be better choices. Also, high-yield savings account may have tougher requirements than a typical savings account. For example, you might need to have a larger deposit to qualify to open the account at certain banks.
REIT Index Funds
A Real Estate Investment Trust or REIT is one of the most attractive ways to invest in real estate. REIT pays out attractive dividends in exchange for not being taxed at the corporate level, and REIT index funds pass those dividends along to investors. Publicly traded REIT funds can include dozens of stocks and allow you to buy into many sub-sectors (lodging, apartments, office and many more) in a single fund. They are an effective way for investors to get diversified exposure to real estate without worrying about the headaches of managing the property yourself.
Rental Properties
Rental housing can be a great investment if you have the willingness to manage your own properties. To pursue this route, you will have to select the right property, finance it, or buy it outright, maintain it and deal with the tenants. You can do very well if you make a smart purchase. With housing prices cooling off in 2023 and mortgage rates off their highest levels, a strategic purchase of real estate could work out well in the long term. Rental housing is a worthwhile investment for a long-term investor who wants to manage their own properties and generate regular cash. Also, it is always advisable to build single rooms, plaza, hotels etc, because these properties generate high profit daily.
Bonds
Bonds are debt obligations of entities, such as governments, municipalities, and corporation. Buying a bond implies that you hold a share of an entity’s debt and are entitled to receive periodic interest payments and the return of the bond’s face value when it matures.
Cryptocurrencies
Crypto currency is a kind of digital currency that is intended to act as a medium of exchange. Cryptocurrency has become popular in the last decade with Bitcoin becoming the most widely tracked alternative currency. Crypto appeals to many people because of its ability to be managed without a central bank and therefore concerns around secrecy and subterfuge. It appeals because of its ability to hold value and not be inflated away by central banks that want to print money. It is also difficult to counterfeit due to the blockchain ledger system that manages the currency. Cryptocurrencies have gained popularity in the investment world due to the significant appreciation seen by some coins since they were first introduced. Cryptocurrency investments can generate profits. Cryptocurrency markets have skyrocketed in value over the past decade, at one point reaching almost $2 trillion. As of May 2022, Bitcoin was valued at more than $550 billion in crypto markets. Bitcoin is the most popular and valuable cryptocurrency. An anonymous person called Satoshi Nakamoto invented it and introduced it to the world via a white paper in 2008. There are thousands of cryptocurrencies present in the market today. Each cryptocurrency claims to have a different function and specification. For example, Ethereum’s ether markets itself as gas for the underlying smart contract platform. Ripple’s XRP is used by banks to facilitate transfers between different geographies. However, Cryptocurrencies have attracted a reputation as unstable investments, due to high investor losses because of frauds, hacks, and bugs. Although the underlying cryptography is secure, the technical complexity of using and storing crypto assets can be a major hazard to inexperienced users.
Invest in People
Zig Ziglar once said “You do not build a business, you build people. And the People build the business..” If you invest in a talented team and give them the freedom to create, they will be able to test, experiment and build something successful. Investing in people is a two-way process; employers invest in their employees so that these employees are happy and willing to invest meaningful work for the company, not just push through the day until home time. Meaningful work, as opposed to towing the line, will raise the quality of the company. One indication that your business is doing well is the number of staff who work at your company from the referrals of other employees. You would not recommend a job you did not enjoy to a friend, and neither will your staff. If your employees are referring their friends and acquaintances to work in your company, then they are clearly enjoying working with you. A workforce that includes people who trust each other is important, and a workforce inspired by referrals is sure to be comprised of good, pre-existing relationships. Likewise, if you have a high retention rate, you can be proud that you are nurturing and retaining experts in your industry, rather than losing them to your competition.
Some people would always say that investing in machines is better than investing in humans, that machines do not leave when they are serviced, but people would leave once they acquire the much-needed knowledge. However, I will say that it is employees who make your competitive advantage and not machines. It is employees who develop, invent, and reinvent your company, not machines. Machines fail, and more frequently than employees. And we need maintenance team to get them back to work.
Moreover, it is pertinent to also invest in people outside the workspace. As the saying goes “your greatest investment in life are people. First is your family; next are the other people in your circle of influence; and then, the larger society.” A notable example is the popular Nigerian business mogul, Obi Cubana, who has succeeded in investing in his family members to attain a spot in the social environment. He has also been known to sponsor many teaming youths in education and setting up businesses for some. This kind of person can never go out of wealth because he has channels that would always support him if necessary. Briefly, do not live life alone, add value to the people around you.
Invest in your Time
Time is our most valuable resource. We cannot get it back once it is gone, so we need to make sure that we invest our time wisely. Only you are in command of how you invest time. And we must learn how to utilize this important asset if we want to be productive in our work and lives. Set goals and create a plan to achieve them. When you are committed to achieving specific goals, you will focus your efforts on what is important and avoid wasting your precious time. To create a plan, breakdown your goal into smaller steps that you can complete over a period. For example, if you want to save money, your steps might be to create a budget, track your expense and find ways to reduce spending. Another way to invest your time wisely is to take routine. Most people find it boring and monotonous. But investing time in creating routines will pay off in a long run. Having a routine helps you manage your tasks every day, and week. It can also help you automate tasks that are less impactful. Some things to consider adding to your routine include meal planning, exercise, time for yourself and getting enough sleep.
It is also important to take breaks throughout the day. When you take short breaks, you can refresh your mind and come back to work with more energy. This is the key to avoiding burn out. You can fill your breaks with going on a walk, taking a nap, chatting with friends, and loved ones and reading. Take advantage of technology that can help you be more efficient. There are many tools and technologies that can help you be more efficient. For example, apps that can help you schedule meetings, track expenses, manage to-do-lists and find time for yourself. Taking advantage of these technologies will free up your time so you can focus on impactful tasks. Also, learn something new every day. This could be anything from learning a new skill to reading a book on a topic that interests you. By constantly learning and expanding your horizons, you will find that you have more to offer in any situation. It will also equip you with the knowledge and skills you need to accomplish your goals. Spend time with people who inspire and motivate you. When you invest in these relationships, you will feel more inspired and motivated to reach your goals faster. It is valuable to put some thought into who is in your network. These people will help you when you need it and will be a support system when you go through tough times. Invest in relationships and reap the many benefits they have to offer. You will not regret it!
Most importantly, only you are responsible for your personal growth and productivity. You can find inspiration from others, but YOU must be the one to invest your time wisely for it to pay off. One way to take responsibility for your life is by taking “extreme ownership.” This is the concept coined by Navy Seal Jocko Willink, and it means that you take complete responsibility for everything in your life – your work, health, relationships, etc. when you adopt a strong attitude of ownership over your life, you have the power to make the modifications that are required to achieve success. You also develop a greater sense of self-awareness and control. As a result, you are more likely to achieve success and be more productive in both work and life. In addition, be patient and stay on course-Rome was not built in a day. Finally, remember that it takes time to achieve outcomes and accomplish goals. Rome was not built in a day, and you will not see results overnight. If you stay on course and be patient, you will start to see improvements in your work and life. And, eventually, you will achieve the success you desire.
Briefly, be intentional about your growth in 2023. Let people not find you in the same spot that you were few years back. Invest your money, invest your time, and build healthy relationships.
