Make hay while the sun shines – don’t just make money, grow your wealth!

K.N. SRIDHARAN

When you sit down to think about it, our youth want money because they want to get ahead in life. They want better lives for themselves and their family, and they see money as the way to achieve these goals. Money is necessary, but the growth of your wealth is more important. Although it may seem more straightforward to have a high income rather than having a significant balance in your savings account, growing your wealth can actually give you more security and flexibility in your life. Your income can be highly volatile; it goes up and down with the economy.

Here are some tips to help you accumulate wealth:

HAVE A FINANCIAL PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE  

This is a no-brainer. If you invest in a financial plan and stick to it, you will have more money in the long run. The plan should be made when your income is low, and you have very little money to spare; the chances are that in a few years, when your income goes up, and you increase the amount of money you save, you will end up with more in savings than when you started.

USE THE POWER OF COMPOUNDING TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

This is a lifetime strategy for growing your wealth. Set up an interest-bearing account and leave the money there for as long as you can. You’ll be surprised at how much it adds up over time, even with minimal amounts of money that you deposit every month or year.

HAVE A DIVERSE PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS

A diverse portfolio of investments will give you stability. Spread your investments over several accounts and stocks rather than saving up all your money in one bank account. This way, if the economy takes a turn for the worse or any one of these investments goes downhill, you are still left with other profitable ones that will save you from bankruptcy.

CASH FLOW

Cash flow is the most common method people use to grow their wealth. It involves having multiple income streams to generate cash flow on a monthly or yearly basis. You can also save up to build up your nest egg for retirement. With time, this will turn into the wealth you can tap on when needed, not just for now but for future generations as well.

ASSET ACCUMULATION

This approach involves building up your net worth with assets like properties or businesses. Depending on your risk appetite, you can also look into dividends and interest-bearing investments. Assets are vital to growing your wealth; make sure you invest wisely.

INVESTMENT IN INSURANCE

It may be a little counterintuitive, but your cash is actually building up when you buy insurance. It is because most of the premiums from your insurance policies build up over time, and they become more significant when people pay into them for many years. You can also invest in endowment plans that accumulate cash and grow your wealth simultaneously.

SAVINGS

Having savings is the simplest way to accumulate wealth, especially if you’re young and just starting; don’t fall into the trap of thinking that your income can finance all your wants. Instead, save up for rainy days, emergencies, investments, or anything else you want to achieve in life. With time, this will turn into the wealth you can tap on when needed.

BUILD A PROFESSION

This approach is for those who want to do their own thing and choose not to be employees. Here, the idea is that you become your own boss and create a professional livelihood based on your work, talents, and passions. That way, wealth becomes an inevitable byproduct of your work.

One way or another, you have to find a way to accumulate wealth to become your insurance for the future. That doesn’t necessarily mean making more money all the time; focus on growing your wealth and put in the effort necessary to achieve this goal. Not all of these approaches will apply to you. You can pick and choose but make sure they are the best fit for your circumstances. Whatever approach you take, make sure you grow your wealth; don’t just make money. A growing pile of cash will do more than give you a sense of security in life; it will also give you a sense of financial freedom and flexibility.