Here’s How You Should Invest at Every Age
Barbara Friedberg
“It’s not how much money you make, but how much money you keep, how hard it works for you, and how many generations you keep it for.”
– Robert Kiyosaki
Start investing as soon as you can and you’ll enjoy time’s magical power of compounding. The greatest advantage in investing is time, so, the younger you begin investing, the more time to have for your initial dollars to grow and compound.
But, how you invest will depend a lot on where you are in life, and your portfolio will look significantly different depending on where you are in life.
Here are the investments you should make during each decade of your life.
1. The best investments for your 30’s
If you’re in your30’s, you have 30 years or more to profit from the investment markets before you’re likely to retire. The temporary declines in stock prices won’t hurt you much because you have years to recoup any losses. So, if your stomach can handle the stock price volatility, now’s the time to invest aggressively.
· Invest in your workplace 401 (k) or 403 (b)
Most employees enjoy matching contributions from their employer for any investment into this account. That’s free money! Shoot to contribute 10 percent to 15 percent of your salary now, to set yourself up for a secure financial future.
· Invest in a Roth IRA
If you don’t have a 401 (k), or you want to contribute additional money for retirement, check out the tax advantaged Roth IRA. If you meet certain income guidelines, you can invest up to $5,500 inafter tax dollars.
The advantage of the Roth is that the money grows tax deferred and unlike the 401 (k), you won’t owe any taxes when you withdraw the funds in retirement.
· Invest in mostly stock funds, with some bonds
Over the long term, stock investments have beaten those of bonds and cash. From 1928 through 2016, the S&P 500 has returned an annual average of 9.53 percent, the 10-year Treasury bond earned 4.91 percent per year and the 3-month Treasury bill (a cash proxy) yielded 3.42 percent.
While bonds are more stable, you won’t beat stocks if you’re looking to multiply your money over the long term.
So, if you’re relatively risk-tolerant, you should invest 70 percent to 85 percent in stock funds and the remainder in bond and cash investments. Or, if you want to go the easy route, choose a target date mutual fund and your assets will start out more aggressive when you’re younger and automatically become more conservative as you move closer to retirement.
· Invest in real estate
You might invest in a home, if you think you’ll stay put for at least 5 years. Or, consider investing in a rental property or REIT fund. With the low current interest rates, if you’re not in one of the major over-priced real estate markets like New York of San Francisco, it can make good personal and financial sense to buy real estate.
· Invest in yourself
Your30’s are a great time to get that advanced degree or bulk up your work skills. If you can increase your salary in your30’s, you’ll have decades to compound your earnings.
2. The best investments for your 40’s
If you’re late to the saving and investing party, now’s the time to put the pedal to the medal and make those lifestyle trade-offs. After all, you don’t want a future in your kids’ basement, do you?
· Invest in your workplace 401 (k) or 403 (b)
You need to supercharge your saving and investing to prepare for retirement. If you haven’t yet saved in your employer’s retirement plan, start now. If you’ve been investing in the 401 (k), strive to invest the maximum $18,000 per year.
If start at age 40 and hit the max $18,000 annual target, then with a 6 percent annual return, by age 67, you’ll reach a million-dollar nest egg. That may not be enough to retire on once inflation, and longer lifespans are taken into account, but a million dollars is a very nice starting point.
· Asset allocation
Asset allocation in your40’s will lean more toward bonds and fixed investments than in your30’s. Although the ratio of stock investments to bond investments varies depending on your risk comfort level, the conservative, risk-averse investor might be comfortable with a 60 percent stock and 40 percent bond allocation.
The more aggressive investor in their40’s might be okay with a 70 percent to 80 percent stock allocation. Just remember: the more stock holdings you have, the more volatile your investment portfolio.
Be sure to include broadly diversified international stock funds and REITs in your investment mix. And sticking with low-fee index funds will keep your investing costs in check.
3. The best investments for your 50’s
Now, it’s time to examine your future goals and explore your current and desired future lifestyle. Investigate your current income, projected income, and tax situation. The results of your analysis will influence the best investments in your50’s.
If you’re on track for retirement, then keep on doing what you began in earlier decades. As you edge up to your retirement date, you’ll tend to dial back your stock fund exposure and increase the allocation to bonds and cash. The specific percentages will be determined by how much and when you anticipate dipping into your investments. If you expect to retire at 67 and receive Social Security and other income sources, you might delay spending your investments. In that case, you can be a bit more aggressive with your investing in your50’s. If not, 60 percent stock investments and 50 percent bonds is a good mix for most investors.
· Plan your additional income streams
Investigate creating investing income streams. Shift some of your investments into higher dividend paying stock and bond funds. Consider REITs with juicier dividend payments as well. That way, you can structure your portfolio to throw off some spending money in retirement.
Ultimately, how you invest in each decade is dictated by the progress you’re making towards your financial goals. Start saving and investing as early as possible to secure your financial tomorrow.