When looking to invest, an individual can buy stocks, bonds, or real estate. While the stock market is intimidating to plenty of people, an investor should not worry. Here are four reasons why investing in stocks is an excellent idea.
Quick to start: Let’s face it, if you aren’t rich, you can’t invest in real estate or private companies easily. On the other hand, with stock investing, you can start with a couple of thousand dollars. Then, over time, as your situation improves and you bring in a higher income, you can put more money to work. Brokerages often allow people to open an account with a few hundred dollars, and a wise investor can add money in the future. On the other hand, if you want to buy a house or invest in a local company, you will need to come up with thousands of dollars to start. Therefore, if you are young or just starting out in your financial life, look to stocks, as this asset class is an easy one to get into.
Superior returns: When you want to invest in an asset, you want to see excellent returns over the long haul. If you buy stocks or mutual funds, you will enjoy superior returns against almost every other asset class. While precious metals, real estate and other assets will fluctuate greatly, over the long haul, stocks will rise. If you have a long-term outlook, you can fill your portfolio with quality companies and watch as you enjoy solid returns with little effort. To understand this point further, do the research yourself and you will see that stocks, by far, offer the best returns in the long run.
Easy: If you want to concentrate on life and not on investing, buy stocks. With an online brokerage account, you can purchase stocks or mutual funds from the comfort of your home or office. Then, you can walk away from your investments and let them do their work. This is in stark contrast to other investment vehicles such as property or small businesses. In fact, if you invest in blue chip companies and frequent trading, you will enjoy excellent returns with little effort. On the other hand, if you buy houses and work as a landlord or invest in other assets, you will face an uphill battle every time you deal with an unruly tenant or other issues.
Tax savings: If you open an IRA or contribute to a 401k at work, you will enjoy plenty of tax benefits. Over the long run, taxes take a bite out of your net worth and you need to reduce this by using legal methods. Luckily, if you fund an IRA or put money in your 401k, you can write off the contribution and lower your overall burden. Other times, if you are smart and open a ROTH IRA, you can pay taxes when you contribute money. However, you will enjoy tax-free withdrawals when you retire. Either way you look at the situation, if you want to avoid a massive tax bill, consider investing in the stock market via a retirement account.
While intimidating at first, an investor will enjoy plenty of benefits by putting his or her money to use in the stock market. Remember, stocks offer superior returns for even the average investor.