Investing. We all know we need to do it, but at 22 where exactly does one start? With the plethora of options out there, and your newfound financial freedom how do you make the best spending decisions? We’ve come up with a list to help you put those extra few bucks to better use.
The first step in investing? View money not merely as a tool to fulfil your everyday needs but as a way for you to invest in yourself.
By putting money towards elevating your lifestyle, spending on experiences and opportunities that help you feel fulfilled, you’ll be able to develop skills that contribute to your growth.
What’s not to love?
Invest in your future
Okay, so this is kind of a bonus tip before we jump into the list, but nonetheless one of the most important: Invest in your future and save early.
Sign up for a tax-advantaged retirement account that forces you to save. If you are a Singaporean PR or citizen, you’re super lucky because you and your employer are making CPF contributions that you can leverage on for your retirement, housing, healthcare or education needs. Find out more about the CPF schemes in Singapore and how they work here.
Singaporeans, PR’s and foreign workers alike can also sign up for a Supplementary Retirement Scheme (SRS) offered by the government. Contributions to the SRS are voluntary, variable and eligible for tax relief.
In addition to saving for your retirement, it’s also important to put some money aside for emergencies and big ticket spends.
A quick tip to saving smart is to have specific saving goals. Your savings goal may be for a down payment on your home. It could be for a dream vacation or even a cosmetic procedure that’s been on your mind.
Whichever it is, putting a number on it, helps you
- Get a handle on how long it’ll take you to save up, and
- Prioritise what you should or should not be spending on if you want to meet your savings goal faster.
Here are some of Singapore’s better savings accounts. Sign up for one that suits your needs and spending habits.
1. Invest in your health
Jim Rohn said, “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.”
Your health is your greatest asset and investing in it is one of the best things you can do. Spend on a gym membership or a fitness subscription that inspires and motivates you to move. Working out isn’t just good for your body, but it’s also great for your mind. It’s a fantastic way to de-stress and introduce balance to your life.
Put some money into a nice yoga membership and keep yourself feeling accomplished, energised and excited!
2. Invest in your confidence
Looking your best motivates you and makes other people take you seriously. It’s not all about how you look, but more about how you feel.
Be it fixing your smile or spending on a new power outfit, there are plenty of affordable options out there. Take for example Zenyum invisible braces, which straighten your teeth and give you that much needed confidence boost.
Priced between $2,690 and $4,590, these invisible braces are a great bang for your buck especially since you’re getting a lifetime supply of confidence!
3. Invest in expanding your mind
More than ever, it’s important to stay informed and make conscious decisions to keep up with what’s happening in the world.
Investing in improving your mind is not just about money, but about allocating the time to be able to do so. Put aside a certain amount of time each week to work on cultivating adaptable skills that can increase your net worth.
From simple things like spending your commute to work, reading a good book, and catching up with articles you saved on your pocket app, to investing in online courses, news subscriptions and further studies, your 20’s are all about continuously improving yourself.
4. Invest in backing up your files
In the age of technology when all your photos, documents, and passion projects sit online, it’s important to protect your digital files.
Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that local storage solely on your device is unlikely to be enough. You can choose to invest in a physical hard drive or buy online cloud storage.
Bottom line: have a backup solution in case your laptop or mobile crashes.
5. Invest in experiences
Fill your 20’s with new experiences. Create and jump on opportunities that will allow you to travel and chase adventure – like how Cherie did here in her invisible braces journey.
Discover new places, meet new people and in the process get to know yourself. Like Pico Iyer said, “We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate.”
And with a little bit of planning, you can see the world on a budget!
Invest in a Confident Smile Today!
The straightest, widest, most uninhibited smile ever is waiting to be unleashed on an unsuspecting public.
