Do Business Well

So far I’ve talked about using savings accounts and CDs to save up stacks of cash. There are lots of other investments out there— stocks, bonds, precious metals, commodities, and many more. Most of these kinds of investments don’t really work for teenagers because they require large amounts of money to get started.

There’s one nonbank investment that works just fine for teenagers—mutual funds. They don’t require lots of money to get started, and they can make your savings grow faster than a bank account. Here’s how they work.

Let’s say you have $500 to invest in something. You could buy 100 shares of a stock trading at $5 per share, but that’s putting all your eggs in one basket. If the stock does poorly, you’ll lose some or all of your investment. Not a good idea. Continue Reading »

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I don’t know your financial situation or what you dream of doing in your future. But if you’re like most teenagers, you have a specific high-dollar dream in your immediate future, whether it’s a car, a college education, or even a three-month overseas mission trip after you graduate from high school. Whatever your next big financial goal, this four-step strategy can help you reach it.

1. GO FOR GROWTH

Your number one investment goal is to make your money grow. Right now you have few expenses compared to your income. But soon you’ll be paying for cars, education, furniture, entertainment, clothes, food, housing, medical expenses, and a thousand other things that someday will obliterate your paycheck. Make the right investments now, and your money will grow substantially until you really need it. Continue Reading »

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By now you’re an old pro at this money thing. Just keep managing your existing investments, and transfer your accumulating savings balance to these or new investments as you see fit. If you paid attention, you saw that I followed a few simple guidelines for this strategy.

Use Your Savings Account as a Staging Area

In other words, use it to store your accumulating weekly contributions until you have a balance large enough to transfer to a higher-yielding investment. If you keep all your savings in a regular savings account, you’re missing out on better opportunities. Continue Reading »

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