Investing vs Saving: What Should You Do With Your Savings?

Investing vs Saving are both important concepts for building a sound financial foundation, but they’re not the same thing.
Saving money is an important part of personal finance. A small amount can go a long way, and saving gives you a buffer for unexpected expenses or future goals. However, saving money may not be the best use of your savings. Depending on your financial situation, other investments may provide greater returns than simply putting money in a savings account. Whether you’re just getting started with personal finance or looking to improve your current strategy, you might be asking yourself whether you should invest or save your money. Both investing and saving are excellent strategies for growing your wealth, but they have different benefits. Figuring out which one is right for you requires some analysis of your current finances and future goals, but it’s worth it in the long run.

Investing vs Saving: Key Basics

Investing Basics

Investing is the practice of applying your money toward something that will provide a financial benefit in the future, such as real estate or stocks. Investing can be risky, but it’s also an essential part of growing your wealth. If you want to become just financially independent, you need to get comfortable with investing. Investing allows you to put your money to work for you. It gives you a chance to create passive income. You don’t have to be at your 9-to-5 job for the rest of your life. You can make money while you sleep.

Saving Basics

Saving money is a great way to prepare for the future. You can save for anything, from unexpected expenses to your retirement. There are a few different ways to save your money, but the most common is to put it into a savings account. Interest rates on savings accounts are usually pretty low, but that’s not the point. You’re saving money for a specific purpose, and a savings account is an easy way to keep track of that money. You should also use a savings account to pay yourself first. That means putting a portion of your income into your savings account as soon as you get paid. This is an easy way to make sure you’re saving money and staying on track. You could also consider a side hustle — a small business that brings in a little extra cash each month. This is a great way to save more money toward your future goals.

Investing vs Saving: Similarities

Saving and investing have many similar characteristics eatures. Which are
they’re both strategies that help you accumulate money.

• Saving and investing involve putting money away for future reasons
• Both use specialized accounts with a financial institution to accumulate money. For savers, that means opening an account at a bank. For investors, that means opening an account with an independent broker, though now many banks have a brokerage arm, too. Popular online investment brokers include Charles Schwab, Fidelity and TD Ameritrade.

Investing vs Saving: key differences

The both have many similar features but differs in most respects.

• The most influential difference between saving and investing is a risk. You save when you put money into a savings account like a money market account or Certificate of Deposit (CD).It has little risk of loss of funds but also has minimal gains. But investment has a higher risk and maximal gain.
• When you save, you are usually able to pull that money out when you need it (or after a period of time). When you invest, you have the potential for better long-term gains or rewards, but also the potential for loss.
• You risk more in investing for a larger return, but your potential loss can be large as well than in saving. It is important to review your goals to figure out which option is best for each one, saving or investing.
• Another difference is interest, or money made. In investing, we want our investments to make us money, while the goal of saving is to keep our money safe, making very little return.

Investing vs Saving: Why invest and Why Save?

Why You Should Invest

There are many reasons to invest your money rather than saving it.There are tax benefits when you invest. Depending on your investment strategy, you may also be diversifying your holdings to reduce your overall risk. Investing your money has the potential to significantly increase your net worth over time. If you’re young, you have time on your side, which means your investments have plenty of time to compound and grow. When investing as a young person, it’s important to realize that you’re in this for the long haul. As such, it’s best to invest in assets that have a long-term focus, like real estate or stock.

Why You Should Save

There are plenty of reasons you should save your hard-earned money. For one, it’s usually your safest bet, and it’s the best way to avoid losing any cash along the way. It’s also easy to do, and you can access the funds quickly when you need them.There are also tax benefits when you invest.

Savings accounts tell you upfront how much interest you’ll earn on your balance.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation guarantees bank accounts up to $250,000, so while the returns are lower, you’re not going to lose any money when using a savings account.
Bank products are generally very liquid, meaning you can get your money as soon as you need it, though you may incur a penalty if you want to access a CD before its maturity date.

Investing vs Saving: when to save and when to invest.

When to Invest Money

• If you don’t need the money for at least five years and you’re comfortable taking some risk, investing the funds will likely yield higher returns than saving.
• If you’re eligible for an employer-match in your retirement account such as a 401(k). Contributing enough money to ensure you receive the match is key, because the match is like free money.
• If you have built up your emergency fund and don’t carry any high-interest debt, investing your extra money can help you grow your wealth over time. Investing is crucial if you’re going to achieve long-term goals like retirement.
• Investing is an excellent choice when you have a long time horizon (ideally many years) and won’t need to access the money anytime soon. e.g if you have an illness, a job loss or whatever, you don’t have to resort back to debt,” Hogan says. “You’ve got money you’ve intentionally set aside to be a cushion between you and life.

When to Save Money

• If you’ll need the money in the next few years, a high-yield savings account or money-market fund will likely be best for you.
• If you haven’t built up an emergency fund yet, you’ll want to do that before you dive into investing. Most experts suggest having three to six months worth of expenses set aside in an emergency fund.
• And it’s the same for an emergency fund, which should never be invested but rather kept in savings.
• If you’re carrying high-interest debt such as a credit card balance, it’s best to work toward paying it down before investing. Paying off a loan with an annual interest rate in the high-teens will likely give you a better return than you can earn investing.

How to Invest

If you decide to invest your money, you first need to figure out how you want to do so. That means deciding on the type of investment you want to make and where you want to put your money.

Start by considering your risk tolerance. For example, a young investor with a longer investment timeframe might want to invest in real estate. A younger investor with a shorter investment timeframe might want to invest in stocks or crypto currency. You can choose to invest in individual stocks, or you can invest in a stock market index fund. You could also choose to put your money in bonds or real estate. There’s a wide variety of options available to you, and each has its own risks and rewards

Why You Should Definitely Not Invest.

There are some situations in which you should definitely not invest. First and foremost, if you’re in a financial pinch, it’s best to put your money in a savings account. It’s important to have money available to you if you need it. It’s also a good idea to put some money in savings if you have short-term goals that you want to accomplish. It may not be as exciting as putting your money toward long-term goals, but it’s still important to have a place where you keep your extra money safe.

Investing or Saving-which is better?

Neither saving or investing is better in all circumstances, and the right choice really depends on risk and your current financial position.

That really depends on your risk tolerance, financial requirements, and when you need to access the money. Investing has the potential to generate much higher returns than savings accounts, but that benefit comes with risk, especially over

Prioritizing saving over investing can be tough. Here are some checklist to help you decide which comes first.

Investing vs Saving Checklist

• Do you have an adequate cash cushion that would cover three to six months of fixed expenses? If not, then start saving.
• Do you have other short-term goals requiring quick access to cash (like travel plans)? If so, start saving.
• Are you on track to reach your retirement goals by your desired age? If not, start investing.
• Do you understand the risks involved in investing this money for a long-term goal such as retirement? You may not be able to access it until age 59½ without taxes and a penalty, plus you’ll face volatility risk, etc. Are you comfortable waiting to access your money in order to take advantage of compounding? If so, invest.

How to pick a Brokerage Account

As with savings accounts, your ideal brokerage account should be convenient and low-cost. The selection process is similar to choosing a savings account but with one extra complication. To start, you must pick the type of investment account you need.

A taxable brokerage account is appropriate when you don’t know your investing timeline. Taxable accounts have no withdrawal restrictions and no tax perks. You will owe taxes annually on any dividends, interest, or realized gains you earn.

If you are specifically investing money for retirement, consider an individual retirement account (IRA). With both a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA, your earnings are not taxable from year to year. There is trade-off, however. You may incur taxes and penalties for withdrawing IRA funds before retirement.

Once you decide on the type of brokerage account you need, start shopping for options. Compare prospective accounts on these factors:

Available investments. More is better. At a minimum, you want access to the full range of exchange-traded stocks and funds, plus mutual funds.
Fee schedules. Maintenance and per-trade fees should be minimal.
Look for automation features. Ideally, you’d set up your brokerage account to pull in money and automatically invest it each month.

Read more;

4 Important Questions to Ask Before Borrowing Money

Do Physical Therapists Make Good Money?

https://www.geopoll.com/blog/youth-

Final Thought

Investing your money can be a great way to make more while also growing your wealth. Investing also carries greater risk than simply saving your money, but there are plenty of ways to lower that risk. When you’re deciding whether to invest or save your money, it’s best to plan ahead. That means considering your current financial situation and future goals. You can then use information’s in this blog to pick the investment strategy that’s right for you.

FAQs

Why is investing Riskier than Saving?

Most bank and thrift savings accounts are insured for up to $250,000 by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), meaning if the institution holding the funds goes bust, you won’t be left empty handed. Investing doesn’t work this way. When you invest money, there is generally no insurance. You are essentially chasing a higher payout in exchange for the risk that you may not get everything back.

What is a good amount to invest for beginners?

After you have enough set aside in a rainy day fund, review your budget and invest as much as you feel comfortable doing (or can). Keep in mind, even $5 is enough to invest.

What are the 5 things that you need to consider before investing

• know your investment goal
• Know your investment timeframe
• Know your investment timeframe
• Know your asset allocation
• Know which product to

Saving or Invest money in Stocks: Which is better

Stocks yield a significantly higher return than savings accounts do. Since 1928, stocks have given investors a 9.5% return annually, while the highest yielding savings accounts offer that kind of earnings till date.

Investing vs Saving ratio

Saving in savings accounts gives very less return around 3-4%, whereas fixed deposits give returns with a rate of returns around 7-9%. Whereas investing in Mutual funds, gives a good return on one’s investment, with a rate of returns around 10-15%.