In this post we look at careful planning and successful investing and how goals-based investing could be key. If your savings goal is more than five years away, putting some of your money into investments could allow you to earn more from your money and keep up with rising prices. Your wealth should work in all the ways you want it to. Whatever your goals are in life, careful planning and successful investing of your wealth can help you get there. Whatever stage of life you’re at, we’ll help you navigate through the opportunities and challenges you may face.

From the old adage of saving for a rainy day to planning a comfortable retirement, everybody has investment goals in their life. The starting point is to define exactly what you want to get out of your investments, set realistic targets and keep them on track. Goals-based investing places your goals right at the centre of the advice process.

Different types of investment

There are a variety of reasons why you might choose to invest. Some investment goals may be open-ended, while others may come with a specific deadline. As well as working out what your goals are, you also need to think about when you hope to achieve them.

None of us likes to be speculative with our savings but the truth is there’s no such thing as a ‘no-risk’ investment. You’re always taking on some risk when you invest, but the amount varies between different types of investment. Money you place in secure deposits such as savings accounts risks losing value in real terms (buying power) over time. This is because the interest rate paid won’t always keep up with rising prices (inflation).

Good idea to spread your risk

On the other hand, index-linked investments that follow the rate of inflation don’t always follow market interest rates. This means that if inflation falls you could earn less in interest than you expected. Stock market investments might beat inflation and interest rates over time, but you run the risk that prices might be low at the time you need to sell. This could result in a poor return or, if prices are lower than when you bought, losing money.

When you start investing, it’s usually a good idea to spread your risk by putting your money into a number of different areas and asset classes. That way, if one investment doesn’t work out as you hope, you’ve still got your others to fall back on.

Portfolio of savings and investment

Setting your specific investment goals will also keep you focused on when you need to release the money and enable you to build a portfolio of savings and investments to get you where you want to be. Investment strategies should include a combination of various investment and fund types in order to obtain a balanced approach to risk and return.

Maintaining a balanced approach is usually key to the chances of achieving your investment goals, while bearing in mind that at some point you will want access to your money. This makes it important to allow for flexibility in your planning

Seeking professional financial advice

For further information and assistance in setting investment goals, contact one of independent financial advisers here.