Trevor Abes: Writer

As you’ve learned over the last 24 articles, there’s a lot to absorb before you can invest your money comfortably and confidently into the world’s stock and bond markets. You need to make decisions about which financial goals to pursue, for example, as well as how long you have to save before those goals can hopefully be met. That means taking a stand about how your future’s gonna look a few decades down the line and committing to it, even though you’ll likely be slapped around by life enough to periodically reconsider your priorities.

Then there’s the whole technical side of things where you get a grasp on what stocks, bonds, and index funds are, and how the different investment accounts on offer may or may not suit your situation.

It adds up and I get how the overwhelm can start to creep in. That’s why I understand if, after all this reading, you’re still feeling hesitant about opening your account and investing. Even though you know how fortunate we are as Canadians to have access to TFSAs and RRSPs, and you can see the benefits of saving money that’ll grow on its own over time, such as fulfilling dreams of all sizes, it’s still somehow not as easy as just doing it.

To that end, I came up with a list of aspects of the investing process that might cause newbies to give up or lose confidence + my own two cents as to possible solutions.

1. The mechanics of inputting buy and sell orders for your investment funds is not everyday knowledge. You need to type numbers in that represent real money and you don’t want to make a costly mistake. That’s a normal feeling. Thankfully, portfolio manager Justin Bender has got you covered with his instructional videos on that exact subject. He has videos for pretty much every major brokerage in Canada and you’ll benefit from his approachable explanatory style.
2. It can be a tall order to demystify how the stock market actually works. All those stock tickers, performance metrics, and constantly changing prices can be hard to crack. You should always seek out educational help tailored to how you learn. If you absorb knowledge more efficiently by reading, you can take a look at my investing guide for young Canadians. If you’re more of a visual learner, this TED video might help to fill in some gaps.
3. Another scary part of tackling the craft of investing on your own is not having an expert check over your work and give you the go-ahead. If you can’t seem to get past this barrier and take the plunge, set up an appointment with a financial advisor in person to open your account when covid allows and have them run you through the investing process. If you’re a customer with their bank, it’s their job to help you. Just be wary of any sales pitches and stick to your plan, whether that’s engaging in active investing or setting up your portfolio of diversified index funds.

Forever is quite the stretch and the prospect of having to tend to your investments on your own for that long can seem daunting. But I know you can do it. You know why? Because you’re taking time out of your day to read an article about investing. That means you’re already part of the chosen few who are capable of investing for themselves. You wouldn’t be here otherwise. So long as you take your time and give yourself room to learn, you will prevail.

As always, if you have any questions at all, fell free to drop them in the comments.

I’m also available to teach you 1-on-1 over Zoom if you prefer.

Disclaimer: This article is meant for general education purposes only. It does not constitute financial advice as I am unaware of your personal situation. Consult with a professional who abides by a fiduciary standard before making any investment decisions.