To reach financial freedom you need to develop two key habits; regularly putting money AND time aside to invest in your future.
Money and time. They’re also the two key reasons we put off getting started with investing believing we don’t have enough of either……and it’s not true.
The money truth? You can start investing with as little as $20. YOu go faster with more, and I can show you how to find it too!
The time truth? You do have enough time, you just need to use it differently.
Let’s overcome the two biggest reasons you’re not investing and get started on the financial journey that will change your life.
How to use your time differently
Think of it this way, would you prefer to find an extra hour or two a week now learning how to invest…. or have to spend an extra decade working because you don’t have enough money or assets to retire?
Every hour you spend working on your money will eventually net you gains that far outweigh your time investments.
Here are a few ideas on how to use your time a little differently to learn about and manage your investments.
Turn your commute into a college
The other day I was listening to a (US) podcast and they mentioned the idea of turning your car into a college. I thought this was a great way to think of it. Turning the hours spent commuting into valuable lesson time; either listening to financial podcasts/shows or books.
Maximise your morning routine
Audiobooks are the perfect way to bring learning into your morning routine without having to actually find any extra time. Listen while you get ready in the bathroom, make coffee and eat breakfast. A new client recently mentioned this was what he did with one of my training videos, and it convinced him to take action. How cool is that?
Listening to money-making and management tips early in the morning is also an empowering way to start the day!
Cut One TV show
If you’ve got time to watch ANY TV during the day, you’ve got time to learn about building your wealth. I’ll be blunt; watching too much TV is a waste of your life and one of our ultimate time (and wealth!) stealers.
If you cut TV watching by 45 minutes, 5 times a week and focused on learning about or managing your investments instead that’s 3.75 hours a week. Do that every week for a year and you’ll rack up 195 hours of time spent becoming an empowered, capable, and educated investor…
…and trust me, that is more than enough to make a massive difference to your financial future. I can coach you how to grow and manage your investments in less than an hour a week.
Schedule a Non-negotiable time in your calendar
Schedule a non-negotiable date with your money once a week; whether it’s 20 minutes, 30 minutes, or an hour to focus on your investments. If your schedule is really as jam-packed as you say it is, this will mean cutting any fat from it to make time for what counts – your financial freedom!
Take a real look at how you spend your time each week – what activities add no real value to your life? What are your ‘busy but unimportant’ activities? Get rid of them. You will thank me later.
Yes, you do have the money
A lot of people I talk with don’t think they can get started investing until they have $5,000 or $10,000 to put down. This simply isn’t true and is one of the big lies people believe about investing.
To get started investing you just have to take that initial step and do something.
Experience will never come if you keep watching Youtube videos about how to invest while telling yourself it will be the first thing you do when…’I’ve got the money.’
You can’t learn to swim by watching videos or reading books. Eventually you have to jump in the water.
So, can you spare $20, $100, $500 a week?
With my program, I show you how you can get started investing no matter what your starting cash balance is. Doesn’t have to be much, but it is a whole lot more than nothing.
OR you can start with even less, $100 will get you in the game.
One of the best ways to prioritize putting aside money for your investing strategy, even if it’s only a small amount to start with, is to include an ‘investing’ category in your spending plan.
This might seem obvious but so many people fail to plan their investment; instead, tell themselves they’ll invest or save what is ‘left over’ at the end of the month.
And surprise! It’s usually $0!
Here are a few ways you can ‘find’ extra cash for investing –
- Cancel a subscription service and invest the money instead
- Cut out 2 takeaway coffees ($10) and 2 takeaway lunches/dinners a week ($30-$100)
- Use your car less and walk or catch public transport more
- Go for a lower-cost gym membership
- Get your Gumtree (or Craigslist) on and sell a bunch of stuff that’s collecting dust in the garage
- Want to buy a new $50 pair of shoes? Put the $50 in cash aside and wait 7 days, then decide if you really want the shoes or would investing it be a better choice?
P.S – investing is the better choice
- Quit smoking. It’s not just the health of your bank account that will improve!
Conclusion
In the early stages of your investing journey, it’s not how much you invest that is important. What really matters is getting into the habit of putting an amount of money towards your investments from every pay.
It may start at $100 a month and steadily increase. It’s not the amount that matters, it’s the action you take.
What will you do THIS WEEK to find either more time or more money (or both!) to begin changing your financial destiny?
Here is my tip, claim your no-cost Smart Investor coaching call, and let’s get your journey off the starting line NOW.