Tips and Tricks for Getting Your Investment Portfolio Started

Tips and Tricks for Getting Your Investment Portfolio Started

Whether it’s real estate, the stock market, or cryptocurrency, an investment portfolio will look different to each person. Depending on your long-term financial goals, how and where you invest your money, as well as the level of risk you choose, will vary. Investing never guarantees large returns, but it can set you up for success when it comes to growing your wealth, especially with the right investment advice. Here our tips and tricks on getting your investment portfolio started!

Set your goals

Getting your investment portfolio started isn’t something you should rush into. Defining your long-term financial goals can help you decide which investment strategy is right for you. A long-term goal could be one of the following:

• Buying property
• Providing your children with the best possible future
• Growing your and your family’s wealth

  Investing allows you to build up your wealth and achieve these longer-term goals. Before you start, map out your timeline and make sure it’s realistic. There is no point saying you want to have enough money for a house deposit within a year, after only investing $100. It would be nice though!   Reviewing your financial position will put into perspective whether you’re in a good place to invest. If you have a large personal debt, consider paying this off before you begin your investment journey. Setting funds aside in an emergency account is also important for unplanned expenses. Tackling these financial tasks first ensures that you’ll be able to put funds into long-term investments and not need to pull money out again for a while. While it can be tempting to withdraw funds early from an investment, consider whether it’s the best move when it comes to your end goal. Withdrawing early might mean you have to sell at a loss or pay more tax than expected.  

Define your budget

How much money you’re willing to contribute to starting your investment is essential. If you have a large amount in a savings account, you may choose to invest this. Regardless of how much you’re willing to put into your investment portfolio, make sure you won’t need the money you’re investing in the short term – you won’t be able to transfer it as easily as you would if it were in another bank account. It’s also important to decide how often and how much you’ll contribute to your investment. For example, if you’re investing in the stock market, will you contribute a small amount on an ongoing basis to grow your investment? Once you’ve decided on a number that suits your budget, it’s time to find out which type of investment will be right for you.

Understand your options

So, you know how much you’re willing to invest, but you may not know which form of investment is right for your situation. Let’s look at a few of your options.  

Micro-investing

 You may have seen new ‘trends’ popping up in the form of micro-investment platforms. These platforms – such as Raiz, BrickX and Spaceship Voyager – all serve as low-level entry points for those new to investing. Most of them allow you to enter the market with a minimal amount, while simultaneously choosing the level of risk you’d like. From there, the portfolio is managed on your behalf, so you can set and forget as you please. Many have a ‘round-up’ feature (for example, if you purchase a coffee for $3.60, you can allow the amount to be rounded up to $4.00, with the extra 40 cents going into your micro-investment account. While these apps won’t make you rich, they’re a good way to dip your feet into the pool of investing and get a feel for how it all works before you head onto something bigger.  

The stock market  

If you’re looking to have more control over your investment portfolio, entering the stock market allows you to grow your wealth in areas you want to invest in. For example, if you’re passionate about a certain industry, you can choose to invest your money in one or more companies within this industry. Things to keep in mind when it comes to creating your portfolio include:

• Diversifying your portfolio
• Only investing in businesses you understand
• Avoiding high-volatility stocks until you get the hang of investing
• Treading carefully when it comes to ‘cheap’ stocks

Learn more about investing in the stock market here.  

Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency (or crypto) is a digital or virtual payment form created by code that can be exchanged for goods or services. There’s a lot of unknown surrounding crypto, so it’s important to fully understand it before jumping in and falling into some of the traps. Thinking of investing in crypto? Read about cryptocurrency and its myths here.  

Real Estate

If you’ve got a large deposit or have enough equity in another property you own, investing in real estate can be a great way of getting your investment portfolio started. Renting out an investment property not only helps you to pay off the mortgage on that place but can provide you with another stream of income if the rental yield is higher than the mortgage repayments. Alternatively, if you have enough to buy a house in full, you’ll receive the full amount of rental repayments as an extra income. For more information on building an investment portfolio, including any tax implications and additional costs, head to our blog.    

What are you willing to risk?

Regardless of what investment strategy you choose when getting your investment portfolio started, there’s always a risk involved. When it comes to stocks, many of us often feel impatient if wealth isn’t happening as quickly as we anticipated. In real estate, you may see inconsistencies in the rental repayments based on the property market conditions. Creating an investment portfolio means you need to accept the possibility you may lose money. Investing money doesn’t guarantee you’ll make money, but if you’re willing to educate yourself about how investing works, you’ll set yourself up with a good chance to succeed.   Investing is a great way to build your wealth and achieve your long-term financial goals. Getting your investment portfolio started, whether in property, crypto, or the stock markets, doesn't have to be confusing – our Inovayt Wealth financial advisor team is here to help.