What Would You Do With 10k?

Yesterday, I was asked the question “What would you do with an extra $10,000?” When I started to really think about it, there are tons of things I could do with that kind of money. What would you do with it? Buy that new TV you always wanted? Save it? Invest it? Pay down some credit card debt?

My first thought was to pay off my student loan debt. Would that be a smart financial decision? Probably not. That was a loan so I could leverage myself by paying for my education without using any of my own money. Another reason why it would not make sense to pay off my student loan quickly is the tax benefit and the low interest rate. After thinking about all the advantages, why would I want to expedite paying off a near interest free loan?

My second thought was to put $6,000 into my online savings account and invest the other $4,000 in my individual stock portfolio. This would be great way to increase my net worth and help build my retirement portfolio. I would then have $6,000 which I could use at my own discretion.

Then I thought of how I can use this money to get a higher long term return, and leverage this money as much as I could. Real Estate is one of the only ways that you could purchase a big asset with little or no money. The $10,000 could be used as bargaining money for a down payment on a rental property. There’s a town house community that I’ve been looking at that would be perfect for this kind of investment. I could purchase the property and immediately rent it out to an Atlanta commuter or a fellow college student.

*eFIPO’s Rule* Always think outside the box when it comes to personal finance. There’s never just one way to solve a problem. Learn how you can turn a little money into lots of money.

Save while you’re Broke. Spend when you’re Rich

I know many of you might not be looking at the day you retire, but maybe by planning now you could be very rich later on. Most people when they are young (high school ’til graduation year in college) have most of their things purchased and paid for by their parents such as: car, insurance, cell phone, medical, rent, clothing, and probably some other things. This is the perfect time in life to begin saving the most you can. There are three saving methods that people age 18-25 should consider. They are easy, flexible, and will benefit you in the long run.

First being an IRA (Individual Retirement Accounts), specifically the Roth IRA. This retirement account is aimed directly at younger people trying to save money while they are working. *Go to this website for the specifics* The most important benefit about the Roth IRA is that the money that is put into the account will grow TAX-FREE for life by using after tax money. This is the only true savings vehicle that you will never have to pay taxes on EVER as long as you follow the guidelines properly. Here is a real example on what can happen if you put $150.00 a month into an Roth IRA at age 18 at 10% compounded yearly. At 50 years old you will have $421,250., and at the tender age of 59 you will have 1,117,325. Why such a huge jump in 9 years? The incredible miracle of compound interest. It is what makes starting to save early such a wonderful thing. This website shows you how powerful a retirement account can be. Even if you end up having a hundred million dollars in interest you will NEVER pay any kind of taxes. INGDirect, Sharebuilder, Scottrade, and Fedelity are great companies that will offer you some great deals on IRA’s. Check them out and start as early as you can.

Saving for a home of your own should be a priority in most people’s lives. I don’t know many people that want to live in their parent’s house or an apartment till the day they die. Most people make the mistake of saving much too late for their homes and have to take out a bigger mortgage then originally planned. Saving early in a high yield savings account through INGDirect can really help you make the transition from an apartment to a house much easier. Usually, you want to have either 10-20% of the purchase amount in cash when buying a house. Realistically, 10% is a great down payment, so aim for 10%. For example, if your first house costs $130,000 you will need $13,000 to purchase it unless you have wonderful credit. Remember your first house doesn’t have to be your dream house, so DO NOT buy a house that you know you cannot afford, even if the mortgage company says you can. Houses make some of the best long-term investments possible. Read “ The Automatic Millionaire Homeowner” if you really want to start jumping in the real estate market.

The final savings vehicle usually will only be offered if you work for a medium or large company, but this savings program alone will make you want to work for corporate America. It is called the 401(k) plan (or 403(b) if you are working for non-profit). If you’re company offers a matching contribution plan, you CANNOT pass up this golden opportunity to make a ton of money. When you purchase in to the 401(k) Plan, most companies will match a certain amount, usually 4-6%, of your eligible contribution. For example if you were to make $2000 a month and you put 5% of your pay into the 401(k) plan (a hundred dollars a month) your company would usually match that contribution of $100. That is a direct 100% return on your money. You can’t get much better than that. So if you work for a company that offers a matching contribution (do not enroll unless they offer a matching program – I will talk more about this in a later discussion) enroll in it today!

These savings vehicles will make you so completely rich that you will not have to worry about Social Security at all. Remember if you want to be rich follow my advice, but if you want to work ’til you’re eighty and live paycheck to paycheck be my guest. Just don’t complain when all your friends are sitting at the beach while you are still working because they read this post and started saving.

Tags: 401(k), IRA’s, Retirement