By setting goals we can create improved habits, get focused on what truly matters, and get the inspiration required to sustain momentum over the long term.
Let’s unpack those concepts and how they relate to achieving your financial & investment goals in 2023 and beyond.
Habits
It was the famous Greek philosopher Aristotle who said: ‘We are what we repeatedly do, excellence, therefore, isn’t an act, but a habit.’
Great investors are those who consistently invest, no matter how big or small. This idea of consistency will vary based on which kind of investor you are.
For DIY investors that might involve dissecting earnings reports, following market news, or understanding why analysts currently like or dislike a stock – and making consistent investment decisions off the back of your own research.
For those who would rather take a hands off approach, consistency likely looks a little different. It could involve setting up a recurring buy in a tried and true ETF like the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust or SPY, or even checking your portfolio every six months to make sure it is still aligned with your goals.
And if you did discover that your investment portfolio was no longer aligned with your goals, it could be a perfect time to explore new investment opportunities and products. For example, with Syfe’s ready made Smart Baskets you can discover new investments – based on your risk tolerance, time horizon, and investment style, by playing around with just a few optional filters.
Focus
For new investors knowing where to start investing can be incredibly difficult. Even for financial markets veterans – knowing where to invest next – can be a tricky proposition.
With Syfe there are 12,000+ stocks and ETFs, spanning Aussie and US markets – that you can invest in from the palm of your hands.
While that may be ideal for investors who follow the markets closely, for those who read the earnings reports of companies like: Apple, Amazon, and Tesla; for everyone else 12 thousand options may as well be 12 million.
Smart Baskets bring a better way to focus your investing and achieve your financial goals. Instead of thinking about investing in terms of which is the best stock – Apple, Amazon or the hottest market mover of the month, Smart Baskets help you to start thinking in terms of what you want to get out of investing.
Such questions worth thinking about include: What are your goals? And what do you need to achieve them? In this context, consider:
- Your time horizon. Do you expect to stay invested for a short period of time, like 1 year, or more long term, like 1 decade.
- Your risk tolerance. Are you comfortable seeing your investments go up and down in value, or does the prospect of volatility make you uncomfortable? Investing is important, but not important enough to lose sleep over.
- Your investing style. Do you primarily want your investments to grow in value overtime or do you want small, but potentially more consistent streams of income, through dividends over time? While those considerations aren’t mutually exclusive, many investments skew one way or the other.
Momentum
While anyone can make a single investment, for many, investing consistently over a long period of time is a challenge.
Here’s the honest truth: achieving your financial goals is actually incredibly boring. For most, achieving your financial goals over the long term will involve consistent investments into products like ETFs, Smart Baskets, and other diversified products. It might also involve smaller investments in blue chip companies, think Apple, Amazon, or even CBA.
These types of investments – especially products like ETFs – have proven to be great wealth builders over the long term, while helping investors smooth out volatility in the process.
At the end of the day, smart investors will leverage tools to help them get the most out of the market.
Syfe’s Recurring Buy feature enables you to set a scheduled day in a week or month to automatically purchase the share(s) or ETF(s) of your choice. This way, you may dollar-cost average with ease on Syfe.
On the other hand, Syfe’s Goals feature allows investors to create, adjust, and track progress towards their most important financial goals. In this sense, investors can get a realistic idea of how they are tracking against their goals – whether it’s investing towards retirement or for a house deposit.
Ready to start achieving your financial ambitions? Set, track and invest against your biggest goals with Syfe’s Goals feature today. Download the app now.
Smart Baskets are pre-packaged orders formulated according to investment attributes of the underlying securities/ETFs (such as geographic and industry exposure, historical dividend yield, and historical capital appreciation), and do not take into account your personal circumstances, risk appetite, and goals. Past performance figures are based on information provided by third parties and may not be accurate. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. The information provided does not suggest or imply and should not be construed as any guarantee of future performance, or as investment advice or strategy. Each Smart Order comprises several separate orders for ease of execution only, and should not be construed in any manner as a managed discretionary account or a managed investment scheme.Investing involves risks, including the risk of losing your invested amount. We do not provide personalised advice or recommendations. You should decide if the orders to be placed are suitable for you. Any information we provide is general advice and current at the time written. Please speak to your financial or tax adviser for personal advice.
