Saving and investing are two strategies that can help you build wealth. They both can serve multiple purposes, from emergency savings accounts to creating an emergency retirement fund.
Saving involves placing funds in low-risk accounts like savings and money market accounts, certificate of deposit (CD), or piggy banks that can easily be accessed when needed; savings accounts pose minimal risk and allow easy access when needed; however, they often earn minimal interest and suffer inflationary erosion over time.
1. Keep Money Safe
Saving and investing are both integral parts of sound financial planning. While neither method may be more appropriate for your particular goals, one may prove more suitable than the others.
Saving is the safest way to safeguard your money, with most savings accounts insured by federally-backed organizations like the FDIC for easy access when needed. Your investments can also remain protected when held in a diverse portfolio.
Saving and investing are great strategies when you require funds immediately for immediate needs such as debt repayment or covering unexpected expenses or emergencies. For longer-term goals like building up retirement savings or covering tuition for children’s college education, however, investing can often yield higher returns and provide greater returns than savings alone.
2. Make Money Grow
Saving involves placing funds in an account with minimal risk, such as a savings account or certificate of deposit. Withdrawals from these accounts typically come with limited withdrawal restrictions without incurring penalties.
Based on your risk tolerance, investing may also be worth your consideration. With an appropriate investment strategy, your savings could grow faster than in traditional savings accounts.
Investment can be ideal for meeting long-term financial goals, like paying down a house or saving for a vacation. Over time, higher returns can even out the effects of inflation.
3. Build a Rainy Day Fund
Plenty of financial advice exists: don’t spend more than you can afford, save where possible and indulge only when necessary. Yet it can be easy to miss the finer points when enjoying money responsibly and reaching goals financially.
Saving is placing aside money for future use – known in economic parlance as forgone consumption – using low-risk assets like savings accounts, money market funds, or CDs.
Building a rainy day fund should be the first thing on your to-do list as soon as you start saving. Once your emergency savings account has enough to cover expenses for three to six months, investing may offer higher long-term returns – investing could help speed up reaching goals faster. Still, both strategies should form part of a comprehensive financial plan.
4. Save for Long-Term Goals
Saving and investing are integral to financial well-being, so finding out which approach best matches your goals and timeline can help ensure you make wise money management choices.
McLay advises those with short-term goals to meet within several years to put their savings in more stable accounts (such as cash, money market funds, or certificates of deposit) that allow easy access without incurring losses from selling investments at short notice.
Long-term goals often require investments of some form. By making wise investments that compound returns over time, they may provide better long-term returns than savings alone can achieve. Be careful about taking on too much risk: the higher your returns are, the more savings might need to be put aside each month to meet them.
5. Invest for Retirement
Saving and investing are viable approaches for reaching your financial goals so the decision may depend on your goals and personal circumstances.
Saving for long-term goals such as purchasing a home or paying off student loans may require accessing money quickly and conveniently in an insured savings account; however, the interest rates don’t usually keep pace with inflation and can decrease its purchasing power over time.
By investing your savings in tax-deferred retirement accounts such as 401(k)s and IRAs, you can pay taxes as you earn them instead of withdrawing them at retirement – saving yourself substantial sums throughout your lifetime.