Investing versus gambling has been on my mind lately. Once debt free, with a fully funded emergency fund, investing 15%-20% of your income into retirement is a smart financial move. You could always invest more, but that is a good starting point. Personally, I like the ROTH IRA, where you can pick mutual funds. Having a strategy is investing. Slow and steady wins the race, as the saying goes.
When everyone went on lockdown in 2020, people had a lot of time on their hands. Robinhood became a very popular trading platform with first time investors. They made it very simple to buy and sell stocks. People started to make money, so the hype grew. Some people made a lot of money. Some lost a lot. Some forgot about capital gains tax. For some it became a source of entertainment. Like a virtual casino. That’s where it gets dangerous.
People became addicted to trading. Staring at graphs as they go up and down for hours at a time. I think it’s good to budget money for fun. If your type of fun is going to a casino and watching your hard-earned money disappear, that’s ok. Personally, I’m not a fan. I think that people should not confuse investing and throwing money at something in hopes of making a quick buck. Being lucky and intentional are very different things. Being aware of what your intentions are will help you save some money!
