In order to invest, you have to have savings. Do a very thorough budget once a year and see where you really are spending your money, even the small things, the

In order to invest, you have to have savings. Do a very thorough budget once a year and see where you really are spending your money, even the small things, they add up. Then set your lifestyle to spend less than you make and bank the difference. 10-20% is a good benchmark, if you can do it. 5% is still good. There is no substitute for long-term compounding of returns. For younger investors, the better bet is to choose a good mutual fund, ideally a mid-sized fund that outperforms the S&P over time, and then just leave your money there for 20 years, reinvesting the dividends and capital gains. I started out immediately with my first job by putting money into a 401k account and just letting it ride. The funds are withheld from your paycheck, so it's fire and forget. And that portion of your salary is not taxed until you take the money out (likely decades from now). I invested the funds in mutual in mutual funds that did a little better than the stock market over time. One day, which will surprise you by how soon it seems to arrive, you'll retire and have a sizable nest egg that you can move into fixed income investments and produce cash yields.