You hear the word ‘investing’ being used all the time, but the context is generally associated with wealthy individuals. We aren’t billionaires, and we need to know how to invest with little money. The trouble is that most of us don’t have the funds to spare for the type of investments discussed by the wealthy.

It’s time to change the paradigm! There are actually lots of things we can do without having thousands to throw into the stock market. With a little education and discipline, we can all invest in our future, and it will make a big difference. 

Invest Your Spare Change With Acorns

When an Acorn member spends $2.89 on Starbucks, their spare change of $0.11 is squirreled away into a big Acorn money-stash ($3.00 – $2.89 = $0.11). What happens next? Nobel Prize winning economist Dr. Harry Markowitz builds secure portfolios for all that Acorn money to be invested.

Buy Fractions of a Share

Thanks to technology, it’s becoming more and more popular to buy fractions of a share. Instead of buying 1 share of SBUX for $80.00, you could own 1/700 of a share for $0.12. You can literally invest your spare change with Acorns.

As you spend money with your Acorns debit card, your spare change gets automatically invested. You spend money like normal while professionals safely and securely grow your retirement fund. This low-commitment strategy is a great opportunity for everyone to begin investing for their future.

Acorns is a smart, passive way to have your spare change invested by a Nobel Prize winning economist. So invest your change. Start growing your retirement fund today.

Learn more about investing your spare change with Acorns here & get a $5 welcome bonus after your first spare change investment!

Build Something Worthwhile by Investing in Small Companies

The American Dream embraces many ideals, like building your own successful business from the ground up. Unfortunately, not everyone can risk what it takes to be a business owner, whether it is because you need the insurance or you don’t have an extra six figures lying around. 

But, you can be part of a winning team that invests in local businesses, helping them launch or expand. Mainvest is a crowdfunding platform that joins small- to medium-businesses and willing investors. For many companies, all it takes is $100 to become an investor.

Like all investments, there are risks. But with Mainvest, they vet businesses to ensure it has a high probability of returning money to investors — 96% get their initial investment repaid with a handsome multiplier. At last, there is a way for small investors like yourself to be part of something big. Sign up with Mainvest and invest in projects important to you.

Other Opportunities To Invest For Retirement

Mutual Funds

Aside from dabbling into the stock exchange, you can also buy into low-minimum investment mutual funds. A mutual fund is a system where a pool of money is gathered from several people and then the funds are used by professional investors. In other words, all that money is appropriately invested in stocks and other assets.

A low-minimum investment fund can be as cheap as one hundred dollars plus you can add to it monthly. Mutual funds are invested in the private sector of the economy. However, if you would rather go another route, you might want to consider the US Treasury.

US Treasury

Funds that go into the US Treasury help to pay off our national debt. T-Bonds (or Treasury Bonds) are marketable securities issued by the United States government. They are available in increments of $100, which make them more affordable for starting investors.

However, onet hing to be aware of with bonds is that they have a maturity date of 10 to 30 years. This means that the face value of a bond is actually what it would be worth at the specified maturity date. Certain bonds pay you bond interest (also called a coupon rate). So your bond usually grows with interest over time.

DRIPs

Another approach to invest with little money is DRIP (aka Dividend Reinvestment Plans). This allows you to invest small amounts of money into company stocks that pay dividends. A dividend is a payout of company profit. Usually, you’ll receive payouts on a quarterly basis if you’re a stock or shareholder.

Taking this approach means you can start small with stocks and continue to increase your investment with periodic contributions.

401Ks and IRAs

Some investment routes aren’t obvious.

A lot of companies offer retirement plans to employees such as the 401K, which requires putting some of your paychecks into it every month. These can be appealing because often the company matches whatever amount you add. If you work for a company that offers retirement plans, take advantage of it because it’s an investment towards your future.

However, not all companies offer 401Ks. So if that is your situation, you can always look into a personalized and private retirement approach known as an IRA (Individualized Retirement Plan).  These accounts are made available through a variety of banks.

There are different types of IRA available and each one offers different interest rates, penalties, and tax breaks. Make sure you thoroughly examine the details.

Invest in Education

Not all investments are cash in and cash out. Some involve putting money into other aspects of your life so income can increase in the future. This may involve things like working on your education or investing in a personal business that isn’t yet profitable.

Education has a rightfully-deserved reputation for being incredibly expensive. However, today there are more ways to add to your own education without breaking the bank. Many colleges and universities offer certificate programs that are much cheaper and shorter than full degree programs.

There are also several platforms like Udemy that offer courses in just about any skillset you want to improve. Furthering your education is an investment that can pay you for many years. The more value you can provide to others is in direct proportion to your monetary earnings in life.

High APY Banking

You’ve probably heard the age-old lesson about keeping a savings account to pay for a few months worth of living expenses. This is absolutely vital advice. However, savings accounts aren’t only for emergency funds, they can be used to build towards your retirement.

Banks pay interest. It’s called APY. The higher a banks APY, the more money that bank pays you to bank with them. Right now, the national average is 0.08% APY. That’s nothing. $10,000 in savings would earn you $8 in one year at that rate.

So don’t bank just anywhere. Check out CIT’s Savings Builder account. They offer 10X the national average APY. Simply deposit $100 monthly, and you will earn massive interest on your savings. See the live banner below for CIT’s current Savings Builder APY

Savings Builder

Learn more about the CIT Savings Builder Account here.

Build Towards Something You Want

You want to stop working at 65? You’re going to need money. Do not wait! Money takes time to grow, so please take steps now to save money for your future.

Try Acorns investing. Like all Acorns members, your spare change will be invested by a Nobel Prize winning economist.

If you don’t have much money to invest, and you don’t have time to learn where to start. Start with Acorns. What better way to start growing your retirement than with money you won’t miss.

Take control of your future. Sign up for an Acorns account here and get a $5 welcome bonus after your first spare change investment!

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