Common Investment Myths and Facts

Common Investment Myths and Facts

Having myths about investments spread like wildfire without asking questions is not strange. The reason is simple: many people assume they know so well about it only to learn by experience that things aren’t exactly how they appear. 

As a result, many of these myths need serious debunking if modern-day investors will turn out better. According to HSBC, it’s fair to say that people perceive investing differently. Dwelling on stereotypes only means we will never know why we do what we do.

Common Investment Myths and Facts to debunk them

What are the Investment Myths we must debunk with Facts

Regarding investments, there is a need to separate facts from fiction. Combating these investment myths with the provable facts that can form a basis for modern investors is appropriate. Besides, how sustainable are these investing myths?

When it comes to success in investing, some people are lost at where to begin, while others hold investing myths in high regard. For example, people tell you you need a lot of money to start investing. Is that true? Another one is that the investment market is too volatile, and you must always react.

Let us consider these top investment myths and facts in detail.

 

Myth 1: Get Rich First; then Start Investing!

Rather than seeing investment as something only wealthy people do, you should see it as a means of building wealth. If that is, you can’t wait until you have a lot of money before you start investing. Instead, you can begin to chase the low-hanging fruits of funding to build your way up.

Gone are the days when investment advice and opportunities are few. Today, all these things have opened up to whoever desires. Moreover, you can do it individually or join hands with others. When you search for open investments today, you may be surprised at how small the minimum is.

In the US, for example, a poll by Gallup showed that 58% of families owned a stock, which is more than the wealthy population. Perhaps the source of the false belief is those who only accuse the stock market of being beneficial to the rich. Instead of giving up, make your finding and start investing now.

Myth 2: Too Risky or Higher Risk leads to higher return 

It is no myth that financial investments require a level of risk-taking. But these risks are sometimes not well understood, or they are overrated. Now to the financial risks: chances are the possibility of losing your investment, which applies to every trade and decision we make. 

We can categorize all investments on a scale of risks: high-risk, medium-risk, and low-risk. The high investment is too volatile, where you can gain a lot or lose everything. We don’t recommend such investment risks. In low-risk investments, the value won’t fluctuate much, and you can have a smooth ride for a long time. Medium-risk investments are in-between the two.

What do you do? Understand how much risk you can bear and stay in that lane. By implication, you can’t consider how much you can make without factoring in the involved risks. You need some education and experience from professionals on that investment. You don’t need no-risk investments; you can take calculated and informed risks when investing.

Myth 3: Wait for the right time before investing. 

It is undoubtedly not well understood if there is anything like the ‘right time’ in investment. A simple reason is that no one knows for 100% certainty what the market will do. All factors are, at best predictive along with their level of uncertainty. In addition, whatever elements you are trying to avoid can reoccur.

So instead of waiting for the dust to settle, weigh your options well and launch into it. The market will always go through ups and downs, and no time is better to sell or buy than the other. You need both stages to succeed as an investor. Apart from time, many other factors influence the stock market. This myth is only one of the investment banking myths held in high regard. 

The impact of market dynamics depends on how long your investment can last. If you plan to invest for a long time, you will have enough time to recover from any lows. As a result, choose your investment carefully, depending on how long you intend to remain. Otherwise, seek the proper counsel from a professional investor rather than believing an investing myth.

Myth 4: Lock your money away

Locking your money away does not increase the money’s value, at least not the way you think. The gain of investments is in the bumpy unpredictive nature of the market. Indeed, you should stake in medium to long-term investments. But it is not like your money gets locked anywhere in most assets. That is, you can access your money any time you feel so.

However, it is not mean you should treat an investment like a savings account where you can dip in anytime. Instead, you should close up your mind to it for the length of time you determine and don’t be forced to sell. By implication, you should reserve your expenses for emergency needs and keep your investments intact.

In short, trying to safe-keep your investment because you don’t want to lose it eventually makes it lose value. Money is designed to circulate for it to increase in value. Also, you cannot treat an investment like savings because it reduces its value. Instead, invest it rightly to increase the value.

Myth 5: You need to be an expert to start investing

The days of having only experts invest for you are long gone. Also, you don’t need to be an expert to succeed at investing – that is an investment myth. At worst, you can get an expert to do the work while your money works for you. On the other hand, you can invest all by yourself with the basic knowledge and get an experienced professional financial advisor as a guide.

In addition, there are different levels to investing, which provides a playground for less expert investors. You can gradually work your way up the ladder when you start with these investments. You can also buy into any fund that feels right for you and share the profit at the end of a cycle. There are multi-asset funds that can also widen an investor’s options. 

Part of the ideas you can borrow from expert investors is their investments’ diversity. Although you don’t have to be an expert before getting into the game, you should learn as much as possible from as many sources. If you are unsure of a decision, study it more and learn from experts in the field. Learning from the best keeps away stress.

Myth 6: Investing is a quick way to make money

Taking investment as a get-rich scheme is pitching oneself for failure. Such a strange investment risk that people hardly think otherwise. However, every viable investment takes time, so you should look before you leap. Rather than a quick way to get money, think of it as one of the reliable ways to increase income and build wealth. 

You should know by now that nothing is free. If you get it for free, someone somewhere has paid the price of what you currently have. It is even unfair that while others are making money by risking their necks, you are getting rich with no effort. The reward of successful investment is in the long term. Add patience to your passion for investments.

Myth 7: Monitor your investments daily

Who said you have to monitor your investments daily? That is nothing but an investment myth. The fact is that professionals closely monitor many assets. Not only can you stay at your risk level, but it also allows you to rest while your investment works. Stayin glued to the market hardly makes any difference, depending on the type of investment. 

In short, you don’t need to check daily; the experts do that for you. You need to peek in now and then to track your progress. That applies to low-maintenance investments. For example, investing in shares does not need daily monitoring. Even the current assets provide simple apps to help you monitor your progress.

Myth 8: Investment is like gambling 

Investment is not gambling; you cannot even afford to compare the two because they are worlds apart. For example, investment is measurable, but gambling is not. People often cannot see the difference when they lose money in investment. Another contrast is that in gambling, your odds of making a profit continue to fall, while the reverse is the case for investments.

In addition, gambling is more like a game of chances, like rolling dice. But investment takes careful and strategic thinking, calculated steps, and informed decisions. Without putting these intellectual factors together, an investment is not too different from gambling. Spending time within the investment market gives you better chances of winning.

In case you missed the details above, here is a summary to get you started debunking eight common myths about investments.

  1. Get Rich First; then Start Investing! You don’t need to be rich before investing. Just prepare well and invest whatever amount you can afford. 
  2. Investment too Risky. The myth that higher Risk leads to higher return is not valid. Don’t allow risk to stop you from going for the investment you trust. Moreover, only invest in what your risk tolerance gauge can handle.
  3. Wait for the right time before investing. Timing in investments is not a thing because you need the uncertainty and the fluctuations to make the profit you desire. 
  4. Lock your money away. Locking your investment in a place is not what increases the value but the exchange. Money must continue to move around in exchange for value. That is how its value increases.
  5. You need to be an expert to start investing. You don’t have to be an expert. But you can commit an expert to do the work while your money works for you.
  6. Investing is a quick way to make money. No. It’s not a quick way but one of the reliable ways to increase your income.
  7. Monitor your investments daily. You don’t have to monitor your investment daily. Nothing stops you from checking in once in a while, but the experts can do that for you.
  8. Investment is like gambling. Investment is not gambling. While you can measure investment, you cannot measure gambling or predict it.

When dealing with risks, understand that all myths contain an element of truth, which is why they sell. Therefore, you need the correct information and provable facts to debunk them rather than join the tide. This article has analyzed 8 of the biggest investing myths and facts to discredit them.

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