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business newsInvesting Basics: Roadmap to Saving and Investing
The key steps you should take to remain fiscally sound.
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Define Your Goals
To end up where you want to be, you need a financial plan. Ask yourself what you want. List your most important goals first. Decide how many years you have to meet each specific goal, because when you save or invest, you’ll need to find an option that fits your time frame. Here are some tools to help you decide how much you’ll need to save for various needs.
- The Ballpark Estimate, created by the American Savings Education Council, can help you calculate what you’ll need to save each year for retirement.
- The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has a college savings calculator.
- The Social Security Administration has a benefits calculator to estimate your potential benefit amounts.
Figure Out Your Finances
Take an honest look at your entire financial situation -- what you own and what you owe. This is a “net worth statement.” On one side, list what you own. These are your “assets.” On the other side, list what you owe. These are your “liabilities” or debts. Click here for a printable Net Worth Worksheet.Subtract your liabilities from your assets. If your assets are larger than your liabilities, you have a “positive” net worth. If your liabilities are larger than your assets, you have a “negative” net worth.
You’ll want to update your “net worth statement” every year to keep track of how you are doing. Don’t be discouraged if you have a negative net worth -- following a financial plan will help you turn it into positive net worth.
The next step is to keep track of your income and expenses. Click here for a printable Monthly Income and Expenses Worksheet. Write down what you and others in your family earn and spend each month, and include a category for savings and investing. If you are spending all your income, and never have money to save or invest, start by cutting back on expenses. When you watch where you spend your money, you will be surprised how small everyday expenses can add up. Many people get into the habit of saving and investing by paying themselves first. An easy way to do this is to have your bank automatically deposit money from your paycheck into a savings or investment account.
