By Farm Bureau Financial Services on February 1, 2021
How to Set Investment Goals
If you’re new to investing, one of the most important things you need to know is how to set investment goals. Setting financial goals — and sticking to them — allows you to track where you’ve been, where you are and where you are going. Here’s how you can set investment goals that help you build your long-term path to financial success.
Qualities of Good Investment Goals
Smart investment goals typically have three things in common:
Measurable
Your investment goals should be clear, concise and definite. Even something as simple as saving $100 every paycheck is a good goal because it’s measurable. You saved it or you didn’t. Broad or generic goals don’t hold you accountable.
Reasonable
Keeping your goals reasonable helps you ensure your financial goals are attainable. Using different tools, like the time value of money formula, allows you to test whether your rate of saving is sufficient to achieve your goals. Once you know that, you can either adjust your goal or adjust your savings.
Balance
It’s important when you’re establishing investment goals to remember that money isn’t the only thing that matters. It exists to serve you and should make your life better. Sometimes it’s better to have a lower savings rate and enjoy the journey instead of sacrificing everything to end up leaving all the fruits of your labor behind. The trick to remember when setting investment goals is to make sure you balance your long-term desires with your short-term wants to maximize joy.
Questions to Consider
If you’re ready to sit down and create your investment goals, here are some questions to help clarify them:
What’s your risk tolerance?
Be honest with yourself about how comfortable you are with fluctuations in your portfolio’s market value. No matter your risk tolerance in investing, there are options that can lead to success. Take some time to truly explore all the options you have.
Do you plan on leaving a financial legacy?
You must decide who is going to spend your money, you or someone else? If you want to leave the money behind, are you going to just leave it or establish something like a trust fund? Consider drafting an estate plan strategy that will help your legal team know what to do with the assets you leave behind.
What is your motivation?
What makes you want to invest rather than spending or donating? Once you get to the heart of your motivation, you can better design your portfolio to achieve whatever you truly want.
These are just a few considerations for you to review as you set investment goals.
Reach out to your local Farm Bureau agent or advisor to learn more about opportunities and ways we can help you reach your financial goals.
