Comments on: 5 Foundations of Personal Finance, #5: Learn to Invest

By: Good Reads: 3 Cheers For 200 : Domestic Cents

Good Reads: 3 Cheers For 200 : Domestic Cents — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 07:44:39 +0000

[...] 5 Foundations of Personal Finance: #5 Learn To Invest at Small Notebook [...]

By: nicola

nicola — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 23:34:32 +0000

this series is wonderful. i hope your pregnancy is treating you well!
nicola
http://whichname.blogspot.com

nicola´s last blog post..corner of my home

By: Andrea

Andrea — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:07:52 +0000

Great advice. Our investments have been so depressing lately! We are just thankful that we are a ways away from retirement so losing SO much money isn't quite as sad. It is good to remember that over time the market always turns around. I'm enjoying your series! Andrea´s last blog post..What's the deal with mac 'n cheese?

By: Lily (from Italy)

Lily (from Italy) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 11:55:06 +0000

My parents always invested some money and made me invest some too (sums I inherited from aunts) – I’m talking about investment funds and such, not risky stuff.
Well, now I’m in my 30s and I got enough money to be quite safe even now that I’m working as a freelance and things are not so rosey. AND, my mother (my father is dead unfortunately) is buying me and my boyfriend a house entirely with dividends accumulated through the years.
As you can guess, I’m so grateful!

By: KS

KS — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:57:42 +0000

Kiplinger’s magazine (kiplinger.com) and Investor’s Business Daily newspaper (investor.com) are both excellent.

Also, everyone who can afford to do so should consider having stock dividends automatically reinvested. It’s a fairly painless way to build your portfolio.

By: Amanda @ Mommy's Idea Book

Amanda @ Mommy's Idea Book — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:09:05 +0000

My husband has 401k which he contributes to regularly at work, however, it has not been doing too great lately. But, one other thing we started several years ago was putting money into a Roth IRA at our bank. It is a safer investment, but earns a lot more than just a regular savings account. Now it is actually earning pretty good quarterly dividends. For anyone who doesn't know, a Roth IRA is one in which you deposit money that you have already paid taxes on, unlike the traditional IRA, in which the money comes out of your paycheck pre-tax. Amanda @ Mommy's Idea Book´s last blog post..Get Up, Get Moving, and Get Sexy, Part 2

By: Juliet

Juliet — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:46:30 +0000

I recently (finally!)got my husband to agree to hand over the reigns of the 401K and *OUCH* gotta love finding out you had 40% of your $ in global equities and real estate! Doh! Anyhoot, I am really risk-averse, as they say, and I have all our money in guaranteed or low risk vehicles getting anywhere from 4-8%. In my mind, the $ is pretax (awesome!) and with our employer match (awesome again) even if we just stay ahead of inflation some years, I feel we are doing well. The most sage bit of wisdom I have is this: although the market does go up, in aggregate, over the long haul, it may not be up in what you have when you need it. Lots of folks who took responsible long view still had their retirement savings reduced if not wiped out because they were still in risky vehicles and now don't have time to recoup the loss. In my mind it is better to take a modest return and focus on eliminating your financial liabilities like mortgages, car payments, student loans ect. before retirement, so you can live comfortably on less. Juliet´s last blog post..Irredeemable

By: Sherri (Serene Journey)

Sherri (Serene Journey) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:14:57 +0000

Hi Rachel, It's normal to be discouraged by the recent market downturn but in my opinion it's the best time to be investing (buy low sell high). I'm not a financial person by any means but I know that diversification (not having all of your eggs in one basket) is very important. By diversifying, if one sector does really poorly you have money in others to counter balance that. Of course it doesn't help too much when every sector drops but it is a bit of protection and I think a wise thing to do. I really like this post because you're encouraging people to educate themselves not just follow blindly that's great! Sherri (Serene Journey)´s last blog post..When Life Gives You Lemons…Use Them!

By: Shannon

Shannon — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:00:17 +0000

To be honest we don’t plan on investing in any of the above-mentioned ways. Sustainably speaking, land is a good investment. Not real estate to rent or sell, but a piece of land for our family to live off of. Even if the market tanks and the banks go under you can still feed your family and live the good life .

Shannon´s last blog post..Salmon Cakes with Lemon-Caper Butter

By: Nicole

Nicole — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 10:32:57 +0000

Thanks for this great breakdown of ways to get started. We've avoided the topic too. My husband, though, has gotten into doing his research during this time of waiting to have enough to invest. This will help me feel a little more up to speed. Nicole´s last blog post..Bad Handwriting…Redeemed