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During 2020, so many people have suffered financially. Over 40 million Americans filed for unemployment, and companies around the world have ended up going into liquidation. Although those on salary saved money in quarantine by traveling less, eating at home and binging Netflix instead of trips to the cinema, others struggled to pay rent and have fallen into further debt – a devastating thing for many families. Most people are somewhere between the two, and are wondering what could happen if this virus continues to affect our work.
The situation in the US is similar to what’s happening in the Philippines. I’m lucky enough to still have a job even when we went to enhanced community quarantine, the strictest lockdown level and even now as the quarantine status changes from modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) to general community quarantine to modified (GCQ) to MECQ again… But I did have to make a few lifestyle changes specially since I had a huge pay cut.
Okay so before pandemic happened, I was already making some changes in my life because when I think of my net worth, I would have to say I’m reminded of how Carrie Bradshaw was after she and Aidan broke up for the second time. Broke. I don’t want to keep living like that so I was on a path of gradual saving, paying off debts and being more religious with my investments. This lockdown has just solidified that goal of being financially healthy.
So the big question is: how can you increase your financial viability when
the world seems to be in full-blown turmoil? Being financially viable means having
the financial freedom to have everything you need and not be in a state of
total financial anxiety all the time. You don’t have to be an ultra-rich
millionaire to be financially viable, as long as you are comfortable.
I’ve read about this on financial blogs and this is also an advice you’d hear from financial experts: one route to take to financial success is through investment. What is investment?
Investment can mean many things, and can range from small-scale purchases to
long-term financial strategies. If you invest in something – for example,
property – you spend money first, in order to make more money later. If you buy
a run-down property cheaply, invest in refurbishment and high-standard
furnishing, you can later let this property out, or indeed sell it for a high
price. This will give you what’s called ROI, which stands for return on
investment.
Your investments
don’t have to be large ones, like property investment is. After all, in order
to make money from property, you’ve got to have a substantial amount to begin
with. If you are looking to invest small-scale, here are some ways to do so.
1. Trading.
It sounds like trading is
only viable for professional financiers, but that’s where you’re wrong.
With the right channels such as Forex Broker, you
can safely trade in stocks, cryptocurrency, and so much more. Of course,
trading poses risk – you can lose money, as well as make it – but with
proper research and advice, you can invest a small amount of money and get
incredible ROI.
2. Small
Businesses. If
you aren’t in a position to start your own business, you could buy shares
in another small business which you believe in. Owning shares in a company
means getting a cut of its profit each year as it grows, called a
dividend. Shares increase your wealth as the company grows, and this can
take a number of years to become significant. For example, if you had invested $10,000 in
Apple in 1980, by now you would have $6.7 million.
Investing in business sometimes pays big!
The Risks
Of course, investing
in anything has risks, because anything can happen. If you invested in Apple in
the eighties you’d be rich by now – but if you’d chosen to put your £10,000
into a company nobody has heard of by 2020, you might have had little to no ROI
whatsoever.
So it goes without saying, always do your research before making a big investment. After all, you don’t want to lose your hard earned money! Specially during these tough times, every penny counts!