Tag Archives: starting an investment program

Aug 31 2019

Investing Success for Young People

Young people should take advantage of time, and start investing now for the long-term.  When doing so, they should consider these actions:

  • Make use of low-cost mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and index funds to minimize administrative costs, transaction fees and commissions.
  • Take advantage of tax-deferred retirement programs, which will allow them to invest pre-tax dollars to lower their current tax bill. Employers may match retirement fund contributions.
  • Don’t avoid risk by emphasizing conservative investments. Taking on more aggressive investments creates greater potential for higher, long-term returns.
  • Effectively manage risk with fixed index annuities, fixed annuities, and market linked CDs. Dollar-cost averaging allows for obtaining more shares at a lower cost during market downturns.

For additional information on investing by young people, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students talk to others for suggested investment actions to take.
  • Have students conduct online research regarding the best investments for their life situation.

Discussion Questions 

  1. What factors might a person consider when selecting investments for their life situation?
  2. Describe actions people might take to increase the funds they have available for long-term savings goals.
Dec 13 2014

Great Ways to Save

“Can running shoes save you money?  Yes – and we have six more ideas to help you save.”

Let’s begin with the answer to the above question.  As the article points out, buying running shoes can save you money because running reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke, lowers blood pressure, and can help prevent other health problems that can cause huge medical bills and even loss of employment or your life.

The above is just one of the suggestions in this article that describes ways to increase savings and provide additional money for investments by taking simple steps that you can make in your everyday life.  Additional suggestions (and the reasons behind the suggestions) include maxing out your savings, saving spare change, choice of gasoline for your car, getting the best value when choosing a hotel, encouraging your kids to save, and bundling communication bills.

For more information go to http://money.cnn.com/2005/06/02/pf/smartest_saving_0507/index.htm

Teaching Suggestions

You may want to use the information in this blog post and the original article to

  • Stress the fact that savings can be easier than you think by taking advantage of everyday opportunities to increase the amount of money you save and invest.
  • Use the example in the article about how increasing the amount of money contributed to your 401(k) retirement account can significantly increase the amount available when you retire.
  • Note: This article is just one of a series of articles in the Money series “50 Smartest Things to Do With Your Money.”  You may want to (or have your students) visit this web site for other articles on money management.

Discussion Questions

  1. Some people say that saving small amounts of money doesn’t really help accomplish their long-term financial goals. Do you agree or disagree?
  2. How can one of the suggestions in this article help you increase the amount you save or invest?