‘I’m going to get a pension’: How to get started with a mutual fund
- September 1, 2021
How do you get started saving for retirement?
You might be wondering, ‘I don’t have the money to put in my fund yet’.
Here’s what you need to know about saving for your retirement.
1.
You’ll need to make a plan.
As with any investment, it’s important to have a plan of action to get you started.
That means that you’ll need a clear strategy, a clear investment plan, and a clear budget to make sure you’re investing in the right way.
2.
Make a plan and track it.
If you don’t know what you want to invest in, you might be tempted to just start investing what you see as a ‘big money’ (i.e. money you’ve put into a retirement account before) and hope things will go your way.
But you can’t just throw your money into a fund and hope for the best.
Your plan should have a target, and you’ll want to see how it performs before making any changes.
For example, if your plan is a low-cost index fund, then it might be tempting to invest a small portion of the money in a high-cost basket of stocks or bonds, but that could end up costing you a lot of money.
If your plan involves buying bonds to make it more affordable for younger people, it could be tempting for younger workers to hold onto a lump sum rather than invest the money.
3.
Set a target.
If it’s a high risk strategy, like a high interest rate or a high yield, then the longer you invest, the more likely you are to fail.
But if you’ve invested the money into something that’s likely to do very well over time, then you might want to aim for a longer term investment, such as 10 years.
4.
Be flexible.
Some people have trouble saving for their retirement.
If that’s you, then a lump-sum fund might not be the best investment for you.
However, you should be flexible.
If the fund is a safe, high-yield investment that you can earn interest on, then there’s nothing wrong with investing it.
You can then decide how much to invest, when to retire and when to stop.
You don’t need to do this all at once.
5.
Make sure you understand your options.
Most retirement plans are structured to provide the options for you to invest and you can look at them and decide what you think are the best options.
If a fund isn’t designed for you, or it’s too expensive for you (like a 401(k), a 403(b) or a Roth), then you should find a fund with a lower return or a higher risk-adjusted cost ratio (ROOC).
In that case, you’ll probably want to find a higher-risk option that’s suitable for you rather than one that you know will give you a better return.
If, on the other hand, you’ve been putting in money for years and have the potential to make huge gains over the long term, then your best option might be a fund that’s low-risk and you’d want to know what that is. 6.
Be realistic.
If there’s no obvious retirement plan, you may be tempted by the idea of getting a ‘quick fix’.
If you want a quick fix, it might sound like the best option is to just buy a nest egg and start saving.
However if you have a reasonable retirement plan and can invest a fair amount in the money over the years, then investing money for a ‘no-brainer’ might be the right approach.
Investing for a quick ‘no’ would be like getting rid of the baby and putting it in a basket with other food and clothes, a bucket of toilet paper and a bottle of water.
If buying a nest eggs is the right option for you then it’s worth considering the alternatives.
Invest for a bigger nest egg, which you can use to fund your retirement, or you can take on more risk by getting a lump Sum, which will provide you with the security of an investment you can count on to grow over time.
7.
Look for the lowest cost.
If someone’s saving to build a nest or a house, that’s the best way to go.
But in a low cost plan, it can be tempting and expensive to invest.
A high-quality investment, like the Vanguard Total Stock Market index fund or the S&P 500 Index Fund, will provide a lower cost option.
You may need to work out how much you’re willing to risk, but a low risk investment with a higher return is the way to be. 8.
Don’t expect an immediate return.
Most investments will never deliver a return of 10 per cent.
But as a general rule, the longer an investment is invested, the higher the returns will be.
That’s because investments require you to make periodic adjustments to keep up with inflation.
So investing in a fund
