Why is investing important?

We now see that investing can make our money grow a little faster than saving.

With investing we can make our money make money. Instead of having to trade our time for money, which many of us do through our jobs, we can instead let our money do the work.

Investing is especially important for those of us who do not have generations of family money. Compounding can help us gain more value out of every dollar we earn.

There's going to be many ways to invest and investing in the stock market is one that is now very accessible to almost everyone willing to learn.

Investing allows you to pre-pay for future expenses. What do I mean by that? Before you invest, it's important to understand what goals you have. Why do you need money in the future? Some common goals are retirement (which majority of us will reach), for future children, for the option to leave the workforce early, and so much more. Investing can provide a financial cushion or more importantly peace of mind. Investing can also provide the seed for new projects and passions.

5 Reasons Why Women Should Invest Early and Often

If you are a woman, it's more important now more than ever for you to be in the investing game. If you have sisters, daughters, aunties, moms, it's important that you promote and encourage the women in your life to invest, for themselves and for their future.

There are 5 reasons why women should be investing early and often.

The "Girls Shop, Boys Build" Effect

Girls are taught from an early age that shopping is a cure all. Women for a period of time managed households and money related to the home, but rarely were brought into the investment conversations and decisions. It's also important to keep in mind that women did not get the right to have their own bank accounts or open credit cards until very recently.

The Child Effect

Women who have children are more likely to leave the workforce, reduce work hours, or pass on promotions due to work/life balance. The cost of childcare can often times negate a woman's hard earned income. These actions can mean women lose out on income and the ability to save and invest that income.

The Care Taker Effect

Women are more likely to leave the workforce or drop down to part-time work in order to care for family members like an aging parent. Many women fall into the sandwich generation where they may end up caring for an older parent as well as a growing child. This again means less opportunity to earn money, save and invest.

The Social Security Effect

When you work, you pay taxes into Social Security and you earn "credits" towards Social Security benefits. For women who stop working or drop to part-time work, many may not have enough credits to qualify for full benefits or many may need to depend on their spouse's earned income benefits.

The Women Live Longer Effect

Studies show that women tend to live longer by around five years so it's important to plan for those extra years ahead of time especially if there was limited savings accumulation in the early years.