Investing for Beginners

CampusCrowd
Thu, 06 Feb 2025 18:45:56 +0000
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If you’re considering investing to help reach your financial goals, consider starting as early as possible.

That’s ‘Investing 101,’ and for good reason — the earlier you begin, the more time your money has to potentially grow. Early investing gives you more years to contribute to your investments and allows you to potentially benefit from compound interest, the interest you earn on interest. The amount of time you are invested in the market is one of the most important factors in growing your wealth. The sooner you can get started, the better.

For some people, college can be a good time to kick off their investing journey. You might not have much to invest after paying for tuition, room and board and basic needs, but you don’t need a lot of money to get started. You can start small and work toward building your contribution amount over time.

Consider these tips to help you get started on your investment journey as a college student.

Understand the difference between saving and investing. Saving cash can help keep you covered in the short term while investing can help you reach your long-term goals. Before you get started investing, it’s important to have a cash emergency fund of 3-6 months of expenses for unexpected emergencies.

Have a plan. Everyone’s financial situation is different. It’s important to identify your personal financial goals and create a plan to outline how you’d like to work towards them. For example, you may be saving for a big trip in the next year. You might also aspire to buy a home in the next 15 years. Having a plan can help you work towards these various goals at the same time. There are free digital tools, like J.P. Morgan Wealth Plan, that allow you to set multiple goals, create a plan for them and track your progress along the way.

Remember the importance of diversification. Your investment options depend on your personal timeline and tolerance for risk. That said, it’s important that your portfolio is diversified, or made up of a variety of different investments. You don’t want to put all of your eggs in one basket. Diversification can help even out your portfolio’s returns during periods of volatility.

Riding out the market. It’s important to remember that volatility is completely normal. Market swings can be painful, but they are a natural part of investing. It’s important to take a long-term view when it comes to investing and stay focused on your strategy. Don’t let you emotions derail your plan.

Choose how to invest. You can work with a financial advisor, invest on your own or do a combination of both. A financial advisor can help you build a custom-tailored plan for your unique goals and provide guidance along the way. Self-Directed Investing tools allow you to manage your investments and build your portfolio.

Start investing in your future

You don’t need a large sum of money to be an investor. What’s important is getting started and staying consistent over time. Making regular contributions to your investments can help you stay on track. Digital tools can make it easier to invest regularly, letting you set up repeating or periodic transfers to your investment account to take the guess work out of when to invest. It’s also important to do your research and be an informed investor.

It’s never too early to get started investing, even if you’re in college. Visit chase.com/personal/investments for more information or contact your local Chase branch to speak with an advisor who can help.

Investing involves market risk, including possible loss of principal, and there is no guarantee that investment objectives will be achieved. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

Asset allocation/diversification does not guarantee a profit or protect against loss.

J.P. Morgan Wealth Management is a business of JPMorgan Chase & Co., which offers investment products and services through J.P. Morgan Securities LLC (JPMS), a registered broker-dealer and investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC. Insurance products are made available through Chase Insurance Agency, Inc. (CIA), a licensed insurance agency, doing business as Chase Insurance Agency Services, Inc. in Florida. Certain custody and other services are provided by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JPMCB). JPMS, CIA and JPMCB are affiliated companies under the common control of JPMorgan Chase & Co. Products not available in all states.

? 2025 JPMorgan Chase & Co.