3 Ways To Help Others Start Investing
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We don't usually kick off the newsletter with the "Since You Asked" section, but this question I received from my friend Kevin was too good to pass up, and I really wanted to sink my teeth into it. He asked:
“If you were trying to convince family members and friends to start investing, where would you start? I’m trying to convince my little brother (23) that if he starts now, at my age (37) he would be well on his way to early retirement.”
Now as I'm sure many of us have experienced, convincing someone to start investing isn’t easy, and getting them interested in it is even harder. It’s a lot like trying to get someone into working out: they know they should do it, they know it’s good for them, but they just can’t find the motivation to actually step foot in the gym.
Investing is very similar. Most people know they should do it, and they understand it’s something they’ll need to do if they ever want to retire. Still, so many put it off, and I think there are two main reasons why:
First, there’s a huge disconnect between what investing in stocks really is and what most people think it is. They look at stocks as these three-letter symbols that seem to move up and down randomly, with no rhyme or reason.
Because of that, the stock market feels no different than a trip to the casino, which makes investing intimidating, especially for those who have never done it before.
What many people don’t realize is that stocks represent ownership in real, living businesses—many of which they interact with every day. If they understood that investing is about owning pieces of actual companies, it might feel less intimidating and maybe even exciting.
At any rate, the second reason people put off investing is that setting aside money for the future is hard. It requires making decisions today for a version of yourself 20 or 30 years down the road, and that's not an easy thing to wrap your head around.
Delaying gratification in the present for a far-off point in the future is difficult, so many people choose to avoid it entirely. Instead, it's easier to allocate that money toward more immediate pleasures—vacations, cars, random things from Amazon, etc.
While I don't think there’s anything inherently wrong with those things—because balance in life is important—they shouldn’t come at the expense of preparing for your future. With that said, how do you convince the people around you to do something good for themselves and start investing? Here’s what I’d suggest:
Lead by example. The best way to inspire someone is to show them what’s possible. Share your own results, talk about what you’re doing, and emphasize that “if I can do this, anyone can.” That’s a core belief I’ve built my channel around, and I truly believe it makes a difference.
Demystify investing. Help them understand what it really means to invest in stocks. Talk about the businesses they give their money to and show them how they can become an owner of those same businesses by investing in their stocks. Framing it this way might spark their interest.
Help them get started. If you haven’t already, guide them through setting up an account, automating contributions, and making the process as simple as possible. The less they have to think about it, the better.
Plus, they can start with as little money as they want. It may help to know that they can ease their way into it.
With all of that said, I'd love to hear from you: What would you suggest doing to help others get started with investing? Write to me here and let me know.
And if you want to learn about the three worst dividend investing mistakes I've ever made, click here.
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The First Stocks We Are Buying In 2025
In the fourth episode of The Deep End, Ari and I talk about the first stocks we are buying in 2025.
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