Wealth Building Strategies
1. Debt
Many people don't fully understand how debt impacts their long-term wealth prospects. Some believe that all debts should be paid off as fast as possible to give more time to start saving money debt-free, while others tend to make minimum payments on debt and save money at the same time.
In practice, debts are best paid off as fast as possible if the interest rate on the debts is higher than the return you could get if you put the money toward a different investment.
For instance, if you had a debt that was at a 5 percent interest rate, but you could save your money in a CD at a bank for 5.5 percent, you should not pay off the debt quickly because you could use the money that you would have spent to pay off the debt to invest in the CD.
In general, credit card debts should be paid off as quickly as possible to build wealth because they usually have very high interest rates that far outpace any alternative returns.
Another thing to consider is that paying off debt is a guaranteed return on your investment--as soon as you pay down debt, you reduce principle and will pay less in interest. Investing in the stock market might carry a chance for a 10 percent return over a year, but it can also lead to a 5 percent return, or even a 10 percent loss. In other words, it is a bit of a gamble. Paying off high-interest debt is a sure thing.
2. Investments
One of the best ways to build wealth over long periods of time is investing in the stock market and in real estate. These two assets make up the lion's share of the net worth for many individuals in the United States. Buying a home has traditionally been a solid investment, as home and real estate prices have historically trended upward over time.
Similarly, economy-wide stock prices have tended to trend upward over time, making long-term investment in the stock market a profitable wealth-building strategy. It is very important, however, not to invest with a short-term perspective. You should plan on committing money to investments for 10, 20 or even 30 years or more.
Long-term investment is needed to overcome early fluctuations of gains and losses caused by normal business cycles. In other words, don't feel pressured to take out money because the stock market is down or because it is up.
3. Retirement Accounts
Making use of retirement accounts and tax-deducted or deferred savings is a another way to build wealth. If your job offers a 401k or similar retirement plan, you can commit savings to the plan on a pretax basis, meaning the money you save is not taxed until you ultimately take it out of the account.
Furthermore, 401k accounts typically allow you to commit money toward a variety of investment options like stocks, mutual funds and bonds; being able to invest pretax money allows your investments to grow faster.
If your company has a 401k matching program, contributing money to your 401k plan may be the best way you have to build wealth. Matching programs are basically free money your employer will contribute to your retirement account if you contribute to it yourself.
Your goal should be to contribute enough to your 401k to get as much company match money as possible each month. For instance, your company might have a 401k match up to $5,000.
This would mean that for every dollar of the first $5,000 you put into your 401k account, your company will also contribute a dollar. Nowhere else will you find a guaranteed and immediate return of 100 percent on your investment, so it is important to take advantage of it as much as you can.
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