YOU don’t have to wait for your Christmas bonus or 13th-month pay to invest because a lot of companies have now lowered the minimum investment required for you to open and top-up your account.
For example, you can now start with as little as P1,000 in a good number of online investment platforms for mutual funds. Moreover, commercial banks also have investment plans that only require at least P1,000 to begin.
With such a low amount, it’s now a more achievable goal for everyone to start investing.
Have a good start
OPENING an investment account is almost similar to opening a bank account for the first time. A lot of forms must be filled out and several documents need to be submitted.
Most people get turned off during this process and don’t finish the application. It’s unfortunate because they’re missing out on a great opportunity to grow their wealth through investing.
But for those who were patient enough, they’re definitely off to a good start towards becoming financially free. And it’s an absolutely great feeling when you invest your money for the first time.
Make it a habit
OPENING an investment account is just the start. What many fail to do is be consistent with investing and making it a habit, which is the proper way to really grow your money.
Just think about this: A lump sum investment of P100,000 that earns 10 percent per annum will become P1 million after 25 years. However, investing P1,000 every month on the same instrument will become P1 million after 23 years only.
Not only is investing P1,000 monthly faster, but it’s also more realistically doable. You may not have P100,000 right now, which you can invest in the long-term, but I’m sure you can definitely afford to invest P1,000 every month for the next several years.
Investing regularly, even if it’s just a small amount, will build up to a massive amount in the future. Plus, you won’t feel stressed about cutting out a large portion of your budget for your daily expenses because it’s affordable.
And while 23 years is still a long time to wait for a million—the real goal is to eventually invest more as your income increases over time. You can start with P1,000 per month today, then work on being able to invest P1,500 every month next year, then P2,000 monthly the year after that and so on.
Reap the benefits
WHETHER you’re doing peso cost averaging or simply investing whatever amount you can afford regularly, you’re already financially ahead of someone who never started.
And you’re a step faster to becoming wealthy than someone who invested just one time and never again.
Remember that being consistent is the key. Investing should be a habit because, like the Egyptian pyramids or the Great Wall of China, wealth is often built one brick at a time and not all at once.
Fitz Villafuerte is a registered financial planner of RFP Philippines. To learn more about personal-financial planning, attend the 98th RFP program this October. To inquire, e-mail info@rfp.ph or text at 0917-6248110.