If you get this one investment trick right, you’re well on your way to retirement

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According to financial guru Ramit Sethi, it’s “so simple that most people don’t believe it.”

Key Point

• The set-and-forget approach is a simple investment trick that can get you on track toward retirement.
• All you need to do is choose one or more of the best passive investments, such as index funds.
• Grow your portfolio by committing to investing a fixed amount each month.

Many see investing as a complex subject, requiring a lot of know-how to succeed. Far from the truth, this misconception often makes people hesitate to become investors. They believe that they still have a lot to learn and could lose if they are not careful.

In fact, it’s easy to invest and work towards a strong retirement fund.financial advisor and teach you how to get rich Author Ramit Sethi frequently shares great ways to invest your money. He said, “If you get this right, 90% of the time you’re there.”

The only investment trick you need

There is a simple trick that many successful investors swear by – Set and forget. Both Sethi and Warren Buffett recommend it, but those are just two notable examples.

For this method, Start by choosing one or more passive investments. These are investments that do the work for you by investing your money in a number of stocks (and possibly bonds). Nearly all good stock brokers have a number of funds to choose from that work well as passive investments. Here are some common options:

• Index funds follow a specific market index such as the S&P 500 (the 500 largest publicly traded companies in the US).
• A target-date fund invests funds based on your target retirement year.
• A mutual fund is a professionally managed investment fund.

If you already have a brokerage or retirement account, first check what’s on offer there. If not, or if you’re not sure what to choose, research the best index funds as a low-fee option. The S&P 500 index fund is an excellent investment choice that follows the stock market fairly well.

After choosing your investment Invest monthly and take a no-interference approach. Consistency is key here. Decide how much you can invest in a month, such as 10% of your monthly income. If possible, set up regular monthly investments to automate this process.

This is one of the easiest and most effective ways to build wealth. There are ups and downs, but the average stock market return is around 10% per year. If you are a long-term investor, the odds are in your favor, especially if you are investing more money each month.

prepare for a comfortable retirement

You don’t have to do everything right to invest in your retirement. All you really need to do is do some big things right. In summary, here’s what to focus on:

• Choose quality passive investments that you can buy monthly. Options include index funds, target date funds, and mutual funds.
• Decide how much you want to invest each month. If you can maximize your contributions to your retirement account, that’s great. But the most important thing here is consistency.
• Set it and forget it. Ideally, set up automatic monthly investments. From here on, leave it to the investment and don’t put the money out.

All of this can be done through a personal brokerage account, a personal retirement account (IRA), or a 401(k). Because IRAs and 401(k)s offer tax benefits, we generally recommend prioritizing funding for them.

Certainly, there are more advanced ways of investing. For example, some people like to pick stocks and build their own portfolio. If you want to take your investment further, you may need to consider. But if you want to keep it simple, nothing beats the set and forget approach.