Your Money Working Harder
The new year is the perfect time to ditch poor financial habits and pick up some new ones. Maybe you decided that this is the year you’ll finally pay off high interest credit card debt, or perhaps you’re using a budget for the first time in your life. Whatever your goals are, you probably know that it will take time and perseverance to get there.
But how should you invest your money? If you have an extra $100 per month to spare, there’s more than one way to build wealth and finally get ahead.
We reached out to financial advisors to find out how they would invest an extra $100 per month in the new year, and here’s what they said.
1. Bump up your 401(k) contributions
Colorado financial planner Mitchell Bloom of Bloom Wealth says your workplace 401(k) is a good place to start if your employer offers one, and particularly if you can qualify for an employer match. After all, an employer match you can qualify for is the closest thing to “free money” you’ll ever receive at work, so you might as well take advantage.
You can strive to boost the percentage of your 401(k) contributions in order to funnel approximately $100 more into your account each month, but you may also be able to set aside a flat $100 in funds monthly if your workplace plan allows.
Either way, money in a 401(k) plan can grow tax-free and compound over time, and you won’t have to pay taxes on distributions until you reach retirement age.
Also note that if you don’t have a workplace retirement plan, all isn’t lost.
Instead, you may want to “consider using a low-cost advisory firm like Betterment, where they will build a fully diversified globally allocated portfolio model with fractional shares so you can achieve diversification with a small investment amount,” says Bloom.
2. Save $100 per month in a Roth IRA
Jeff Rose of Good Financial Cents says that consumers can also consider saving money in a Roth IRA if they meet requirements to contribute. While this type of account requires you to invest money that has already been taxed, your contributions can grow tax-free and compound until you reach retirement age. Once you’re 59 ½ or older, you can withdraw money from a Roth IRA without paying income taxes, which is pretty sweet.
In 2020, most people can contribute up to $6,000 to a Roth IRA and traditional IRA account. However, individuals ages 50 and older can contribute an additional $1,000 for the year for a total of $7,000.
Income limits do apply, however. Married couples who file taxes jointly can’t contribute to a Roth IRA if they earn over $206,000, and their contributions are phased out for incomes between $196,000 and $205,999. Single filers with incomes over $139,000 cannot contribute, and their contributions will be phased out for incomes between $124,000 and $138,999. (See also: 401(k) or IRA? You Need Both)
3. Save for emergencies
Also, consider saving for emergencies if you haven’t already. Financial advisor Jake Northrup of Experience Your Wealth says that your emergency fund should include at least three months of living expenses, but potentially more.
You’ll likely want to keep your emergency fund in an account you can access such as a high-yield savings account. While this means your emergency cash won’t bring in a huge return, this money can literally save your finances if you face a surprise medical bill you can’t pay or experience a job loss.
Further, having a fully funded emergency fund can also help you avoid charging up credit card balances with exorbitant interest rates. (See also: 7 Easy Ways to Build an Emergency Fund From $0)
4. Save for future healthcare expenses in an HSA
Financial planner Taylor Schulte, who is also host of the Stay Wealthy Retirement Podcast, says that assuming an emergency savings fund is in place and high-interest debt is paid off, the best place to put extra cash is into a Health Savings Account (HSA).
“The HSA is the magical unicorn of tax-advantaged investment accounts,” he says. “Unlike any other account, they are triple tax-advantaged.”
Schulte says this because you can invest up to certain limits on a tax-advantaged basis each year, then your money grows tax-free. When you take distributions in order to pay for qualified healthcare expenses, you won’t pay taxes then, either.
There are some requirements in order to use an HSA, however, including the requirement that you have a high deductible health plan. For 2020, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) defines a high deductible health plan as any plan with a deductible of at least $1,400 for an individual or $2,800 for a family, notes Healthcare.gov. Also note that any high deductible health plan’s total yearly out-of-pocket expenses must be less than $6,900 for an individual or $13,800 for a family.
Morgan Ranstrom, who works as a financial planner in Minneapolis, MN, says you should strive to keep enough cash in your HSA to pay your insurance’s annual deductible in case of unexpected health costs, but beyond that you can invest the rest for long-term growth.
“With regular contributions, potential investment growth, and minimal withdrawals, you’ll have an account that may be used to fund medical expenses in retirement without tax penalty,” he says. “How great is that?”
5. Pay off high interest credit card debt
While you may not consider debt repayment as an investment, the financial return can work similarly. Note that any debt you pay off is no longer charging an outrageous interest rate, and that means more money in your pocket each month that you can save or invest for the future.
Debt expert Chris Peach, who teaches consumers how to pay off debt through his Awesome Money Course, says you should check to see the interest rate you’re paying on your credit cards, keeping in mind that the average credit card APR is well over 17%.
“For most people, getting an 18% return on your investment every year is more like a dream come true than a reality,” he says. Fortunately, you can achieve that return by paying off high interest debt and saving the money you would normally pay toward interest each month.
Let’s say you have a credit card balance of $10,000 at 18% APR and you’ve been making minimum payments on this card for years. Making the minimum payment of $200 each month would take you another 94 months to pay off the balance, which also results in $8,622 more in total interest paid, notes Peach.
But what if you were able to invest $100 per month as an over payment on your credit card?
“Though it may not sound like a ton of money, $100 more per month will pay the balance off 47 months earlier and saves almost $4,000 in interest,” says Peach. “Not bad for a $100 monthly investment if you ask me.”
6. Invest in yourself
Fee-only financial advisor Russ Thornton, who focuses on providing retirement planning for women, says an investment in yourself can also pay off in a big way. “This could be used to buy books, audiobooks, online courses, offline courses, professional associations, personal training sessions, or something else,” he says.
If you acquire new or deeper knowledge that could help you perform your job, it could help you get a bigger raise or even a promotion, whereas learning a new skill could help you create a side hustle that could ultimately help you bring in more income.
You could even get involved with a professional association or networking group to build your network, says Thornton. “This could help with your current career or might open doors to new opportunities — both personal or professional.”
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