“I would get into investing, but I don’t have the money or know where to begin.”

Not too long ago, there wasn’t a lot of knowledge available on investing. You had to know someone with information on what to do with your money and that would cost you a pretty penny — a penny you didn’t have.

The good news is those days are over.

Every day there is a new finance app intended to provide the everyday person access to basic investing opportunities. There is an abundance of information for beginners to learn how to invest wisely.

Still, there are people who say they don’t have the money or the knowledge needed to start investing in their future. That can’t be true, can it? With opportunities growing every day there are people who still find a way to make an excuse to not get started — so what is the real reason behind it?

Fear Of The Unknown

It’s a common thing to fear what you don’t know — it’s human nature. As a kid, you were scared of the dark because you couldn’t see your surroundings. You were vulnerable and the boogeyman could attack you. Because you wanted to avoid scary monsters, you wouldn’t bother going into a dark space without light. Some people have conquered their fears and some are still scared of dark spaces to this day.

In relation to finance, you’re afraid to get involved with investing because you’re afraid to lose money. You don’t know if you’ll make money for certain and that scares you. To avoid losing money, you would rather stay in the position you are in now and not take a chance.

This is due to a scarcity mindset. Your entire life you were told that investing is risky — and it is. In a sense, investing is the boogeyman. It’s gambling and you should stay away or else you’ll lose your hard-earned money.

Much like fear of the dark, some have conquered their fear of investing and others are still bound by fear. If you’re one of those who are living in fear — think of it like this:

Investing is like stepping into a dark room. Knowledge is your light that helps you see in a dark room. The more knowledge you have, the brighter your light shines and the more you’re able to see. The brighter your light shines, the more comfortable you are. Eventually, you’ll get to a point where investing no longer scares you because you acknowledge the risks and anticipate the reward.

Fear is a trap that leads to regret. The worst fear of all is realizing what you could’ve had if you’d just taken a chance on yourself.

Have No Fear — Opportunity Is Here

In 2015, stock trading app Robinhood hit the scene offering zero-fee commissions for users. This allowed the average person to invest in stocks without fees eating away at their account. Around the same time, an influx of other financial apps such as Stash, Acorns, and others became available to help educate people on stock investing.

More apps have arrived since then and also came financial knowledge via YouTube and finance blogs providing investment knowledge for those looking to learn.

With the newfound ease of access and the ability to invest on the go, you’re also able to learn how to deepen your knowledge and diversify your portfolio. With apps like Acorn, you can invest passively. In fact, you can set and forget it because it rounds up spare change anytime you use your card. More established brokers like TD Ameritrade, Charles Schwab, and Fidelity have become more internet-friendly over the years and have adapted to the changing landscape of online investing.

Before you start, you’re going to want to brush up on some lingo and understand what certain things mean. To do so, you can head over to Investopedia. The website is a one-stop-shop for covering the basics of investing and will provide enough information to get your feet wet.

📷📷Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

Have you ever seen a stock price rise and think to yourself “I wish I would have invested in that!” Have you ever wished you could’ve bought some bitcoin and spend the rest of your days retired on an island? I bet you have — join the club.

The good thing about investing is that it’s never too late to start. Instead of wishing you would have acted sooner, you can take action now and increase your chances of getting in before another run. Remember, hindsight is 2020 and no matter how much you wish you would’ve done something, the money isn’t going to show up in your bank account — you have to get in the game to win.

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. — Chinese Proverb”

Why Should You Invest?

Investing will help you live a better life. Despite personal opinion, money is one of the most important things in life. We need it to buy food, shelter, and live the life we deserve. When you learn how to invest, you’re able to help others with the knowledge you have. For those growing up financially troubled, you’ll be able to operate in a way that ends the cycle of poverty and financial illiteracy. Investing can help you spend less time working, meaning you’re able to spend more time with loved ones or getting into your hobbies.

Whether it’s reaching certain financial goals, starting a business, or just a little extra cushion; investing is a sure-fire way to help you get there.

The best part of investing is that there are various ways to go about it. There’s stocks, bonds, real estate, dividends, forex, options, futures, alternative investments, investment funds, commodities (takes a deep breath) commodities, cryptocurrency, retirement plans, angel investing, metals, be — okay, you get the point. You have a lot of options.

The best part of investing is it’s something everyone can do no matter their income level. Whether you’re a broke college student or someone making six figures and up, you can take your future into your own hands.

Maybe you’ll be that broke college student who ends up making six figures — it’s possible if you make the right moves.

If you’re starting small, don’t worry about the money — it’s going to come. The best part of starting small is you’re learning as you grow. By the time you’ll start seeing decent returns, you’ll have a good amount of knowledge under your belt.

In Closing

It doesn’t matter where you are in life — the door is open for you to get started. Each day that passes is another day that you’ll wish you started earlier. There is money to be made for both passive and active investors. We are fortunate to live in a time where everyone has a chance to generate the income that they want — it’s time you get a slice of the pie, too

This article was originally published by arron fornasetti on medium.