Where should you begin?

That's a great question. First, you need to consider your goals. What are your short/long term plans for the money you are saving/investing? How quickly might you need access to it? Is it for your emergency fund, a vacation, a large purchase, or your retirement?

The answers to these questions will definitely determine the type of places to invest your money. If it is an emergency fund, and you might need access immediately, then a high yield savings account might make sense. If you can wait a few days for access, then something in the stock market might be a smart place. If it is for a longer term then something like peer-peer lending would be an option.

In the coming posts, we will explore these options in detail. But first I want to explain why this blog exists. First a little about me. I'm a married dad of 3 adult children. I'm not a financial adviser, although I deal with helping people make large purchases every day.

In my job, I work with a lot of millennials and many of them have no clue on how to start saving their money. I spoke with one yesterday that has a decent sum of money in a regular bank savings account. Yes, a bank savings account with a whopping .01% annual return.

There has to be a better way, right? Yes, she is assured that she will never lose any of her principle in that account, however, she is also assured of going backward because of inflation.

In the coming posts, we will look at some investments she could use to both have some security, but also to grow her nest egg. Stay tuned for more!

Introduction and Philosophy

Greetings and welcome to my blog. As I look back over time, one of the most difficult things for me and others I've talked to, is figuring out exactly how to begin saving and investing. You look at the savings accounts out there and most have almost non-existent returns. Brokerage accounts have large initial investment requirements and then equally large transaction fees. How then does someone who is either just starting out, or someone recovering from a financial crisis, begin to invest in a way that can show real returns?

Even $100 adds up over time

This and more will be explored as this blog matures. $100 may not seem like much to you, or it may be more money than you have seen in quite some time. This blog will give you some ideas on how to start, even with less than $100. We will explore Acorns as an easy and extremely low-cost (for many even free) way to begin investing your spare change in the stock market. We will look at some of the higher yielding savings accounts that are out there. We will also consider some of the less-traditional ways of investing such as peer-peer lending.

So welcome to the blog. I look forward to hearing from the readers and getting ideas as we learn to save together.