Do you ever wonder how much you really need for retirement? Do you feel unsure if you are investing your 401(k) optimally or wonder if you are earning too little return on your money?
Having an investment plan is not only a road map to accomplishing your financial goals, but it also acts as your playbook for improving risk-adjusted returns when the stock market presents opportunities.
An investment plan is your specific money strategy that starts with your current financial situation today and sets your path forward to achieving your long-term goals. But before you jump into charting your path, you first need to identify where you are today and where you are going.
A sound plan begins with a snapshot of your current finances- debt, income, tax rates, retirement savings, brokerage accounts, real estate holdings, and any alternative assets you may hold. Your total assets minus your total liabilities (debt owed) equals your current net worth (which could be negative).
You should understand where you are financially and where you are going. After you have already put together an emergency fund and removed any bad debt, you can begin to build your investment plan.
You can play with the allocations of different assets to understand how your savings may grow with more savings in risky assets (such as stocks) as compared to bonds or cash.