Budgeting Going to College

Why You Should Start Investing as Early as Possible as a College Student

Written by CB Community

When you’re young and in college, it’s challenging to want to start your investment journey. You’re living in the moment, taking each day as it comes, and probably working towards your college degree.

It’s easier to worry about finances later, right?

Well, actually, there are many reasons why it’s better to get on board early. Below we are going to discuss ten of them to help you get motivated.

Want to learn more? Let’s get started:

Your Living Expenses are Lower

As you grow older and graduate from college, your living expenses get larger as you take on more responsibility. You’ll get more bills and may even have children to take care of.

Thus, it makes sense to start investing while you have more money. You won’t notice it missing, and it will be easy to keep track of everything.

Want to learn more? Take a look at these basic investment tips for college students to get started.

You Can Generate Higher Returns

The higher the return, the more money you can make. By researching early and expanding your knowledge, you’ll be able to choose the right type of investment for your future goals.

Remember, there is a wide range of options out there, from high dividend stocks to ETFs and mutual funds.

Start off slowly, and don’t be afraid to seek professional help at first. This will give you the best chance of success with the least amount of risk.

You Will Have More Recovery Time

If something does happen and you lose money on your investments, starting earlier gives you much more recovery time. You can build back up your finances and find ways out of it without so much stress.

This is far different from if you were to do this later on in life, where you may not be able to make back your losses.

You Will Be Able to Take on More Risk

While it’s not always wise to dabble in extremely risky investment types, starting early does give you higher risk tolerance.

You’ll have more time to get through recessions and can potentially invest more than 30 years down the track.

At the end of the day, a more volatile portfolio can produce more considerable gains. It’s better to risk it (and correct your mistakes) earlier rather than later.

You Can Secure Your Future

Throughout life, many unexpected things can happen that impact your financial situation. This could include medical bills, car repairs, and other unforeseen circumstances.

Investing provides you with a safety net to cover those costs so that you don’t end up in debt.

Alongside this, it ensures that your family is taken care of after you have passed away. So, it really is always better to be prepared.

You May Be Able to Retire Early

Saving for retirement is one goal that everyone should have, even if you are still a college student. And, the earlier you start, the more you can prepare yourself.

You have the opportunity to build up a strong portfolio with regular passive income and may even be able to retire earlier than initially planned.

While it does depend on your investment strategy, the extra time will help you get your fund organized. Trust us when we say you won’t regret it.

You’ll Take Better Care of Your Finances

Investing and budgeting go hand in hand, so it makes sense that starting early will allow you to take better care of your money.

You will develop excellent financial habits that will help you achieve your goals and stay out of debt.

Alongside this, you’ll carry the lessons you have learned for life.

Want to learn more money-managing tips? Here are a few to keep in mind:

  • Create a financial calendar to avoid getting caught out on monthly payments. You can do this easily on your phone with an app.

  • Try and allocate 20% of your income to your investments, emergency fund, and debt. The rest should be divided into living costs and spending.

  • Create financial goals that are both long and short-term. This doesn’t just have to be about investing. It could be as simple as saving for your next vacation or a new couch.

  • Always look for ways to cut your costs down, but don’t give up all of your fun. This will only grow your urge to splurge.

  • Regularly review your budget and make appropriate changes when necessary.

You Will Gain Valuable Experience

While not all investments are difficult to understand, there are some out there that are definitely not for beginners.

By starting early while in college, you are gaining valuable experience that you will keep with you for the rest of your life.

As time goes on, you’ll be able to expand your portfolio and fully understand the different markets. You’ll learn from your mistakes and know what to avoid.

You Can Become a Creditor

It may be hard to see yourself physically handing money over to other people, but it is very possible if you plan ahead.

Once you have built up a successful portfolio early on in your life, you can consider lending to others to improve your wealth even further.

This financial freedom is one thing that many crave, so getting a head start is definitely worth it.

You’ll Regret Not Doing It

Finally, the last reason why you should consider investing early is that you will probably regret not doing it. Before you know it, ten years will have quickly passed by, and all of that time could have been spent preparing yourself.

Yes, while it might be hard to get motivated initially, all of that work will be worth it when you reach retirement.

Takeaway

And that’s it! By reading through the above, you should now have a better understanding of the importance of investing as early as possible.

So, get out there, and begin your journey. You won’t know what you can achieve until you put your mind to it.

What do you think? Are there any other reasons that you would consider adding to this list?

About the author

CB Community

Passionate members of the College Basics community that include students, essay writers, consultants and beyond. Please note, while community content has passed our editorial guidelines, we do not endorse any product or service contained in these articles which may also include links for which College Basics is compensated.