INVEST NOW FOR DIVIDENDS LATER

INVEST NOW FOR DIVIDENDS LATER
BY: CHARLES KASSOTIS
no matter what age you are or even your level of
employment or economic position, it may be a
GOOD IDEA TO START PREPARING NOW, EVEN IN A
meager way, for eventual financial security.
some people feel they need every dollar they
MAKE TO GET BY FROM ONE PAYCHECK TO THE NEXT.
while this may be true for some, there are
others who squander significant sums on
INSIGNIFICANT THINGS. THEY COULD BE SOCKING THAT
money away into an investment account that, over
time, could lead to huge savings and a
COMFORTABLE RETIREMENT.


IT ISN'T HARD TO GET STARTED. ALL YOU NEED IS
$100 to $500 to open an account, and anywhere
from $25 to $50 monthly to continue building
YOUR STOCK OR MUTUAL FUND PORTFOLIO. IN FACT, A
young person aged 20 could deposit $2,000 and
then not another dime. in forty years he or she
MIGHT HAVE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. THE
stock market has followed fairly predictable
patterns since its inception in the 1800s in new
YORK CITY. ALTHOUGH HISTORIC EVENTS LIKE THE
great depression and several global wars have
impacted its activity, the gains and losses
REMAIN FAIRLY CONSISTENT, WITH MOST INVESTORS
earning a predictable return on their
investment.

of course, no one can predict what the future
HOLDS, OR WHETHER THE PATTERN WILL CONTINUE. AND
none of us should invest more money than we can
afford to lose--just in case the world economy
CRASHES ONE OF THESE DAYS. BUT WITH STEADY
deposits that continue to compound and earn
interest over time, a sensible and prudent
INVESTOR CAN SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASE THE AMOUNT
of money going for retirement or a dream
vacation at some future point.

if you are thinking about opening an investment
ACCOUNT, DO A LITTLE ONLINE BROWSING FOR MORE
information. visit sites like e-trade or scott's
trades to see how the process works. start
READING YOUR NEWSPAPER'S FINANCIAL PAGES FOR
details about the latest stock prices and market
trends. do a little paper trading by following
THE DAILY STOCK NEWS. INSTEAD OF ACTUALLY
purchasing stock, however, work it out on a
piece of paper by pretending to buy a certain
AMOUNT OF STOCK FOR THE SPECIFIED PRICE AND THEN
watching to see how it performs over the
following week. chart your gains or losses to
FIGURE OUT WHETHER YOUR STOCK DEAL WAS
successful. if you do this for several months,
you will soon learn to understand more about the
STOCK MARKET AND HOW TO BUY AND SELL LIKE THE
pros.

even if your budget is tight, try to set aside a
little money to open an investment account from
ANY WINDFALLS THAT COME YOUR WAY FROM JOB
bonuses, inheritances, or cash gifts. some
people set aside their annual job raise, or part
OF IT, AS PART OF THEIR INVESTMENT STRATEGY.
then, as your budget becomes looser with
paid-off bills or grown-up kids, you may be able
TO START HAVING A STANDARD MONTHLY AMOUNT
deducted automatically from your paycheck and
deposited into your investment account. this
COULD TAKE THE FORM OF A ROTH IRA (INDIVIDUAL
retirement account), a money market fund, a
mutual fund portfolio, or individual stock
SHARES.

IT PROBABLY IS A GOOD IDEA TO TAKE AN INVESTMENT
class at the community college or sign up for a
financial planning seminar. success may be just
A FEW YEARS AWAY IF YOU START NOW AND PLAN
right.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
you can find more great investment information
at http://www.investmentcentral.com [2]

circulated by article emporium [3]
------------------------------------------------