How to Invest 10k and What to Consider Before You Start
These days, thanks to increased accessibility, it is possible to enter the financial markets with a relatively low initial sum. But what if you have a larger sum at your disposal? Say, for example, £10,000. What would be the best way to invest 10k? In this article, we will explore a few options on how to invest 10k and what you need to consider beforehand.
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What to Consider Before You Invest
Before you start thinking about how to invest 10k, there are a few important factors which you need to consider. We have narrowed these down to two main considerations, each of which we will outline in the following sections.
Emergency Fund
Any capital which you invest in the financial market is at risk of being lost. Furthermore, in order to get the most out of your investments, they should be made with a long-term mindset, meaning that you should be prepared to leave your investments undisturbed for at least five to ten years.
Therefore, before investing, it is important to set aside an emergency fund of savings to protect yourself from an unanticipated circumstance, such as losing your main source of income. So, before investing your 10k, make sure you have some cash set aside for a rainy day.
Investment Plan
A very common investing mistake among beginners is to rush straight into the market without a significant amount of forethought. It is important, especially from a risk management perspective, to take time and create an investment plan in order to properly consider the best way to invest 10k. Some things to consider are:
- What are your investment goals?
- What is your appetite to risk?
- What financial instruments will you target?
- Will you invest actively or passively?
How to Invest 10k
As an investor in today’s world there really is an overwhelming choice of investment opportunities available. However, if you are looking how to invest 10k over the long-term, it is advisable to stick with financial instruments which are suitable for longer-term investment, such as stocks, bonds and index funds.
Stocks and Bonds
One way to invest 10k would be to construct a portfolio consisting of stocks and bonds, the traditional approach being to allocate 60% to stocks and 40% to bonds. However, particularly with younger investors, this approach has lost popularity, with more emphasis being given to stocks in recent years.
Therefore, younger investors, with a longer time horizon, opting for this approach may prefer to gear their portfolio more heavily towards stocks, perhaps by allocating 80% to stocks and the remaining 20% to bonds. On the other hand, older investors with a shorter investment horizon may prefer to have more of their portfolio allocated to bonds.
There is no right or wrong approach here as it depends on your investing goals and appetite to risk, but no decision on asset allocation should be taken lightly. A portfolio which is more focused on stocks will have higher potential returns but will come with more risk.
Investing 10k in Stocks
For investors looking how to invest 10k in stocks, a possible approach would be to split the money evenly between five to fifteen companies.
When picking stocks to invest in, it is important to do research the companies thoroughly beforehand. How are their fundamentals? What are their future prospects? What are the prospects of the industry within which they operate?
It will be important to develop a well-balanced and diversified portfolio, avoiding overexposure to any one industry.
Again, the choices you make here will largely depend on your attitude towards risk. For those who are more risk averse, a portfolio which focuses on the shares of well-established companies with a large market capitalisation will be preferable. These types of companies also tend to pay dividends which could create the opportunity to earn additional income from your investment.
Index Funds
One of the most popular methods of investing, particularly amongst beginners, is through index funds. These investment products mirror the performance of an underlying index, such as the UK’s FTSE 100.
Investing in an index fund allows you to gain exposure to a large proportion of the market through a single investment. Thanks to this instant diversification, investing in index funds is generally considered lower risk than picking individual stocks. It can also provide considerable returns over the long-term thanks to its compounding effect.
There is a wide variety of index funds available to invest in, so you can choose one which best represents how you want to invest your money. If you are interested in gaining exposure to the US stock market, you could choose a fund which tracks the S&P 500. Alternatively, you could opt for a fund which tracks the global stock market or divide your money between several different index funds.
