Investment Goals

At some point, we’ll reach the stage of living independently. But this goes beyond just living alone, cooking your own meals, and doing your own laundry, as the true test of being an adult comes with making decisions that may greatly impact your life in the long run. The financial aspect of a person’s life is typically the most troublesome, especially for the average working individuals of society. For the everyday person, making smart investments is extremely important.

If you want to start a family without a plan on how you could support them, then what do you expect the outcome to be? Sometimes, having a go-with-the-flow type of mindset isn’t going to do you any favors. If you truly want to be successful in life, you need to give yourself a direction to follow. However, there are several ways to make wise investments, one of which is through an investment goal. For the most part, setting a smart goal for yourself is enough to keep you on your feet during the toughest of times. It gives you a reason to strive harder, even when you begin to feel lost and hopeless in your journey. Whichever path you take, what matters most is to stay committed to fulfilling your goals.

8 Investment Goals to Inspire You

When it comes to defining your goals, always think about what’s measurable and attainable. Everybody has their own list of goals to achieve, so you must consider the things you really wish to do financially. But rather than keeping all this inside your head, it would be best to write your goals down to make everything seem a lot more “real”. This will serve as a good reminder for you to never give up on your dreams.

If you’re feeling a bit empty with your list, here are some of the most common investment goals to get you inspired:

1. Take a Vacation

Plane tickets aren’t cheap, neither are hotel bookings, transportation fees, food costs, and other additional expenses. But let’s be honest, going on a good vacation is worth every penny.

Everyone deserves to take a break every once in awhile. It could be a two-day stay at a cabin by the lake, a luxurious trip to the Maldives, or even a week off to spend time with family and friends back home. Allow your mind and body to relax from all the stress in life. A quick escape from reality is something you could look forward to amidst all the coffee runs and business meetings that make up your day. While you may not have enough funds to sponsor your travel goals just yet, you could always spare some change to fill that empty jar of yours.

2. Get Married

One of the most common life goals that almost every individual has involves the idea of marriage. If you think having a wedding is expensive, wait ’til the bills start pouring in. The cost of living that you and your partner must share can cause problems in the long run, especially if you don’t learn to compromise. But marriage is also blessing that’s worth the sacrifices made. Despite the financial woes that may come your way, you and your partner must learn how to sort them out accordingly. So while you’re young and able, work hard and save up. Apart from getting your dream wedding and honeymoon, you’ll both have ambitions you’d want to achieve and it will likely cost you some money.

3. Buy a Home

Investing in a home is one of the best decisions you could ever make. Having a house that you can actually call yours can benefit you and your family in different ways and for many years. For one thing, you’d still have a place to stay in after you retire. The house can even be passed down to your children when you’re gone. Not everyone is fortunate enough to afford a house, so consider this an investment goal that is difficult to reach but not impossible to achieve. With hard work and determination, this is a goal that deserves a top spot on your list.

4. Start a Business

Entering the world of business is not as easy as it seems. Apart from having a good business plan set up, you need to have a capital to start with. Most people turn to loans for this, but you can always make use of the money you have saved up. However, don’t expect a return on investment anytime soon. Most entrepreneurs have to wait years before they see their business prosper in the market. So brace yourself for the bumps in the road, especially when it comes to financial problems. But every business has to start somewhere, so consider this as the heavy downpour before the rainbow.

5. Pay for Your Child’s Education

A child is a wonderful blessing to the world. It’s a life-changing experience that any proud parents are willing to have. Sure, spending on diapers and toys can leave your wallet empty in no time, but do you realize how much of an investment your child’s education is? Unfortunately, education has become a privilege that only those who can afford it can enjoy. Sending your child to a private institution will cost you a lot of money, but it’s also one of the best training grounds for any individual. While there’s always the option of choosing a public school instead, you still need to consider the academic goals your child has after he or she graduates high school. Some of the most prestigious universities are worth more than your annual income, so you must be prepared for that. Being accepted for a scholarship program will be of great help, but there will still be other expenses to attend to.

6. Donate Heavily to Charity

If you’re fortunate enough to afford some of the most lavish luxuries in life, then maybe you should consider giving back to your community.

There are many ways to do your part for mankind, one of which includes donating to charity. You’d be surprised how a simple donation can make a huge impact in someone’s life. There are various non-profit organizations around, so pick one that you are most passionate about. If you have enough funds to start your own charity foundation, then don’t hesitate to do so. With all the blessings you received in life, there’s nothing like doing your part for the good of all.

7. Have an Income Stream for Retirement

Retirement should be a time when you can finally catch a break from all the stress and just enjoy life. But even at this stage, there are still a few expenses to take care of. That being said, you want to make sure you have enough to cover everything. Health insurance and the like are just some of the things to invest in while you’re young, as this can be of great benefit when you grow older. And as you reach the age of retirement, you’ll finally be able to take advantage of everything you’ve been working hard for. In most cases, people spend the rest of their lives relying on their retirement fund or pension just to get by.

8. Leave a Substantial Legacy for Your Family

Have you ever heard of a trust fund? How about a will?

It’s not unusual for grandparents and parents to leave a good sum of money behind to sponsor members of their future generations. Investing on such can be of great help for most individuals, especially when hard times hit. However, it would be best to have a lawyer present for this, as to avoid any conflict that may arise. There are specific terms and conditions that must be agreed upon as well. This is so concerned parents do not have to worry about their child going broke or homeless due to financial troubles or poor life choices. If you think about, you wouldn’t want all your assets to fall to the wrong hands, either.

Guidelines for Setting Your Investment Goals

The key to successful investing is to sort out plan examples. Imagine entering a war zone without a battle plan in hand. If all you have is your weapon, are you willing to waste all your ammunition with the complete uncertainty of coming out alive?

In life, you can only make smart decisions if you learn how to weigh down your options and think things through. Money is not something you could throw around aimlessly, even if you claim to have a fortune inside multiple bank accounts. For the most part, a lot of people still struggle to make ends meet. Because of this, it’s important to be wise with your investments. Do not invest on something just because an agent said it’s worth a try. With that in mind, here are a few guidelines to help you set the right investment goals:

• Have a clear purpose for investing. If you don’t have a good reason to do something, then you will never feel motivated to do it in the first place. Do you plan on paying a downpayment for a home? Or are you saving up for your child’s college fund? Ask yourself why it is necessary and if it is worth committing to. Whatever the reason may be, make sure it is something you really want to do. Having a specific reason for investing will help you set the right type of goals, whether it is a short-term goal or a long-term goal. It gives you that extra push to move forward, despite all the struggles that may come your way.
• Be realistic. Before you make an investment, always consider the situation you are in first. Remember, financial investments can be very risky. You could lose everything you’ve worked hard for in a matter of seconds. For instance, saying that you’d be willing to invest $1000 a month for something even when you can barely afford to pay your monthly bills is absurd and overly ambitious. Always be careful with your decisions and be realistic with your investments.
• Break down your goals. Dream big, so they say. But this isn’t exactly the way it has to be all the time, especially when it comes to managing your saving goals. If you wish to have about a million dollars in your bank account by the time you retire, then you must set realistic expectations for it. Start by breaking it down to a monthly investment by taking a wiser approach towards it. This will help you properly manage your goals in order to come out successful by the very end.
• Set priorities. When it comes to investments, there’s an imaginary timeline to follow. While it’s essential to start as early as possible, you still need to consider your capabilities. At a young age, focus on starting a family (if you want to, that is) and building a house. Avoid stressing yourself out with thoughts about your retirement fund and the like, as this is something you can think about later on in life. For now, make investments that cover a ten-year plan or so. By prioritizing certain goals, you can make better life decisions for you and the people you care about.
• Start simple. There’s no harm in being ambitious until this hinders you from achieving something great. You see, people often get discouraged when they fail to attain something as quickly as they thought they could. But just because there’s somebody out there who can afford to buy a mansion at the Hamptons, doesn’t mean you won’t be able to do so, too. So instead of being so caught up in someone else’s life, concentrate on your own goals. Think about what you could do to reach your goals. Once you find success with the simple investments, then you can slowly branch out to the more complex ones.

Before you invest in anything, make sure you understand how it works and why it is necessary. There are a number of insurance policy companies that claim to offer the best benefits for you to invest on. There are various forces that can influence your investments, so be sure you know exactly what you’re doing. If you remain oblivious to how the system actually works, you could end up wasting your entire life savings on a poor investment.