How to invest money for beginners can be confusing at best. It’s an important decision with long-term consequences, and everybody seems to have an opinion on the “best” approach. In this article we’ll turn down the noise and listen to the one voice we can trust—Warren Buffett.
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 19: Philanthropist Warren Buffett is joined onstage by 24 other … [+] philanthropist and influential business people featured on the Forbes list of 100 Greatest Business Minds during the Forbes Media Centennial Celebration at Pier 60 on September 19, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Daniel Zuchnik/WireImage)
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Wall Street is noisy. It’s like a craps table in Las Vegas surrounded by conference attendees who have lost count of how many drinks they’ve had.
You’ve got investing apps designed to do one thing—get you to trade. Trade anything. Options, crypto, gold, stocks. They don’t care. As long as you keep trading, the app owners get one step closer to a BDB—a billion-dollar buyout.
You’ve got the media designed to do one thing—get you to watch, listen or click. From pretending that the daily stock market news matters to honking horns or flashing the ticker, they’ll do anything to keep your attention. It keeps the advertising dollars flowing.
You’ve got advisors designed to do one thing—manage your money for a “small” fee. To justify their costs, they’ll create a Rube Goldberg portfolio so complex it makes fluid dynamics seem like child’s play. Add in a little fear-mongering about the next stock market crash, and they’ve convinced you to fork over a percentage of your wealth for the rest of your life.
Warren Buffett on Investing
And then you have Warren Buffett. He eats at McDonalds and drinks Cherry Coke every day. He lives in the same house he bought during the Eisenhower administration. Here’s what he has to say about how both institutions and individuals should invest:
“Most investors, both institutional and individual, will find that the best way to own common stocks is through an index fund that charges minimal fees. Those following this path are sure to beat the net results (after fees and expenses) delivered by the great majority of investment professionals.”
This advice is not exactly the kind of thing to make drunken craps players cheer. It’s hard to imagine a stock prognosticator blaring a horn on TV after repeating Mr. Buffett’s advice.
On the other hand, it is the best advice you’ll ever get if your goal is to build wealth. And the good news for new investors is that it’s extremely easy to implement.
Here are a few simple investing strategies that anybody can use to implement Mr. Buffett’s investing advice.
2-Fund Portfolio
In his 2013 letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, Mr. Buffett described how he has advised trustees to manage the money he will leave to his wife: “Put 10% of the cash in short-term government bonds and 90% in a very low-cost S&P 500 index fund. (I suggest Vanguard’s.) I believe the trust’s long-term results from this policy will be superior to those attained by most investors – whether pension funds, institutions or individuals – who employ high-fee managers.”
As Steve Jobs believed, simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Investors can implement the above portfolio with just two Vanguard funds:
Vanguard 500 Index Fund Admiral Shares (VFIAX)
Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index Fund Admiral Shares (VSBSX)
3-Fund Portfolio
The one thing missing from the 2-Fund Portfolio is direct exposure to international stocks. Some might argue that such exposure is unnecessary. Most of the companies in the S&P 500 index do business all over the world. For those, like myself, who prefer to have more investment in international markets, the 3-Fund Portfolio is a good option.
It’s a simple asset allocation plan consisting of just three asset classes, U.S. stocks, foreign stocks, and U.S. bonds. This portfolio can easily be implemented with just three mutual funds.
As an example, one could implement this investment plan at Vanguard with the following funds:
Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund (VTSMX)
Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund (VGTSX)
Vanguard Total Bond Market Fund (VBMFX)
You can find an excellent description of this simple investment plan at Bogleheads.org.
Target Date Retirement Funds
A target date retirement fund enables investors to get instant diversification with just one mutual fund. These funds take your contributions and split them among multiple stock and bond mutual funds. In addition, there is no need to rebalance your investments as you get closer to retirement. Target date retirement funds adjust the allocation between stocks and bonds as the investor nears retirement.
These types of funds are readily available in most 401(k) and other workplace retirement accounts. They are not all created equal, however. Some cost more than others, and the investment strategies vary from one fund family to the next. As a result, it’s important to check the expense ratio of the fund before investing.
Final Thoughts on How to Invest
As one gains more investing experience, he or she may choose to move away from the above options. Some like to take a more active role, particularly as they study and learn more.
The above options, however, are an excellent way to get started as an investor. And these strategies will also serve well those that chose to stick with them over a lifetime of investing.
There is more to investing than just picking a few funds. First, there’s the question of whether to invest in a taxable account or retirement account. And if one chooses a retirement account, there’s still the question of which type of retirement account. There’s also the question of how much to invest and where to open an investment account.
You’ll find these questions covered in detail in this video:
TORONTO – Strength in the base metal and technology sectors helped Canada’s main stock index gain almost 100 points on Friday, while U.S. stock markets climbed to their best week of the year.
“It’s been almost a complete opposite or retracement of what we saw last week,” said Philip Petursson, chief investment strategist at IG Wealth Management.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 297.01 points at 41,393.78. The S&P 500 index was up 30.26 points at 5,626.02, while the Nasdaq composite was up 114.30 points at 17,683.98.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 93.51 points at 23,568.65.
While last week saw a “healthy” pullback on weaker economic data, this week investors appeared to be buying the dip and hoping the central bank “comes to the rescue,” said Petursson.
Next week, the U.S. Federal Reserve is widely expected to cut its key interest rate for the first time in several years after it significantly hiked it to fight inflation.
But the magnitude of that first cut has been the subject of debate, and the market appears split on whether the cut will be a quarter of a percentage point or a larger half-point reduction.
Petursson thinks it’s clear the smaller cut is coming. Economic data recently hasn’t been great, but it hasn’t been that bad either, he said — and inflation may have come down significantly, but it’s not defeated just yet.
“I think they’re going to be very steady,” he said, with one small cut at each of their three decisions scheduled for the rest of 2024, and more into 2025.
“I don’t think there’s a sense of urgency on the part of the Fed that they have to do something immediately.
A larger cut could also send the wrong message to the markets, added Petursson: that the Fed made a mistake in waiting this long to cut, or that it’s seeing concerning signs in the economy.
It would also be “counter to what they’ve signaled,” he said.
More important than the cut — other than the new tone it sets — will be what Fed chair Jerome Powell has to say, according to Petursson.
“That’s going to be more important than the size of the cut itself,” he said.
In Canada, where the central bank has already cut three times, Petursson expects two more before the year is through.
“Here, the labour situation is worse than what we see in the United States,” he said.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.61 cents US compared with 73.58 cents US on Thursday.
The October crude oil contract was down 32 cents at US$68.65 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was down five cents at US$2.31 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$30.10 at US$2,610.70 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents US$4.24 a pound.
— With files from The Associated Press
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was down more than 200 points in late-morning trading, weighed down by losses in the technology, base metal and energy sectors, while U.S. stock markets also fell.
The S&P/TSX composite index was down 239.24 points at 22,749.04.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 312.36 points at 40,443.39. The S&P 500 index was down 80.94 points at 5,422.47, while the Nasdaq composite was down 380.17 points at 16,747.49.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.80 cents US compared with 74.00 cents US on Thursday.
The October crude oil contract was down US$1.07 at US$68.08 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was up less than a penny at US$2.26 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was down US$2.10 at US$2,541.00 an ounce and the December copper contract was down four cents at US$4.10 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 150 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in technology, financial and energy stocks, while U.S. stock markets also pushed higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 171.41 points at 23,298.39.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 278.37 points at 41,369.79. The S&P 500 index was up 38.17 points at 5,630.35, while the Nasdaq composite was up 177.15 points at 17,733.18.
The Canadian dollar traded for 74.19 cents US compared with 74.23 cents US on Wednesday.
The October crude oil contract was up US$1.75 at US$76.27 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was up less than a penny at US$2.10 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$18.70 at US$2,556.50 an ounce and the December copper contract was down less than a penny at US$4.22 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 29, 2024.
