Due to the growing size of our group (over 3600!), it’s getting to be a challenge to speak to you all. Experience and needs differ, am I right? We’ll be making a few changes to address this. Look out for it.

But in the meantime, are you looking for ways to grow your wealth beyond traditional investments?

If you have disposable income, you may want to consider using a portion of it to explore alternative investment options. Think of your disposable income as a tool that can be used to build the life you want.

Rather than disposing of it on non-essential purchases that provide fleeting pleasure (yes, I know that handbag is cute and must be yours!), you can invest that money into assets that will grow and provide lasting financial security.

If you’re new to investing, here are some tips to get started on your journey to financial freedom. If you’re not, don’t worry, we’ve got some info for you too! Just keep reading.

a) Start Now: The sooner you start investing, the more time your money has to grow. Even small contributions can compound over time, resulting in significant growth.

b) Define Your Investment Goals: Determine why you are investing, whether it’s for retirement, a child’s education, or a deposit on a house. This will help you select the appropriate investments and make informed decisions.

c) Diversify Your Portfolio: Spread your money across different types of investments, like stocks, bonds, and property. This helps lower the risk of losing all your money if one investment doesn’t do well. And it can also give you the chance to earn more money over time.

d) Educate Yourself: Investing can be hard work. There are many resources available to help you learn about different types of investments, markets, and risks. Take advantage of books, and online courses, or seek financial advice.

e) Keep your emotions in check: Investing can be an emotional rollercoaster, and it’s essential to stay level-headed throughout the process. Avoid making impulsive decisions based on short-term market fluctuations.

f) Stay Invested for the Long Term: Investing is a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t get discouraged by short-term fluctuations in the market such as we’re currently experiencing. Focus on your long-term goals and stay invested.

If you have experience investing, here are some suggestions that may help you take your investing game to the next level:

1. Explore Alternative Investments

Investors can also consider alternative investments like private equity, hedge funds, property, and commodities, which may provide higher returns than traditional investments.

However, these investments come with higher risks and require a larger initial investment. For instance, private equity involves investing in companies that are not publicly listed.

Hedge funds use different investment strategies and may involve more risk than traditional investments. Property investments may include rental properties, REITs (real estate investment trusts), or crowdfunding platforms. Commodities can be physical goods like gold or financial instruments like futures contracts.

2. Look for value in “unsexy” sectors

While popular sectors like technology and healthcare may seem like a safe bet, there are often undervalued opportunities in less popular sectors such as logistics, deliveries and freight, sanitation, cleaning services, and food.

These are often in demand regardless of the state of the economy, making them less sensitive to market volatility.

This is the investment approach on which Warren Buffet built his company, Berkshire Hathaway, which currently trades at $465,000 per share. And yes, those are three zeros.

3. Look for Emerging Trends

Stay updated with emerging trends and technologies to discover new investment opportunities.

By investing early in innovative trends like artificial intelligence, renewable energy, or blockchain, investors may earn higher returns.

The early adopters of innovators such as Apple and Tesla have reaped the benefits. But, investing in emerging trends also comes with risks, such as market uncertainty, or competition.

4. Consider sustainable investing

Investing in a way that helps the environment and society is called sustainable investing.

This approach considers not only making money but also how a company treats people and the planet. Sustainable investing is getting more popular as people care more about the environment. It means investing in companies that reduce their carbon footprint, support social justice, and have other sustainable practices.

Sustainable investing considers things like climate change, human rights, labour standards (collectively referred to as environmental, social and governance – ESG- factors) and how the company is run.

Investing like this may align more closely with your values, while also ticking the emerging trends box.

5. Use robo-advisors

Robo-advisors are digital platforms that use algorithms to create and manage investment portfolios based on your risk tolerance and investment goals.

They can provide a cost-effective and hands-off approach to investing. It’s important to note that robo-advisors offer limited flexibility and to an extent limited returns.

But, given that they return between 2.5% to 6%, you may just want to invest in an index.

6. Consider Multi-Asset Strategies

If you are more risk averse, you may want to consider investing in many different things (asset classes) like shares, bonds, and property to make a certain level of profit with less risk.

It’s like putting your eggs in many baskets to avoid losing everything if one basket breaks. This way, you can potentially earn more money while keeping your risk low.

This approach will help you avoid the ‘get rich quick’ approaches.

Wrapping Up

Remember, investing involves risk and there are no guarantees of returns!

It’s important to do your research and consult with a financial advisor before making any investment decisions.

Have a lovely week!