Pros and Cons of Investing Apps

investing apps

There are many different investing apps available now. It’s possible to easily start investing through your phone with minimal money and minimal hassle. However, there are drawbacks to these apps as compared to other investment options. It’s important to understand the pros and cons of investment apps so that you can make the best use of them.

What Are Investing Apps?

Any app that you use specifically to invest your money is an investing app. For example, if you use Acorns to “round up” your payments and invest your small change then you’re already using one of these tools. Some of the most popular investment apps today include Robinhood, WealthFront, Stash, and Betterment. Investing apps may or may not include robo-advisors. They each have different features and limitations.

Benefits of Investing Apps

Each app is different, so you have to look at your options carefully to figure out the benefits and drawbacks. Generally speaking, though, the biggest benefit of investing apps is that they make investing easy. You download an app, follow the online advice, and before you know it, you’re investing your money. If you are brand new to investing, then this is a great way to get a toe in the water. It starts you on the path.

Another huge benefit of investing apps, as compared to other investment options, is that you don’t pay a lot to use them. If you get into more serious investing, then you’re going to have to understand fees for financial advice, making trades, etc. Many of the investing apps do have fees, however they are low.

Moreover, you can start investing with just a small amount of money with many of the apps. In contrast, other types of investments might require you to have a high minimum just to begin. So, if you don’t have a lot of money and/or you don’t want to spend a lot of money, then investing apps can help you out.

Drawbacks of Investing Apps

Investing apps are easy to use, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to make money with them. If you don’t know what you’re doing, then you can make a lot of bad decisions. You might not even realize the consequences at first, because you’re just swiping on your phone. It doesn’t feel as serious as “real investing,” therefore you might not take it as seriously. You can end up losing money. Even if you make a bit of money or stay even, you don’t gain the experience of truly understanding your investments. Therefore, you don’t learn how to make bigger money and play the investment game to its true benefit.

The thing that you pay for when you work with a financial advisor is the advice and knowledge of a person with experience in the field. When you use an app, you don’t get that. Some apps are better than others at automating good options and offering personalized advice. However, none are as good as working with someone one-on-one. Therefore, if you really want to get serious about investing, then you have to go beyond the apps.

What do you think are the biggest pros and cons of investment apps?

Read More:

Want to Become a 401(K) Millionaire? More and More People Are Doing It.

401(K) Millionaire

Becoming a 401(K) millionaire is possible. It’s not necessarily easy. However, more and more people are succeeding.

What is a 401(K) Millionaire?

If you’ve never heard of the time before then you might wonder exactly what it means to be a 401(K) millionaire. It isn’t complicated. In fact, it’s exactly as the name suggests. A 401(K) millionaire is someone who has at least $1 million in their retirement account.

The Number of 401(K) Millionaires Is on the Rise

According to CNBC, the number of 401(K) millionaires increased by 35% in the first quarter of 2019 (as compared to the previous year). The main reason for this is because of the large number of baby boomers who are hitting that seven figure mark. The average 401(K) millionaire is 60 years old.

How to Become a 401(K) Millionaire

If you want to become a 401(K) millionaire then you have to get a grip on your money immediately. The younger you are when you start setting that money aside, the more likely it is you’ll reach that seven figure retirement target. That said, here are some key tips that anyone can use to increase their 401(k) savings.

Max Out Your Contributions

The most important thing that you can do is to contribute as much as you’re allowed to contribute to your 401(k). Your allowed employee contribution amount changes from year to year. In 2019, you can contribute $19,000.

However, if you’re over the age of 50, then you’re allowed to contribute a little bit more so that you can “catch up.” In 2019, you’re allowed to contribute $6000 extra.

Remember that the numbers tend to increase every year so always check what the latest possibilities are.

Moreover, make sure that you’re maximizing employer contributions. Take advantage of any options you have at work for your employer to contribute up to the maximum amount. In 2019, the maximum employer contribution is $37,000. Go talk to HR today.

Make Smart Investments

When investing your money, it’s important to consider your age and how long it will be before you retire. If you’re young, then invest in equity-based mutual funds. They offer higher risk but bigger reward. Hang on through the ups and downs.

However, as you get older and approach retirement age, it’s time to switch to more conservative investments. That’s when you want to put more money into cash and bonds.

One smart option is to invest your 401(k) money into a target-date fund. You set the target retirement date. Then professionals manage your investments for you with that goal in mind. They’ll follow the same rules as above (riskier investments early on and more conservative ones later) so that you don’t have to worry about the details so much.

Don’t Count Yourself Out

You don’t have to be rich in order to become a 401(K) millionaire. Although it’s best if you start young, don’t count yourself out if you’re older. Even if you don’t reach that seven figure target, aiming to do so can help you maximize your retirement income.

Know What You Need to Save To Become a Retired Millionaire

Use a millionaire calculator in order to get a realistic picture of what it would take for you to have $1 million or more at retirement. You’ll enter:

  • Current age
  • Target retirement age
  • Amount currently invested
  • Savings per month
  • Expected rate of return
  • Expected inflation rate

This gives you your expected savings at retirement. However, you can play around with the “savings per month” number until your expected savings reaches $1 million. Then you know how much you need to save to reach that million mark. While this doesn’t specifically determine your 401(k) amount, it gives you a good idea of how much other savings you’ll have to add to your 401(k) to become a millionaire at retirement.

Read More:

Want to Retire Early? Be Aware of These 5 Financial Risks.

early retirement

Many people want to take early retirement. If you’ve saved up enough money then why not? Well, first of all, you have to be sure that you’ve saved up enough money. Many people think that they have planned accordingly only to realize that there are a lot of financial downsides to early retirement.

Here are five of the biggest money problems that people tend to face in early retirement:

1. Failing to Plan Properly for Taxes

Did you know that many people are in a higher tax bracket at retirement than for much of their working career? This means that you’re likely to owe more at tax time than you’re accustomed to. Moreover, once you start taking out your 401K money, you’ll have to pay taxes on that.

Therefore, taxes in retirement can be pricey. If you haven’t planned ahead, then you’re going to have to readjust for that reality. If you retire early, then you’ll have to start figuring that out years ahead of your peers.

2. Years and Years of Spending Ahead

That brings us to the next key point. If you retire early then chances are that you’ll have more years of retirement. Therefore, you’ll have to make your retirement income stretch. If you retire at 55 instead of 65, that’s ten less years of earning and ten more years relying on retirement income.

3. Where Will Your Money Come From?

You won’t even be able to access some of your retirement funds, such as your 401K, until you hit a certain age. Therefore, you’ll have to figure out where you’re money is going to come from prior to that. If you haven’t planned in advance, then you can easily find yourself overspending in those early years. If you tap into your savings or refinance your home to cover those costs then you’ll have to find some way to make up for it later.

4. What About Healthcare?

Just because you retire early doesn’t mean that you can access Medicaid early. Therefore, you’re going to have to figure out how to pay for health insurance until you reach regular retirement age. If you’re not working anymore then you can’t count on employer rates. Your health insurance could get very expensive very quickly.

Even though you’ve retired early, you’re old enough that you can’t risk going without healthcare. If anything were to happen, your care costs would be exorbitant. Therefore, you do have to pay out of pocket for health insurance. How are you planning to do that if you’ve retired early?

5. You Don’t Maximize Your Retirement Benefits

If you take early retirement then you may not make as much money post-retirement as you could have. For example, if you have a job that pays a pension, the pension amount might be significantly lower if you retire early. Likewise, if you start access Social Security early (“early” currently means age 62) then you won’t get as much as if you’d waited. So, you start using the money sooner and yet you’re getting less of it than you could have. Waiting to retire could be well worth it.

Read More: