Since we’re coming out of a pandemic, we’re all seeking investment advice that will allow us to shore up our finances against similar future uncertainties. With the relative success of vaccines in most parts of the world and the economy faring better than estimated, this would be the ideal time to draw up your investment resolutions for 2023.
Before you do that, consider these factors. Take a moment to assess where you stand financially, to evaluate your inflows and outflows and to prioritise your needs and your wants. Understand that not all investments have the same purpose. While some are intended to grow your wealth, others are meant to protect your net worth. Also look back and identify your investment mistakes and find fool-proof solutions to help you avoid them.
1. Make daily savings a reality.
Money saved is money earned. This isn’t just a truism. In reality, it is a highly underrated principle to base your investment goals on. People tend to lengthen the frequency of their investments because planning to save an X amount of money over a year seems a lot more feasible than, say, doing the same thing repeatedly at shorter intervals.
But it is possible to save money on a daily basis. Draw up a daily budget for yourself and get your daily overspending under control. Every time you spend, note it down to build a detailed inventory of all your spends. Try not to make your purchases based on trends and what others are buying, but rather on what you actually need.
Every rupee saved daily can fund your average monthly investment. To facilitate this, Appreciate’s ‘change savings’ creates a pool for the amount of change on all your spends and automatically invests this amount on a daily basis. Not only does this create a regulated piggy bank of sorts but also offers you a way to grow your money.
2. Identify your needs and your risk appetite
It is very important to identify your needs when building your portfolio. Last year’s experience has reiterated the importance of being insured against health uncertainties. That is now a vital need. Similarly, building an emergency fund is also a need. A portfolio that reflects your needs must be capable of funding your most mandatory expenses (living expenses, rent, EMIs, insurance, etc.).
It is, however, equally important to factor in your risk appetite in your portfolio. Your risk appetite is usually defined by the amount of money you are willing to risk for a specific objective. If you intend to save for a mandatory expense then your choice of investment avenue cannot be risky. If you plan to save for a long-term goal, then you can choose a riskier investment and hope for a higher return.
Appreciate’s AI-based solution determines your risk appetite and offers you customised investment opportunities that integrate both your needs and your wants.
3. Invest for long-term as well as for the short-term
Investment horizons are an important consideration in your investment journey. It is essential to categorise your goals into short-term, mid-term and long-term and adapt your investments accordingly.
Your short-term and mid-term investments are primarily for expenses that you foresee in the short to medium term. Consequently, they will require you to act and keep an eye on buy or sell signals. Appreciate allows you to make optimal use of technology by making trades on a regular basis to maximise your returns.
Conversely, your long-term investments are meant to be held and to be allowed to appreciate because you don’t need the returns right away. Being able to intervene at the right time and manage your portfolio in a way that allows you to get the best returns in the long-term is crucial.
This is where Appreciate helps you stay updated with the latest market trends, asset performances, and comparisons, as well as an offering of investments that is best suited to your short-term and long-term goals.
4. Diversify, diversify, diversify
Diversification is distributing your risk across different types of investment avenues with the purpose of getting better odds for investment success. It’s like putting your money on all horses because let’s face it, no one really knows who’s going to win the race.
Diversifying your portfolio is important in investing because of market volatility and unpredictability. When you diversify your portfolio, you shield yourself from the consequences of a wrong prediction. So, when the markets are doing well, your equity-related investments tend to do well, but when there is a slowdown, your debt-related investments outperform your stocks and mutual funds.
One of the ways to easily diversify is to invest in funds like ETFs, which is a basket of diverse securities. With Appreciate’s BYO (Build Your Own) Portfolio feature, you can essentially diversify your investment instantly, where you can invest in 3-20 stocks across your portfolio with a single trade. Essentially, your own personal ETF.
5. Build a portfolio you believe in
In your journey towards building a robust portfolio, always choose investments that you are convinced will bring you success. Regardless of the investment asset – it may be ETFs, mutual funds, bonds or even cryptocurrencies – if you have reason to believe that it can weather the storm of market volatility or can continue to give you the best returns, make sure it is an integral part of your portfolio.
Having said that, your portfolio should also be a reflection of your worldview. Nothing gives you more joy than to be invested in an asset that you believe will contribute to creating a world that you want to see. If a greener planet is what you wish for, bet on industries and companies investing in eco-friendly technologies and services.
What allows you to blend your conviction with your beliefs is an acute understanding of the market. With Appreciate, you can access curated analyst reports and performance indicators to keep yourself updated with the latest developments. Additionally, it also generates an AI-enabled investment profile that reflects your convictions and preferences and makes recommendations accordingly.
What doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger.
A (hopefully) post-pandemic new year is an opportunity like none before to reassess our assumptions, review our fallacies and reset our understanding of the world. The last 18 months have laid bare many weaknesses of our hyper-connected world economy, which had for decades been its strength. Today, we realise the value of resilience and antifragility coupled with growth. Towards that end, may this new year help you build a prosperous and secure financial future. Happy New Year!
