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Ask HN: What are your best and safest investment options?

• prewett 4y ago
  For stocks, I strongly recommend reading The Intelligent Investor (Ben Graham). It is very readable and gives a excellent summary of value investing principles, which is on of the safer stock strategies and generally provides decent returns. Reading the Berkshire Hathaway annual reports is also useful in how Buffett things about valuations.
• Fire-Dragon-DoL 4y ago
  Unfortunately all the books I could recommend are canadian focused, but the gist is investing in etfs with low mer and high diversification. I use asset allocation etfs, little bit higher mer but extremely straightforward. Don't try to beat the market, follow the market. Over 20 years this seems to be a decent strategy, granted that nobody can predict anything, so "safe" doesn't really exist with "investment"
• raguilera 4y ago
  Interest rates are decent for cash right now (able to get 4.5% in the states as of Dec). If you want a relatively hands off approach what everyone has already suggested is your best bet, index funds. If you like individual stock picking then I recommend in terms of personalities Lyn Alden (twitter, and personal website), Unrivaled Investing (youtube, also has a paid membership), also interviews/Berkshire investor days with Buffet and Munger on youtube. In terms of the classic resources you have "The Intelligent Investor", "One Up on Wall Street", "Security Analysis", "The Little Book that Beats the Market", etc. Please be mindful that this option is a long journey with lots of reading, making mistakes that results in "paying tuition to the market", and not for those who can't control their emotions when it comes to the stock market. However, if like me you find this fun for whatever insane reason then that's where I'd recommend starting FWIW.
  • raguilera 4y ago
    Also if you haven't done so already before doing any of the above, please have a budget that you follow religiously. This has by FAR been the best thing I've ever done for my finances. Personally I use YNAB.
• Gatsky 4y ago
  Follow the advice of the hedge fund people in other comments. Richer, Wiser, Happier by William Green was a good book. It talks about investing longterm. Having a very long time horizon as you do is a considerable advantage. The other main message I got was that (successful) stock pickers expend a stupendous amount of effort to understand and select stocks. And I will never be able to come close to this effort. So either I just don’t, or if I really want to have a few discretionary stock picks, copy what they do (eg https://whalewisdom.com https://whalewisdom.com).
• conwy 4y ago
  Inflation linked bonds.
• dvko 4y ago
  Honestly, it’s hard right now. Investing in a low-cost and well diversified index fund used to be the way to go and is probably still your best option (at least for the majority of your savings). I’d read the little books by John Bogle (Vanguard founder), the Simple Path To Wealth (book or blog) and maybe I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramith Sethi (book). That said, the future isn’t as certain as it was in the last 200 years. I doubt we will see the same levels of economic growth with the various crisises intensifying over the next few decades. A house to live in in an area that is relatively safe from natural disasters would be high on my list as well.
  • hansworst 4y ago
    The future isn’t as certain as the last 200 years? Just in the previous century we had two world wars, followed by a period with serious threats of all out nuclear war. I’d say we’re not necessarily doing worse than that right now.
    • dvko 4y ago
      It really depends on how the climate crisis will unfold. We’re on par for well over 2 degrees of warming with no real solution in sight, so it remains to be seen how everything will turn out.
    • nabaraz 4y ago
      Case in point: Covid killed 6M people (0.0008% of world's population). 200 years ago, it would have been much much higher.
      • Retric 4y ago
        8 billion / 6.7 million is 1/1,200 or 0.00084 which is 0.084% not 0.0008%. You forgot that % means shifting the decimal 2 places to the left. Also, “A recent assessment of health information systems capacity in 133 countries found that the percentage of registered deaths ranged from 98% in the European region to only 10% in the African region.” https://www.who.int/data/stories/the-true-death-toll-of-covid-19-estimating-global-excess-mortality https://www.who.int/data/stories/the-true-death-toll-of-covi.... Actual death totals are likely closer to 15 Million than 7. Thus the real death total is likely around 0.2% of global population which is still quite far from the Black Death etc, but far from meaningless.
• LaurensBER 4y ago
  I'm CTO at a Hedgefund and we did very well last year but I would never recommend any of our strategies to a retail investors. Instead check out the Bogleheads wiki: https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Getting_started_for_non-US_investors https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Getting_started_for_non-US_i... Most investors will never beat the market, aim for simplicity, low cost and broadly diversified index funds and you'll do very well in the long run.
  • tdubhro1 4y ago
    I also work at a HF and have worked in various finance domain roles for 20 years and I strongly agree with this. Focus on clearing your short term debt (if any), keeping your investment costs low, pick safe options. After this, in my opinion the most impactful thing you can do to long term wealth prospects is live well within your means, and ask for raises, really really make sure you are at or close to the top end of your market rate salary at all times. Never defer gratification when it comes to professional compensation, no matter what the supposed upside might be.
  • cpach 4y ago
    Very good advice IMHO. There’s also a subreddit for bogleheads: https://old.reddit.com/r/Bogleheads/ https://old.reddit.com/r/Bogleheads/
  • texasbigdata 4y ago
    Also worked at a $50B hedge fund. You wont beat the market. If you did, it took you 80+ hours per week for multiple years to be 50-52% accurate. And that’s pre fees.
• adlpz 4y ago
  Low comission passive index funds tracking the global economy. Associate yourself with the global average growth in the most diversified way possible.
• aditya 4y ago
  0. Compound interest is your friend 1. Time in market > Timing the market (you're good starting early) 2. Use bogleheads (as mentioned) but check EU specific tax avoidance strategies. Ideally, prefer tax free > tax rebate > taxable investments 3. The younger you are the more risk you can take on, go 10% crypto, 90% equities and don't worry about bonds for now or something along those lines 4. Diversify into US stock, foreign stock, bonds as time goes on rebalance. 5. Once all that is done, look at real estate and other alternative investments. 6. Dollar cost averaging is always a good idea, invest the same amount every month no matter how good or bad the markets are 7. The only caveat to #6 is when you have a lumpsum amount (bonus, etc.) the earlier you invest the more time it spends in the market the greater your returns
• bmitc 4y ago
  I don’t know anything about European investment channels, but in the U.S. the advice usually goes: * max out 401k * max out health savings account (HSA) * max out IRA, or backdoor Roth IRA if income is too high * deposit certain amount monthly or regularly into a so called broad based index fund / ETF strategy, having a mix of broad market, growth market, dividend, international, developing market, small capital, and so on ETFs.
• alkonaut 4y ago
  The young or old might need the money short term (buying a first home or retiring) so should perhaps keep risk lower than the middle aged. For long term savings I’d just go for a diverse portfolio. Stocks and broad/index low/zero cost funds. That might sound boring but it’s that simple. Keep it global to avoid regional downturns. An often overlooked part of diversity in investment is to look at what industries thrive in a poor climate vs a good one, and keep some of both. (For example defense).
• jakub_g 4y ago
  I'm not gonna recommend any particular investment but something to keep in mind is that taxation has an important impact on overall gains, and it's different in every country. You need to learn the details relevant to your country of residence and take that into account. Most advice you'll get in internet assume you're in US and your country's taxation certainly works differently in many ways. For example in France when you buy stocks directly, the taxation is less attractive than if you buy through other well-defined financial instruments which give you lower tax rate after 5 years. In US, you have "short term capital gains" and "long term capital gains" etc. Such distinction doesn't exist in most of EU.
  • jakub_g 4y ago
    For sources of info: There's a bunch of subreddits decidated to "personal finance", "Financial Independence / Retire Early" (FIRE). For French speakers living in France you have /r/vosfinances Try to find a community based in your country first of all. They will also recommend the financial institutions that are good & cheap etc.
  • jakub_g 4y ago
    Also for EU specific resources see https://indexfundinvestor.eu/ https://indexfundinvestor.eu/
• emerongi 4y ago
  What I did is that I looked into a couple of forward-thinking pension funds in my country. These are ones that only invest in index funds and have very low fees. From those, I picked three index funds that felt good - one covering Europe, one covering US and one covering the world - and I've been dumping money in them. To me, this seemed like the most straightforward way to invest in index funds, keeping a comfortable risk level and not requiring any time from me at all. With the recent economic downturns, it has proven to be quite an OK strategy, as the market fluctuations between Europe, US and the world differ wildly, so the three funds sort of balance each other out. Additionally, I max out the 401k-equivalent pension fund in my country.
• ThrustVectoring 4y ago
  > I'm based in Europe if that matters. You'll have to do research into your particular retirement programs and what tax advantages they have, but other than that it should be roughly the same as anyone else's. > What options do I have? Hedge funds spend billions of dollars and hire teams of math PhDs trying to beat the market. You are a single software developer. You are not going to do better than average. Fortunately, there's an extremely easy and low-cost way to guarantee average performance: broad-market index funds. These will charge a ludicrously low amount of overhead (something like .04% annually) in order to buy basically everything the market as a whole buys in the same ratios as the market buys. > I also perfectly understand that safe means lower return and I'm perfectly fine with that, since I am going into this for a long term. IMO the correct approach for long-term investing is to set aside money you are perfectly okay with never seeing again, and literally not checking how the market is performing at all, while maximizing return regardless of risk. Long-term underperformance is actually a bigger risk over 30+ years than any number of market crashes, at least while you're underneath the Kelly Criterion (and even a 100% equities portfolio is comfortably below this). > Also, any useful resources regarding investment would be helpful (YouTube channels, books, etc.). https://bogleheads.org/ https://bogleheads.org/
• georgeecollins 4y ago
  The safest is a US Treasury Bond. Unfortunately this is a bad long term investment, due to a poor return vs inflation. It is still good to have some in a portfolio as a hedge. For a 5- 20 year portfolio: 60% VOO, 40% BND Re-balance quarterly to keep the ratios constant. To clarify, VOO/ BND are both Vanguard funds.
• Blackstone4 4y ago
  Look at your pension….in the UK, if you’re in the 40% tax bracket and with the tax relief, you’ll get an instant return on your money of 67%…the downside is the lock in.
• s-xyz 4y ago
  I recommend something like this, take your monthly net income and try to stick to something like this: - allocate if possible max 25% into rent and for other recurring expenses (I know that this can be a challenge) - (low risk): save 20% (into a basic savings account) - (medium risk): invest 10% in ETFs; plain vanilla S&P500 is a good start - (high risk): invest up to 5% in crowdfunding sites like Seedrs.com or in similar high risks assets such as Crypto - spend and enjoy life with the rest (40%) The challenge is of course the fixed expenses, when you are just starting out those will represent a big part of your expenditure. As such, adjust the other parts accordingly and gradually work towards the allocation I described above as your income increases over time. Another life hacker tip: use a service like Revolut and let it round your change and put into a Vault. Use these savings to save or invest. While the daily amounts are small, it accumulates over time and it feels good to know that every time you spend something you save a bit. When you hit 30s, you will have a solid saving and investment portfolio, thanking your 20 year old you.
• fattybob 4y ago
  My largest current holding is Exxon, because, globally, oil is the source of most things like it or not. I was holding Tesla too, I skipped out mid crash, sadly, I wish he’d focus on his core business (I only bought Tesla because of spaceX too!!) I would think own a Tesla car - hard to say why, there’s just something not quite right with them for me. I have a few smaller oil companies and some banks, I keep tasting Amazon, but always leaves a bad taste !! Really Amazon, Christmas should be you biggest opportunity And apple of course
  • saagarjha 4y ago
    Picking specific companies and putting your life savings in it when you’re in your early 20s sounds like the exact opposite of what was asked for here.
  • theshrike79 4y ago
    Tesla stock will rebound if they manage oust Musk and pick a different CEO. Until then the stock will be way too volatile for my tastes.
• nabaraz 4y ago
  Max out your 401k, and save money towards downpayment for a house.
  • IshKebab 4y ago
    I don't know about in America but the most you can pay into your pension tax free in the UK is £40k/year. Median salary is £33k.
• eps 4y ago
  For the next year sit in cash or pick up stocks that pay good dividents and are poised to grow after the crisis passes (e.g. banking or telecom). 8-10% is achievable. The goal is to offset the inflation while things stabilize. Afterwards look at conventional long-term investment options.
  • Retric 4y ago
    “early 20s” means cost dollar averaging makes timing the market irrelevant. He doesn’t have enough cash on hand to make doing anything complicated worth the effort for minimal gain. At that age, 100% in a ultra low cost index fund using whatever maximizes tax advantages. Just be aware 401k etc programs often have penalties for early withdrawal so don’t put all your savings in such programs because life happens. PS: 10 years from retirement having money in bonds can be a good hedge, but when your decades from retirement a dip in the market just means the next few paychecks gets invested in a low which is the entire point of using bonds and rebalancing a portfolio.
  • JW_00000 4y ago
    > For the next year sit in cash [...] after the crisis passes I feel like I've been hearing that for the last ~8 years at least. Stocks have been said to be "overvalued" for a long time... If you would've waited all that time you'd have missed out on a lot of gains. In fact, you could even argue that we're at a low right now so that it's the ideal time to start investing more. But the truth is we cannot know whether we're at a high or a low, or somewhere in between, so the best option is dollar cost averaging.
• tekkk 4y ago
  IMO you just should buy a house with low monthly fees. The prices are hopefully going down in most places during the next year which should provide plenty of opportunities. Then, if you like, just buy up some ETFs or otherwise diversified assets in industries you think will succeed. With relatively small amounts of money you just want to buy something simple and robust, don't get too creative.
• keewee7 4y ago
  When asking these type of questions on HN and reddit you have to take the Doomer factor into consideration. Both places are full of people convinced the economy will soon collapse and we should all go into prepper mode. World Index Funds are still the way to go n the long term.
• orwin 4y ago
  I'm not a big investor, but here is my strategy: 20k blanket: you never know what can happen, this money can be put in accounts with small returns but can be available immediately. Up to 5k immediate spending: i like surprise vacations, especially when I surprise myself. This allow me to say 'fuck this, I'm out' and go rent a boat or something. Then, the excess goes into 3 categories. I divide it in 10. 6 part go into low risk, low return investment. State debt etc. It's pension funds, but also weird bank plans (ask a bank councellor); 3 part goes into diverse index funds. I got energy, green energy, old people (they have nice name for it), luxury goods and something else I forgot (i chose not to invest in the defense industry, but I'd take that if I weren't bothered by it). I hedged against tech for a reason: I'm very well paid, and as long as tech do well, i won't be laid off. The last part i invest directly with my bank application. I got lucky [removed humblebrag coz details don't matters]. No real strategy here, invest in stuff you think is worth more than it cost. I don't know if it's the best investment strategy, but the banking councellor helped me with it, so I guess it cannot be too bad. If you're in France, go to a bank outside big cities (doesn't matter anymore as everything is dematerialized) and ask for a financial counselor (it was free for me), they respond way faster than in Paris, and help you decide a strategy. Detail that matters: i don't have kids and mostly frequent women who are independent
• rr808 4y ago
  What has done best for American investors over the last few decades: buying index funds. Which is why everyone recommends them. In 2023 it isn't always good advice, especially outside of the USA. The best things are paying off debt, avoiding debt, stabilizing yourself, and get ready for buying a house. If your employer matches some pension contribution do that. At your age you should look at investing in yourself. Think about if you can buy knowledge to improve your career, maybe a masters degree or even books etc. Either more engineering skills or maybe management skills. This will give much better returns over the next few decades than an index fund. Finally Financial knowledge is a great thing to learn if you're so inclined. I was always interested in investing in markets as well as small local businesses. Learn accounting and basic business speak and follow the stock market, maybe buy a few companies - even if you lose money you'll learn a lot if you follow them. This will be helpful when you're older and have more money. Be careful because for half the people in the world its not worth doing this, and are better off ignoring it so make sure if its you or not.
  • jleyank 4y ago
    I strongly suggest not buying a house unless you can stay in the house if/when you switch jobs. The things can lose value and/or can be rather illiquid in downturns and it sux losing a job, having to move and learning what the term bridge loan means. Of course, if you’re able to handle two domiciles due to high salary or successful career, consider getting a 2nd house where you’d like to retire to. It also sux having mortgage payments in retirement.
    • rr808 4y ago
      Definitely buying a house in 2023 is a risky investment. It depends a lot on the person and the location about what to do. I bought my place mid thirties, it would have been 500k cheaper if I bought in my mid twenties, OTOH I enjoyed the freedom to move around have live with other people. In either case if you're thinking about investments, buying a house in a few years or ten should be something to think about.
  • yucky 4y ago
    One thing to consider now with the traditional advice of "just put your money in index funds" is that this has led to empowering 3 firms beyond belief: BlackRock, State Street & Vanguard who control over $20 TRILLION (with a T) of managed assets now thanks to these "index funds" that Americans mindlessly pour their money into. This is over half the value of the S&P 500. Way too much power for 3 firms, and the Directors behind them. [1] https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/12/opinion/vanguard-power-blackrock-state-street.html https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/12/opinion/vanguard-power-bl...
• la_fayette 4y ago
  Broad index funds as a longterm buy and hold investment. I would take a "FTSE all world accumulating", that is all you would need. https://www.justetf.com/en/etf-profile.html?isin=IE00BK5BQT80 https://www.justetf.com/en/etf-profile.html?isin=IE00BK5BQT8...
• augasur 4y ago
  Start from investing every month set amount of money into ETFs. As you are from Europe, one of the best to start, would be Vanguard FTSE All-World ETF, or in short WVCE. I am mostly investing into it for my retirement. If you want to feel the market more, you can buy some individual stocks, starting from blue chip ones, or if you want to gamble a bit more, you can take a look at crypto or small cap stocks. As for platforms/brokers, there are couple of most popular in Europe: Degiro or IBKR. I myself use IBKR for stocks and ETFs.
  • gizmo 4y ago
    When somebody asks for good and safe investments maybe don't recommend crypto?
  • politelemon 4y ago
    In the UK I think that etf is called VWRP or VWRL. One is distributing and one is accumulating, no idea what that means though
    • justincormack 4y ago
      distributing means pays out dividends, accumulating reinvests dividends. If you don't care about being paid out an income accumulating is simpler.
• Moissanite 4y ago
  Plenty of good advice already regarding index funds and pensions, so I'll add: land is a finite resource, so buying some for yourself is unlikely to be a bad move. In most cases this will just be a house, but don't be afraid to think more broadly than that - particularly if it can also be a hobby, like buying some cheap derelict land to re-wild or grow trees on. Not going to deliver the same financial return as the S&P 500, but probably more interesting.
  • theshrike79 4y ago
    Shoreline is even more limited. Get some land by a lake or by the sea, it'll always have some value.
• theshrike79 4y ago
  Index funds, mainly S&P500 (or SXR8 to be exact). My investment horizon is ~25 years away. I also have some investments in other index funds that follow areas I am interested in or understand. I own a handful of companies stock directly - only ones I actually understand and ones that are always needed. Banks, infrastructure companies, grocery chains and the like. People will always need a place to store their money and get water, food and electricity. "Time on the market beats timing the market" It's statistically better to buy a small amount of stocks 12 times a year than one HUGE bundle once a year. That way the value fluctuations will even out in time.
  • Animatronio 4y ago
    Nope, sorry to contradict you on the last one - it's better to go all in (lump sum) than DCA. https://investor.vanguard.com/investor-resources-education/online-trading/dollar-cost-averaging-vs-lump-sum https://investor.vanguard.com/investor-resources-education/o...
    • robocat 4y ago
      That pithy Vanguard piece is for lump sums and states “Our research indicates that it's prudent to invest a lump sum immediately” without any backing evidence. And the article contradicts itself: it basically says do whatever makes you feel best. Arrrgh.
      • Animatronio 4y ago
        Sure, but it's very easy to check "lump sum vs DCA": https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/dollar-cost-averaging-vs-lump-sum-investing/ https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/dollar-cost-aver... "Choose between dollar cost averaging and lump-sum investing by evaluating your risk tolerance, your investment horizon and your ability to stick with an investing plan. Lump-sum investing outperforms dollar cost averaging 75% of the time for stocks and 90% of the time for bonds, but dollar cost averaging may be a good choice for investors worried about taking on immediate risk." https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/12/which-investment-strategy-is-better-lump-sum-or-dollar-cost-averaging.html https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/12/which-investment-strategy-is... " New research looked at rolling 10-year returns on $1 million starting in 1950, and compared results between an immediate lump-sum investment and dollar-cost averaging. Assuming a 100% stock portfolio, the return on lump-sum investing outperformed 75% of the time. For portfolios with 100% bonds, that rate of outperformance was 90%."
• JonathanBeuys 4y ago
  How does historical data support the statement that "safe means lower return"?
• cyberlurker 4y ago
  With interest rates so high and recession possibly looming a savings account would likely be best for the majority of your money. You’re looking for safe. In the US I would say open up a Wealthfront account (3.8% interest) and when you’re looking for more “risky” investing you can use their robo adviser to regularly invest some set amount of money. I am not sure of the equivalent in Europe. But when talking about safety and return in investing in 2023 I think high interest savings accounts should not be ignored. (Backed by Gov Insurance like FDIC)
• tumetab1 4y ago
  Beside some other good advices (like picking an index) I would recommend investing in learning: 0. Define what's your emergency fund and lock that money into something that you can redeem immediately. 1. Pick a safe investment vehicle and put around 30% of your savings there (expect them to be locked there for 5 years at least) 2. Learn, and plan, about recurring investment/saving 3. Setup your recurring investing/saving plan 4. Learn, and plan, about investing/saving for your next goal like buying a house (this might mean an retirement fund) 5. Setup your investment/saving plan for that goal 6. Learn, and plan, about saving/investing for retirement 7. Setup your investment/saving plan for that goal Assume this will take you at least 2 years to do.
• sgjohnson 4y ago
  I used to have an all-in 5x levered position on SPY. I have now de-delevered.
• rich_sasha 4y ago
  "risk" means different things to different people. I'd say it might be that investing in "safe" assets is risky for you, because over the 10s of years you are investing in, they just won't make you money. Investing in stocks might lose you 30% one year or another, but will likely make you good money over the long run. Look for as much diversification as you can, avoid single stocks, single sectors or single countries / regions. Eg don't invest in EUR stocks just because you earn in Euros, for example. Keep enough cash for emergencies though in bank account or liquid safe assets / savings accounts. IANA Financial Advisor
• Apreche 4y ago
  Most commenters seem to recognize that index funds are the way to go, and they’re correct. There are some who are pointing out that the future is much more uncertain now and that index funds might not be as good a bet as they used to be. Here’s the thing, though. Betting on index funds is like betting that our society will continue to function and continue to remain capitalist. If you make that bet, and you are right, all good. You have more money. If you make that bet and socialism rises, no problem. You might lose the money or be taxed heavily, but will receive government services and you won’t suffer later in life. If society collapses entirely, and it’s Mad Max, then it’s ok to lose all the money because money would have become worthless almost no matter how you invested it. The one other thing I would like to add is that life is short. You never know how short. Father time is undefeated. If there is something you have the opportunity to do in life that you want to do, don’t hesitate to spend the money and do it ASAP. Financial investments are just a means to an end. If you can skip it and go directly to some of the ends, then get them while you can.
  • RhysU 4y ago
    > Betting on index funds is like betting that our society will continue to function and continue to remain capitalist. Agreed. My half-joke variant is "I bet long Western Capitalism. If my bet is wrong, I will have bigger problems."
• ezedv 4y ago
  I think the amount of risk you are willing to take on will depend on your individual financial situation and goals, as well as your risk tolerance; it is generally considered that investments with lower risk tend to have lower potential returns, while investments with higher risk have the potential for higher returns. 1) Savings accounts and certificates of deposit (CDs): These options offer relatively low risk and low potential returns, as they offer guaranteed interest rates. 2) Cryptocurrencies: They are not controlled by any central authority, it can potentially offer more financial freedom and autonomy. However, it's important to do your own research before investing. Here's a website you can check out: https://www.ratherlabs.com https://www.ratherlabs.com 3) Treasury bonds: These are considered to be among the safest investments available. They typically offer low potential returns. And last but not least, I think the best advice I can give you (from my experience) is to DIVERSIFY: it's a risk management strategy that involves investing in a variety of assets, it is generally considered to be a good way to invest, as it can help to mitigate the impact of any single investment performing poorly. Hope my answer helps!
  • huhtenberg 4y ago
    You should disclose your affiliation when recommending a website, mate. It doesn't look good otherwise.
• Aeolun 4y ago
  I’ve spread my money around index funds, mostly overseas. This all goes through my pension fund though, so I’m not sure what goes into it. The ‘developing world’ indexes seem to consistently do the best. The important thing to note is that only like 5% of all my income goes into that, so if it all disappears overnight I’ll be bothered, but not in any actual trouble.
• dalbasal 4y ago
  One major aspect that tends to be underrecommended is using money to save money. Cash buy a car. Prepay your rent for a discount. Buy an annual supply of cleaning products, drygoods... For businesses, this is well understood. An old school CFO/controller will be all about paying later, collecting earlier, negotiating discounts, consolidating purchasing, etc. Generally, anything like this will yield a much higher return than any kind of investment.
• pragmatic 4y ago
  “I'm based in Europe if that matters.” I would argue that matters a lot. Taxes and fees play an outsized role in financial success. You are asking this in an American centric forum but with lots of international members. The advice you get will be heavily skewed. 1. Read a lot. Especially books etc for your country. 2. Develop your own thesis. What do you believe to be true. How much money are you willing to put away each pay period? What do you want to save for. What is your risk tolerance? Only you can answer these questions. 3. Do something based on #2. You can adjust your thesis over time. 4. Pay for advice when necessary. Accountants and lawyers but be leary of investment professionals. Read what Warren Buffet says about helpers.