How often do you think about your spare change? Probably not much – and certainly not as something that could make a significant impact on your long-term dreams and goals.
In reality, every penny could go toward a brighter financial future. With micro-investing, everyone is capable of using that spare change toward something bigger, even if you don't think you have the resources or discipline to save.
If you’ve been searching for a clever way to stack your savings, we’re excited to introduce you to an investment strategy that doesn’t affect your lifestyle. Here’s everything you need to know about micro-investing and how it can help you reach your long-term financial goals.
What is Micro-Investing?
Micro-investing is a simple way to make small contributions to your investment portfolio. You can make these contributions on your own manually, but when people think of micro-investing, they think about automatically tucking away their spare change.
Here’s how it works: You go out to lunch with a friend and your total is $17.49. A platform that permits micro-investing will track your purchases on a linked credit or debit card, then round up those purchases to the next whole dollar and use the remaining $0.51 towards an investment.
The odds are that you’ll never really miss those pennies. But for your savings, it adds up – especially if you’re consistent with it over the year. You might be able to save $20 to $30 each month depending on how often you swipe your debit card.
If that money gets invested in something like a Worthy bond that yields higher interest rates, you’re putting your dollars to excellent use.
Benefits of Micro-Investing
Why consider implementing micro-investing in your accounts? Here are a few benefits everyone should think through when deciding if it’s the right move for you.
Accessibility
A lot of investments cater to accredited investors and the ultra-wealthy, requiring you to have a certain net worth or dedicate a few thousand dollars just to get started.
Micro-investing, on the other hand, was made to help the average person. Anyone can access a micro-investing platform that transforms small amounts of money into something far more significant. You’re Worthy of investing – never feel that it’s out of reach for you again!
No Lifestyle Changes
Savings goals are extremely important for your future, but it’s painful to give up your little luxuries in the here and now. After all, you work hard – you deserve a latte or a nice night out on the town every now and then!
While some people may be able to grin and bear these lifestyle sacrifices for the sake of saving more, micro-investing is different. You won’t even miss those few pennies each time you spend, allowing you to build savings in the background while you live your life.
In other words, you get to keep your spending habits and build up a financial nest egg all at the same time. It’s part of what makes micro-investing such an appealing option for people who feel that they lack the self-discipline to consciously set money aside for their investments at the end of each month.
Reach Long-Term Goals
Setting more money aside in savings can help you reach a long-term goal faster than you thought possible. Saving for the down payment on a house or for a college education takes a tremendous amount of planning, but you can take some of the pressure off with micro-investing.
Money automatically gets transferred and starts earning interest. You’ll be surprised how it all adds up!
How to Start Micro-Investing
Excited to start using your spare change toward something better? You can start micro-investing in just four simple steps!
1. Choose a Platform
First and foremost, choose a platform that permits micro-investing. Worthy is one option that allows you to round up your purchases or make recurring, scheduled investments. When you reach a total of $10 in your account, it is invested into a Worthy bond so your money can start earning interest and helping local communities.
2 . Set Up Roundups and Recurring Purchases
Next, set up your preferences on the platform you selected to automate your micro-investing.
Roundups (rounding each purchase up to the next whole dollar amount) are one way to invest your spare change, and you can build up even more by setting up recurring investments.
Try setting aside a small monthly amount that you won’t miss, like $10 to $20. With recurring, scheduled investments, that gets funneled directly into your portfolio!
3. Estimate Your Returns
Are you eager to see how your savings stack up over time? You can use online calculators like ours to see how long it will take you to realistically achieve your goals. This allows you to set some expectations that you can reasonably achieve. These calculators also give you an idea of where you might fall short financially, allowing you to adjust contributions according to your goals.
4. Save for the Long-Term
Micro-investing is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It takes time for your savings to build.
Once you start investing this way, think in years, not months or days. You don’t want to sell your bonds too soon after buying them as you will want that 7% annual interest to really help your nest egg grow!
Instead of being eager to sell and spend that cash, look at the long-term benefit. As long as you stay consistent in your savings efforts, you’ll be well on your way to reaching your financial goals.
Start Micro-Investing with Worthy Bonds
Ready to leap into micro-investing? There are so many benefits to investing in bonds, and Worthy makes it easy to get started. Bonds start at just $10 each and earn 7.0% fixed APY – meaning you can jump in immediately and start earning a competitive rate on your spare change! Plus, we keep money in local communities, allowing you to support Main Street over Wall Street.
If you think that micro-investing is the next right move for your portfolio, let us show you how easy investing in Worthy bonds can be! Create your account in just a few minutes.
